Interactive Work Instructions for Manufacturing · •Import CATIA V4 hierarchy •Import graphic...

Interactive Work Instructions for Manufacturing

Application Engineer, CSWE

Quest Integration

Brandon Adkins

Assembly or Maintenance Instructions

• What do we rely on?

• May require training

• Rely on tribal knowledge

• Extensive support

• Sometimes complicated…

Assembly Instructions

• How are you doing it now?

Maintenance Instructions

Current Process

Challenges in Industry

• Complexity of products

• Time to market decreasing

• Maximizing profits

• Communication between • Engineering & Design

• Assembly Technicians

• Sales and Marketing

Engineering Department

Opportunities for CAD Data Reuse

Engineering Department

Opportunities for CAD Data Reuse

What is our Goal?

• Create intuitive work instructions

• Facilitate Communication

• Spend less time figuring out the process

What is our Goal?

Improving our Work Instructions

CAD Data Import

View setup

Exporting Deliverables

Accounting for Changes

Improving our Work Instructions

CAD Data Import

View setup

Exporting Deliverables

Accounting for Changes

• Leveraging Engineering Data

• Flexible manipulation

• Not Engineering time

CAD Data Import

• Import Options • Options handling geometry

• Saving Model

• Default Views

• Camera View

• Selection Sets

• Updating Neutral Properties

• Setting Up Paper Space

CAD Import

Import Options

• How do we get the Geometry into Composer consistently? • Options needed will depend on how your models are constructed

• Recommendation : Test them out • Which gives you the result you need?

• Define YOUR profile that works best with company CAD Data

• Can you Save As SMG, or just import the file yourself?

Save SMG

• Save as SMG

• Composer Plugin (Tools> Add-ins)

• File>Save As… • Choose SMG as type

Import within Composer

Which one to Choose?

Import Options

• The following Composer import options apply to SOLIDWORKS files: • Merge file into one actor per

part • Import as bodies • Import instance names • Import free faces • Import hidden components (no

show) • Import meta-properties

• The following are CATIA options and do not apply to SOLIDWORKS files: • Import areas, volumes, inertia

axes • Import points • Import curves • Import PMI • Import CATIA V4 hierarchy • Import graphic data • Import feature names • Import coordinate system

Import Options

• Merge File into one actor per part • If parts contain multiple bodies, they become one geometry in composer

• Import Instance Names • Identical part names classified with Suffix

• Hex Nut (X 2) = “Hex Nut -1” , “Hex Nut -2”

• Import Meta Properties • Custom Property tags from CAD File (Description, Part No., Etc.)

Import Options

• Import As Bodies • Used to merge faces of single body into one.

• Import hidden components (no show)

• Parts hidden in SOLIDWORKS can be imported into Composer

• Works for hidden components ONLY, Suppressed NEVER imported

• Import Free Faces • Import surface bodies from CAD Model

Import Options - CATIA

• Import area, volumes, inertia axes • Displays surface and volume information from CAD models as meta-properties

on the assembly level.

• Import points • Point Reference geometry

• Import Curves • Curve geometry (curves, wires, wireframe)

• Import Coordinate Systems • Coordinate system • Not imported if using “Merge file into one actor per part”

• Import Textures • One texture per face imported (first channel)

Import Options - CATIA

• Import PMI • Product Manufacturing Information

• Model Based Definition (CATIA)

• Import CATIA V4 hierarchy

• Import graphic data

• Import feature names

YOUR Import Options

• File>Properties>Default Document Properties • INPUT

• Set your Custom Import Profile

YOUR Import Options

• Need some files handled differently that will go in the same SMG?

• Import separately using different options. Then merge SMG files.

Just After Import…

• Default View • Capture Model initial import

• Camera View • Common camera orientation

• Selection Sets • Groupings for easy selection

• Update Neutral Properties • Color, position, opacity, etc.

• Paper Space • File> Properties> Document Properties> Paper Space • File> Properties> DEFAULT Document Properties> Paper Space

Saving the Model • Save as > SMG

Sharing Styles

• Styles • Important tools to ensure

consistency

• DataPath.XML

Styles – Editing XML

1. Style Sets – “<CustomStyle>.smgStyleSet” (specify custom file location to save them) 2. Browse to and edit “DataPath.XML”

3. Replace <DataPath.StyleList/>

WITH <DataPath.StyleList> <Path0 Value="\\[server name]\[file path]" Description="Shared Styles Location 1"/>

Improving our Work Instructions

CAD Data Import

View setup

Exporting Deliverables

Accounting for Changes

• Easy tools for step by step

• Explode and Author Tools

• Planning your process

Improving our Work Instructions

CAD Data Import

View setup

Exporting Deliverables

Accounting for Changes

• Varieties of export • Raster or Vector • Animated • Interactive

• Hard Copy or Electronic

• Work best for your customer

Improving our Work Instructions

CAD Data Import

View setup

Exporting Deliverables

Accounting for Changes

• Never out of date

• Simple to get new CAD data

• Send a message of quality to your customer

Key tools to implement

• CAD file appearances

• Selection by color

• SVG output

• Hotspots

• BOM • Can be used for step by step

• 3D work instructions • Interactive Elements

• Intuitive product knowledge

• Raster and Vector Images

• PDF Content

• Hard Copy or Electronic

Interactive Work Instructions for Manufacturing

Application Engineer, CSWE

Quest Integration

Brandon Adkins

brandon@qintegration.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/adkinsbrandon

https://twitter.com/bkadkinss

Application Engineer, CSWE

Quest Integration

Brandon Adkins

Thank You!