Abstract
Keywords
PLM, Digital Mock Up, Integration, PDM, Data Exchange
Abstract
The paper describes the ongoing work to build a PLM system, in an industrial case. At present the focus is on the set up of a Product Data Management system; the usage level and application scope of information technology is widening, and to leverage information technology a need arises: to correctly store and retrieve data, and to manage Digital Mock Up.
To correctly manage Digital Mock Up, it is important to control creation and modification process of the digital data in the proper way, and to coordinate these activities with the Engineering Change management process. This requires the introduction of new Information systems, which have to be interfaced with the existing ones.
The implementation project of a PDM system is described, focusing on the interface between the new PDM and the legacy Engineering Bill of material, and Engineering Change management environment. The interface connects the part lists of the two systems, to ensure integrity of the information (numbering, description, material, ). The two systems reflect each other: they can have specific information needed only in their own processes but general information that is shared remain the same. The Interface allows a control on the release process of the Engineering BOM based also on the Engineering Documents: by sharing information on the existence of required documents and their respective status, the system will block the release of a part if there are not the required documents completed.
The result give a consolidation of engineering information with the digital mock-up information and vice versa, between the legacy system and the new PDM, in order to integrate in a safe mode new processes and add new control information to the existing processes.