3D CAD Access in Manufacturing and PLM Improvement

Even in “single CAD” environments it isn’t common sense. Within a company you can share 3D data most easy by sharing the same CAD system. using 3D visual data like JT data can also be shared but with Teamcenter used to be a cumbersome process. Hope this will be better in the new versions. But what people really want is fast viewing, so no PDM software eating all resources on your computer or no CAD system to be learned for non CAD users.
I think best would be the ability to export snapshots from the PDM system to be used “stand alone”.
Like Adobe 3D? or a monolithic viewer file, viewer included.

A colleague of mine was consulting for an automaker and stumbled on the following ‘quality’ problem:
– Rolls of steel are provided to a stamping plant, which then stamps the steel to form parts
– Sometimes the steel splits, meaning not only that this part must be scrapped, but that every other part from that roll of steel must be found and scrapped. (Hello MES)
– The quality of the steel is based on a particular price per ton; higher price => higher quality => fewer splits, but purchasing chose a lower price of steel to meet sales demands.
– But splitting steel is not solely a function of quality, it is also a function of the radius of curvature of the formed part. Broad sweeping curves are less likely to split than are tight corners.
– The shape of a sheet metal part is based on many things, not least of which are sales, design, and functionality constraints.

So this seems like a PLM problem to me, and while 3D might not be a requirement, it sure would help. What if representatives of Design, Purchasing and Stamping used 3D while discussing the cost/value curves of part shape, material cost, and manufacturing non-conformance, all before the stamping dies are created?

As humans we can better process information through our visual cortex (3D) than through our auditory (sound/text). To be Lean and profitable while achieving quality expectations we need better communication across the enterprise. There is a huge value prop for cross-domain 3D communication, but instead of CAD tools, how about XBox Live?

OK, so maybe you need a mouse/keyboard to create annotations, but to move 3D outside of relatively few designers (computer-aided _design_) and into the rest of the enterprise requires (imho) an easy, light-weight tool for distribution, much like Adobe 3D as mentioned in the article.