-
Bolted Connections
A typical bolted joint (as shown) may contain a washer and
gasket to improve the bond, a nut and a bolt besides the basic
structure that it is connecting. The bolt assembly may be
pretensioned or it may only resist shear. There are many options
involved with a bolted connection. Each option has advantages and
disadvantages, and none of the options will be right for every
situation.
To model the joint completely, the model would include the
washer and/or gasket which is probably a hyperelastic material, the
contact between the nut and the bolt, the nut and the washer, the
washer and solid body and may also include friction, this could be
done with a solid model, but would require a very detailed model,
without including the threads in the bolts.
When modeling a bolted connection, the first action should be to
determine what information is needed. Some questions that should be
considered are:
Will the holes deform? Will the bolts deform? Do the bolts
contribute to the overall deformations and stresses? Will the bolts
fail first? Are the gasket/washer interfaces critical to the
behavior of the structure? Will the bolt resist axial, shear,
and/or bending?
1609 Elements
7341 Nodes
29 Contact Pairs
Most analysts do not have the time or hardware to build this
type of model. In addition, a detailed model would probably produce
more information than is necessary.
Bolt
Washer
Gasket
Nut
-
There are many modeling options. None of the options will
produce exactly the behavior of the connection. The decision of
which option to choose is dependent on required results and time
available to produce results.
Some of the modeling options include: Merge Nodes Rigid
Connection Spring Element Beam Element Constraint Element Coupled
DOF
This paper will discuss some of the modeling options. It is
intended as an introduction to the topic and is not the final
answer to modeling beam connections. The results presented were
calculated using I-DEAS as the post processor and Model Solution as
the solver. The paper will present some of the advantages and
disadvantages of using different modeling options. It will discuss
merging nodes, rigid connections (using rigid elements), spring
elements and beam elements. The constraint element and coupled DOF
will be left to another paper.
Determining the required information would then determine the
type of model that could be used. For instance, if joint forces are
needed, the bolt must be modeled with an element that can recover
forces.. Different element types will result in different behavior
of the bolt.
There are local effects that could be modeled with a break out
model or submodel. Some local effects are:
Bolts can prevent the hole from changing shape. The interaction
of the hole and the bolt is usually a local effect. A sub model
would be needed to find bolt failure, if the failure mode is known.
The gasket and washers generally contribute to only localized
effects.
Merge Nodes:
Considerations: Connecting two bodies represented by
solid elements. (Shells would not have coincident nodes)
All forces are transferred. No localized behavior is
considered.
Concerns: It can be difficult to get the nodes to
match. (Section meshing can help) No joint forces available. The
contact between the surfaces would
be very friction dependent.
-
There are two possible methods of merging nodes: 1. All nodes on
the connecting surfaces could be merged
- Behavior would be the same as one body 2. Only the nodes
representing the bolts could be merged
- Contact between the surfaces should be considered
Merge Nodes Using I-DEAS 1. Pick Nodes
Select nodes to be considered For all nodes, use MB3 All
done
2. Enter distance between nodes to be considered coincident
(0.0003937008)
Enter distance between nodes, the default is 1mm
3. Enter method to select coincident node Lower Number is the
default
4. Ok to list element labels? (No) 5. Ok to merge coincident
nodes? (No)
Default is NO Select Yes to merge the nodes
6. Ok to delete nodes that have been replaced (Yes)
-
One rigid element connecting all the nodes
to one central node
Two rigid elements connected with one
rigid bar
One rigid element connecting a node at the
center of the hole
Rigid Elements:
Considerations: Selected DOFs can be transferred. No localized
behavior calculated. The holes shape can be maintained.
Concerns: Joint Forces can be recovered. May add numeric
stiffness around the
hole. If the nodes are not coincident, a
moment will be induced.
There are three possible methods using rigid elements to model
the bolts.
Rigid Elements Using I-DEAS Two types of rigid elements:
RBARs - connect only 2 nodes RBEs connect multiple nodes The
first node is the
independent node. Rigid elements can be created:
Manually using create element
Geometry-based Elements using reference points or center
points
Section meshing will automatically suppress the hole.
-
Recovering Joint Forces using Rigid Elements:
1. Constraint forces must be stored. They may be listed. It is
recommended that element
forces also be stored and listed. 2. Select constraint forces in
display
results. 3. Select arrow plots in display
template.
The forces may be listed using the report writer and similar to
Arrow plot.
Spring Elements:
Considerations: Nodes should be coincident. Selected DOF can be
transferred. Some calculations prior to the FE model would
required to obtain the equivalent bolt stiffness. No localized
behavior considered.
Concerns: Joint Forces can be recovered. If nodes are not
coincident a moment may be
introduced. - For Ideas, it is suggested that the uniaxial flag
be
turned on. - For Nastran, the nodes should be coincident.
To have no stiffness for a given DOF, set the stiffness to
zero.
- Ideas defaults to 3 DOF, either translational or
rotational.
- Nastran uses 1 DOF, multiple springs may be required to resist
different forces.
-
There are two possible methods for modeling spring elements:
1. Connecting nodes at the center of the hole.
2. Model the hole using a rigid element and connecting the rigid
elements with a spring.
3. If midsurface data is used for shell models, the spring
element may induce a moment.
Recovering Joint Forces using Spring Elements:
1. Create a group of the spring elements.
2. Store Element Forces. 3. Select Arrow Display.
In Visualizer, arrows can be set to show either 1 direction or 3
directions
The forces may be listed using the report writer and similar to
XY graph. An XY graph must first be created.
Spring Elements Using I-DEAS Springs elements can be
created: Manually using
create element Geometry-based
Elements using reference points or center points
Set the solver mask before creating the physical property table
entry.
-
Beam Elements:
Considerations: Nodes should be coincident Stiffness in axial,
shear and bending are
included based on beam section Forces can be transferred in
selected DOF Localized behavior can considered Preload may be
included
Concerns: Joint Forces can be recovered A beam or a rod element
can be used...
- Beams model all 6 DOF - Rods model translation only
In short beams the shear deflection will control the overall
deflection of the bolt.
The beams are modeled connecting nodes at the center of the
hole. The hole is not modeled, because the beam section models the
bolt volume.
-
Beam Elements Using I-DEAS 1. Create a beam section that
represents the
bolt. 2. Create beams between the center nodes of
the holes. 3. The holes may be suppressed (using
section meshing) OR
3. Use a rigid element to connect the edges of the hole with the
beam.
4. Store Element Forces
-
NX 3 Supports More Languages!! by Elango Ramanathan Programming
tools Technical track chair
Grrrrrrr! Yes! That is exactly how I felt when I heard UGS is
adding more languages. Oh my God, GRIP, GRIP NC, C, C++, TCL,
Intent! and now C#, VB.net. None of the existing language covers
everything I need. We have been asking UGS to added more coverage
in CAM area. What is wrong with these UGS people? Why are they
wasting their resources in adding more languages? I was so curious
when I attended beta testing at Cypress CA, I could not resist
asking for a presentation on what was happening. But the more I
found out about UGS strategy, the more impressed I became.
Initially I thought UGS is just going to add a few more language
to their list. But UGS has a well thought out strategy to help
developers in the long run. UGS is providing a new recording tool
called Journaling, and, by NX 3, will support VB.NET, C# and C++
for traditional automation. By NX 4 Java will be supported also.
Any developer working with the NX Open for .NET API can use all the
functionalities of the Microsoft .NET environment. NX 3 will
support full object oriented programming concepts. Also, with the
.NET API a developer can do remoting and distributed programming,
as well as create Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) using
WinForms.
Journaling is more like macro recording in Word or Excel.
Journals will record VB.NET commands instead of menu clicks. They
can also record in C++, but journal replay is limited to VB.NET
only. Since journals are capturing functional code, and are not
recording GUI or screen picks, they will work across multiple
versions of NX. And journaling supported automation code provides
the added benefit of recording actual automation commands. In the
past, I used to make a lot of calls to GTAC to find out whether a
function was available in Open C and how it worked. Now, with
journals, it is so easy to find out. I can just record a journal
and I get my sample program in no time. I can cut and paste
directly into an automation program, then add only a few variables
and logics to make the program work.
My next worry was that I would have to learn yet another new
language. I never had a need to fill my brain with one more
language. But I saw it as opportunity to beat my son. Since he
already knows C#, I borrowed his C# book and started to go through
it. I was really surprised to know C# is more like C++ than what I
had originally thought. A lot of the syntax is very similar to C++
except for arrays and the fact that there are no pointers. There
are differences like delegates etc., but I felt comfortable with C#
very fast. And, since I could add the NX .NET classes in the Visual
Studio development environment, I got all the benefits of
'intellisense'. Wow!
NX Open for .NET supports not only internal/external programs
but now it supports remote programming as well. Remoting allows an
NX user to execute an automation program from the same or a
different machine from where the NX session is running. Via
remoting, a user can connect to another system running NX within a
network. This
-
addition is available through the .NET version of the NX Open
API only. This mode is not available in the legacy Open C API.
Okay! The future is very bright, but what about the past? I have
about 150K lines of code to support. As usual UGS is committed to
supporting their customers and has promised to continuing to
support legacy Open C (User Function) libraries and GRIP. But no
new functions will be added to Open C and GRIP. All the new
functions will be added to the NX Open for .NET API and to the new
NX Open C++ API. Both the .NET API and the new C++ API are derived
from the same Common API kernel, so any new functionality will be
provided equally for the new APIs. Customers with existing Open C
licenses will automatically receive the new Open C++ API free of
charge. As for my existing code, I recompiled and linked my code
with the NX 3 Open C library. Everything worked fine except for few
minor changes like the unit conversion function in expression is
inch(....) instead of in(.).
Not all NX functionality is available for automation through the
native.NET API yet. To provide complete programming coverage in
.NET, UGS is providing an additional library of .NET-wrapped Open C
functions. This added library provides a .NET programmer with
nearly the same automation access to NX functionality that the
existing Open C and Open C++ libraries provide. Although UGS have
plans to provide all existing and new functionality through the
.NET API in future releases, the .NET-wrapped Open C library will
not be removed.
UGS is continuing to support C-based programming by releasing a
new C++ library built from the same object and class structure of
the new .NET library. Although this library is different than the
existing Open C++ library, I can compile and link my existing C and
C++ programs with this library. But if I want to use any of the
Microsoft .NET classes I have to follow a book full of protocols
and conventions. I tried and failed miserably. So I have decided to
stick with C# because I want to program with .NET classes.
NX Open for .NET comes with a new set of documents that are
presented in a standard Microsoft help file format. The documents
are user friendly and more like Visual Studio docs. And details
about the NX Open for .NET classes and methods show up
automatically in the Visual Studio Object Browser. It should be
noted, though, that a user needs to be running Visual Studio .NET
2003 (Version 7.1) if they want to work with the .NET API. They
also need to have the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 loaded on their
workstation
I need to buy a new NX Open for .NET authoring license if I want
to program in C# or VB.net, but no additional execution license is
required. No new licenses are required if I program in C++ and link
with the new library.
Over all I am quite impressed with UGS strategy to support more
object oriented programming languages. In the long run, I believe
this new direction will help developers a lot.
-
NX Manager I-DEAS via Team Center Engineering
One of the main areas that I-DEAS users need to focus on is the
transition from I-DEAS to NX. This process
involves two distinct phases, migrating TDM to NX Manager I-DEAS
(via TC Eng) and then migrating I-DEAS NX CAD data to NX3 (or
beyond) CAD. I am very happy to be able to provide news about the
process relating to the TDM to NX Manager I-DEAS migration.
We under went our "early adopter" I-DEAS to NX initial audit by
UGS in August 2004. UGS came out to our
company and spent two days with us, analyzing our CAD data and
showing us the new products. My overall
anxiety has pretty much disappeared now that I have seen the
products as they relate to our CAD data. The
products - both CAD NX and TDM to TC Eng NX Manager I-DEAS look
solid. I also found great benefit from
attending the recent Denver Colorado Team Center of Tour and NX3
event hosted by UGS.
In order to migrate your TDM to NX Manager I-DEAS, there is a
great tool to help. The MiAdmin tool is a
gem! This tool analyzes your TDM. It lists everything you ever
wanted to know and more (but were afraid to ask) about the items in
your TDM. Also, it provides wonderful automated tools for you to
fix your data! The I-DEAS user needs to understand that in order to
utilize NX Manager I-DEAS, they must also work within the
Team Center Engineering environment. While this might seem like
a daunting task, it is possible to start out
with basic TDM like functionality first and then add on modules
of TC Eng if one so desires. The interface for
accessing I-DEAS thru TC Eng has an easy to use windows feel to
it and users should quickly adapt to this new
structure.
The added benefits of working within the TeamCenter Engineering
environment are fantastic. These include the
potential for Global CAD data sharing, being able to link other
types of file (MS and such) to your CAD object, markup and viewing
of both 2D and 3D CAD data. The NX Manager I-DEAS product looks
like a go now. I
would say that the I-DEAS NX CAD product is still evolving. Each
new release will ensure a greater success
rate with migrating part features and drawings. NX3 has some
great features and its ease of use is a definite
welcome to this next generation CAD tool.
Follow the user discussions relating to I-DEAS to NX on the
I-deas to NX Transition Digest bulletin board.
https://citizen.plmworld.org/login.php?ru=/access/conferencing.php
You must be a registered PLM World Citizen!
-
Rick Rueger PLM World Article Submit Date: October 15, 2004 Word
Count: 856
1
First of Two Simple Applications of Using Part Equations in
I-DEAS
Part 1 of 2
Have you ever needed to model a spring specified by the pitch
and number of turns? Have you ever needed to balance a number of
slots or other features and position them uniformly along a face?
Did it cause you to struggle when you tried to do this within
I-DEAS and struggle even more when you had to go back and change
them? If so, read on because these articles were written to give
you a couple of examples of using the Part Equations form to create
dimension-driven parts that can be easily and controllably
modified.
Part 1 (this article) will look at driving a spring design by
specifying the pitch and number of turns.
Part 2 (next issue) will examine how to uniformly space and
balance an array of slots (or other features) on a given face.
Driving a Spring by Pitch and Number of Turns
It is relatively easy to create a spring within I-DEAS. This can
be done by sketching a profile, picking the Revolve command,
selecting the profile, then selecting the axis to revolve about and
completing the rest of the form. What might be a little more
cryptic is the way that you need to fill out the rest of the form
to accomplish the helix. You next need to calculate (or put in an
expression for) the Revolve Angle to specify how many revolutions
are in the spring. An example of this is shown in Figure 1.
-
Rick Rueger PLM World Article Submit Date: October 15, 2004 Word
Count: 856
2
Figure 1: Initial Input of Revolve Angle
Next click on the options button to enter the Translation along
Axis. This is the total translation distance from the beginning of
the spring to the end. For an example of this see Figure 2.
Figure 2: Initial Input of Total Translation
A more intuitive way of defining a spring might be to specify
the number of turns and the pitch (distance between turns). This
can be done by going into the Part Equations command (Icon row 4,
column 1) after you have created the initial spring. In the
equations section type:
NUMBER_OF_TURNS = 5 PITCH = 50|mm|
Note: There cannot be spaces in your variable names. Use
underscores to accomplish readability. Also, when entering constant
values in this form make sure to specify units. This is done in the
example above by typing the vertical bar or pipe symbol (found as
the shift of the backslash on your keyboard) both before and after
the actual units. Anything between these two pipes is evaluated as
a unit. If no units are specified,
-
Rick Rueger PLM World Article Submit Date: October 15, 2004 Word
Count: 856
3
everything is solved in SI (System International) which means
that it will be interpreted as meters, not millimeters.
Next, in the dimension section, highlight and enter values for
the following two dimensions:
RevolveAngle = NUMBER_OF_TURNS * 360 AxialTrans = PITCH *
NUMBER_OF_TURNS
See Figure 3 for an example of the equations form and the
resulting spring. You now have a spring that can easily be modified
by changing these two parameters at the top of the Part Equations
form.
Figure 3: Finished Spring and Example Equations Form
Also, notice that the name of the other dimensions have been
changed to be more meaningful than the default D11 and D12. The
names wire_diameter and spring_radius are far more apparent as to
what they will control. Highlight on the dimension in this form and
then type in the new name in the lower left-hand box instead of the
right-hand box where you enter the value. Again, no spaces in
dimension names (same rule as for user-defined variables). This
dimension name change can be done in the Modify command as
well.
If you go back into the feature parameters form of the revolve
you will notice that both the Angle and the Translation along Axis
are greyed out and not available to change here. This is because
the values for these two dimensions are now controlled at the part
level through the Part Equations form and are no longer able to be
(accidentally) changed at the feature level.
-
Rick Rueger PLM World Article Submit Date: October 15, 2004 Word
Count: 856
4
Summary
The Part Equations command allows you to build design intent
into your model. You can quickly build a series of parts by
changing the values of the constants in the desired set of
equations. The more intuitively-named dimensions and variables that
you put into your part, the greater the likelihood that someone
will be able to change your part predictably. The hardest part
about using the Part Equations command is usually writing out the
mathematical relationships. Entering them in the form is easy.
Hopefully, this simple example has given you some exposure to this
and will encourage you to try to build more of these relationships
into the next part that you create. Check back next issue for a
more involved example of equation writing and using some of the
available functions such as truncate and round.
Bio: Rick Rueger is the District Training Manager for UGS in
Chicago. He has worked for SDRC/EDS/UGS for the last 14 years and
still occasionally teaches a few classes there. Rick Rueger UGS
Inc. [email protected]
-
As another year quickly closes, PLM World keeps the momentum
going. 2004 was a fabulous year, at our annual conference in May
over 1600 attendees experienced a weeks worth of technical and UGS
Executive presentations, Teamcenter, Ideas, and Unigraphics
training opportunities, witnessed numerous capabilities to improve
your bottom line provided by the PLM World Partners who
participated in our Vendor Fair.
In addition to our US meeting, the momentum is Global. Our
friend Paul Averte, the Australian PLM Expo Chairperson held their
User Meeting in Melbourne in September. Attendance doubled from
earlier years. Great Job, Mate! Karla Kluth, organizer for PLM
Europe, held a very successful conference in Stuttgart, Germany in
mid-October. Nette Aufgabe Karla! Asia (Korea, Japan, India,
Malaysia, and Singapore) has scheduled several user events in late
October and early November, Im sure they will be just as
successful. .So, no matter where you in the world, theres
opportunity to experience a world class User event. Give one a
Try!
Looking into the future, the planning for our 2005 conference in
Dallas Texas, May 2 6 is well underway. The Call for Papers has
been posted on our website, www.plmworld.org. Were looking forward
to many top notch technical presentations our users and UGS folks
will be presenting. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, will be
our keynote speaker on Tuesday Morning, Im sure everyone can relate
a little bit of Dilbert in their daily lives. Thursday night youll
be invited to a little piece of Texas hospitality at our Texas
Barbeque. And yes, youll still have opportunities to attend UGS
Training Sessions headed up by UGS Education Services and
experience the many new innovative products the Vendor Fair
provides. All in all, PLM World provides the opportunity to learn
and network with UGS experts and peers enabling users to apply the
technology at their workplace. Its 4 Days of non-stop action, dont
worry, as you can see well sprinkle in a little bit of fun too! We
cant wait.
See you in Dallas, Jim Wilson PLM World Chairperson
-
1
PLM World - User News:
News from the Drafting and Dimensional Management Technical
Committee
By Kristy Timbimboo, Drafting and Dimensional Management
Committee Chairperson
Although there has been strong representation of drafting issues
in past years, for
a number of reasons, involvement appears to have diminished
somewhat. It is difficult to
believe that 2-D, and the many drafting issues associated with
it, has suddenly
disappeared (perhaps abducted by aliens). The decline is more
likely attributable to the
fact that users have a multitude of other CAD-related issues
vying for their attention.
Those issues are numerous and valid: elevated interest in 3-D
and the move to solid
model-controlled paperless systems, focus on Teamcenter
activities and related data
management issues, apprehensiveness about future products and
migration issues, and
even reorganization of the structure within PLM World combining
UG and I-DEAS
Drafting into one committee. The way we do business is changing
for many users, myself
included.
2-D Drafting is still a big part of many peoples lives and will
be for quite some
time. UGS and PLM World both recognize this and are committed to
continued support
of this sector. We are in the early stages of forming the
combined Drafting and
Dimensional Management Technical Committee and, in addition to
myself, four other
people have volunteered their services to help focus on drafting
issues (there is always
room for more!). We have recently been active in defining the
purpose and function of the
committee, and outlining future challenges of the drafting user
community as a whole.
This will allow us to move forward with purposeful vision and
direct the attention to the
-
2
greatest needs of the user community. The following sentences
outline some of the items
compiled by the committee. As always, user input is welcome
please let us know the
things that are important to you. Contact information for
committee members is listed at
the end of this article.
Committee purpose:
To represent the interests and the needs of the users in this
sector. Our goal is to assist in
the development of the user community through communication and
cooperation between
the users and UGS. Our primary objectives are to help the user
optimize use of the
product and to help UGS provide the most efficient and effective
tool.
Committee function:
We collectively:
Represent a cross-section of UG and I-DEAS users
Provide focus on 2-D to 3-D Drafting issues:
a) Dimensional Management (3-D Annotation/ASME Y14.41, GD&T
Associativity, Dimensioning Between Views, etc.)
b) Develop and mature correlation between 2-D and 3-D (Promote
Master Model concept)
Help determine Best Practices to share with others
Use what we learn and know as a basis for future conference
presentations
Be positive role models to encourage other users to get the most
out of the product
Future Challenges:
Migration issues as we move toward one common product
Maintaining support of two separate software applications
-
3
Encouraging strong user presence in newsletter articles and
conference presentations
Strengthen the committee as we focus on future products and
drafting-related issues
****
The users of 2-D Drafting are instrumental in helping shape the
future of the
product and are a large network of support for other users.
Individual user participation is
important to other users in the learning process. I especially
encourage those who are
migrating into the world of NX from UG and I-DEAS to contribute
to the newsletter or
make a presentation at the upcoming conference in May 2005.
Migration will be a big
topic over the next few years and for those of you beginning
that transition, let the rest of
us know some of the challenges you are facing and the solutions
you have found. ASME
Y14.41 is another topic that users would like to know more
about. Let us know some of
the things you are doing to incorporate the ASME Y14.41 standard
for 3-D annotation in
your work.
Finally, if you are interested in being involved as part of this
committee, please let
me or someone else on the committee know there is always room
for more. As much as
we all like to be involved in this, we all have other jobs to do
and the time we can
contribute is limited, many hands make the work light. It is
much more beneficial for
the users to have a broad range of representation.
Kristy Timbimboo Chairperson, Drafting and Dimensional
Management Technical Committee Design Drafter ATK Thiokol Inc. P.O.
Box 707, M/S 251
-
4
Brigham City, Utah 84302 (435) 863-5882
[email protected]
Committee Members:
First Name Last Name
Background Company E-mail
Paul Howard I-DEAS Goodrich Aircraft Wheels & Brakes
[email protected]
Paula Lambertz I-DEAS Accelerator Cryogenic Systems,
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
[email protected]
Jim Melton I-DEAS/UG USA [email protected] Jim
Rawlinson UG Goodrich Hoist and Winch Power Systems
[email protected]
-
Teamcenter
Repeatable Digital Validation:Teamcenter's integrated solution
fordigital product validation
Teamcenter repeatable digital validation (RDV) provides an
integrated solution that enables
your enterprise to rapidly validate product configurations as
they continuously change across
your product lifecycle.
w h i t e p a p e r :
Te a m c e n t e r R e p e a t a b l e
D i g i t a l Va l i d a t i o n
www.ugs.com
-
Table of contents
Executive Summary 1
Business challenges 2
Business challenge complications 3
Teamcenters RDV solution 4
Benefits 5-7
Why RDV excels 8-9
Teamcenter Community
-
1Todays mainstream product development processes are
inherently
inefficient when it comes to handling product change. Design
teams,
suppliers and manufacturing stakeholders often encounter
inaccuracies
as they exchange and share change-related data. Errors are
introduced
as data is modified or when data is re-entered but not validated
across
multiple disciplines and systems.Additionally, quality
decision-making is
hampered by the failure to integrate data and core business
rules
between multiple systems. Significant reduction in new
product
introduction time and total cost and increased product quality
is
possible with a new paradigm for engineering review and
validation.
Product development requires that support systems focus on the
entire
range of products and processes of the enterprise. As the
complexity of
the products and processes grow, the product development
community
needs tools that are integrated into efficient,
process-oriented
applications. Critical product decisions require the continuous
availability
of the latest digital product and process information. Finally,
the
tremendous amount of data contributing to the definition of a
product
and its manufacturing processes must be navigated efficiently
and
reduced to the minimum set of data that will accurately
represent the
full decision context.
A solution that enables a continuous and accurate decision
context based
on the latest product and process information must be able
to:
Integrate information from a variety of tools, including
multiple CAD
authoring tools, validation and analysis tools and business
systems
Configure and apply business rules to product and process
configurations for rapid what-if analysis and knowledge
reuse
Quickly navigate large amounts of product and process
information
and work with only relevant data while retaining the context
of
total product
Interrogate and validate the configurations for form, fit and
function,
and comply with requirements such as cost, weight and
investment
Integrate into your product development process with minimal
training
and support while sustaining your organizations ability to
develop
innovative new products
Today, there are software tools available that attempt to solve
each
problem separately. For example, digital mockup (DMU)
software
addresses digital prototyping but is time consuming, static and
invariably
prone to errors. Similarly, PDM solutions address problems
related to
configuration and business rules but lack tight integration with
CAD tools
or DMU solutions.
Teamcenters Repeatable Digital Validation (RDV) solution
facilitates a
true paradigm shift for companies that perform complex
product
development and want to integrate a suite of core systems, such
as
design tools, visualization, product configuration, and
change
management into a single integrated web environment. Never
before has
such a ground breaking technology been able to dramatically
reduce
time to market in product development while delivering decision
making
knowledge directly to stakeholders responsible for getting the
right
product to the right market.
RDV removes product development latency while providing an
always
on digital mockup of the complete product and all of its
variations. RDV
enables companies to make optimal product decisions quicker
resulting
in faster and better products to market. Product changes and
alternative
ideas can be done real time in a controlled process while
assessing the
impact of change across the finished product and the impact on
its
performance characteristics. No other product development suite
in the
market can support this level of integration. In addition, RDV
reduces a
companys ownership costs by supporting multiple product
development
processes on a single integrated solution.
Executive Summary
-
2Exhibit 1: Embedded costs per phase of product lifecycle
Business challenges
Lifecycle cost determination
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%Concept Validation Deployment Production Operation
Cost reduction opportunities Source: US Defense Advanced
Research Project Agency.
66%
34%35%
22%
12%
70%
85%
95%99%
3%
The discrete manufacturing industry is rapidly shifting from
mass
production to mass customization which demands that
companies
build a larger number of products according to geographic and
cultural
style preferences and bring them to market on average 5 to
10
percent faster every year. Product innovation and time
compression are
primary drivers across marketplaces.The sooner a product can
be
brought to a customer, the greater its lifecycle profitability
potential.
This is complicated by the need to increasingly deliver
variations of
each product according to sub markets and respond to
ever-changing
customer hot buttons.
Globalization has helped manufacturers find suppliers in far
away places
at very competitive prices, but has added complexity to the
product
development process. For example, the new global reach
concept
requires communications and collaboration across a distributed
supply
chain in order to avoid long delays and costly errors as
information
propagates across all tiers of suppliers.
Since approximately 70 percent of a products costs are
committed
during the product development phase, the biggest cost
savings
opportunity is during the upfront product design phase.These
large
savings opportunities are not going to come from ERP, SCM and
CRM.
The biggest challenges to increasing productivity and
eliminating errors
and cost overruns are:
Efficiency of the change process as demonstrated by a
companys
ability to immediately evaluate and analyze changes in the
context of
other changes and their impact on the complete product.
Ability to configure and visualize each part in all its usages
in all
products to fully understand change impact
Ability to provide the right individuals the right data, rapidly
and
easily, and in the right context at the right time.To meet
this
challenge and facilitate a totally effective product decision,
companies
need to deliver tightly focused product information to their
designers. In essence, all of the participants in your value
chain need
to access virtual product content on a consistent and
repeatable
basis.To illustrate the value of delivering the most
relevant
information to your product team, your value chain needs to be
able
to answer the following kinds of questions:find all parts within
5
mm of the engine so I can do packaging study, or get me the
solid
models for all parts released this week so I can assess the
impact on
product weight.
Ability to design and validate products with complex
variability.This
functionality allows companies to correct error in early
design
phases rather than during the manufacturing phase. For
example,
designers need to be able to ask their digital solution to
evaluate
behind dashboard clearance for wire harness with both left and
right
side drive, with and without air conditioning, with and without
a GPS
system. I need to know that I can assemble the product for
all
variants, not just the one in the current configuration.
Reducing risk by institutionalizing the reuse of existing
designs, which
already embed corporate best practices and lessons learned
from
previous products.
Ability to configure and visualize a part in all its current
usages in all
products to determine if it can be reused in a new product
-
3Take the example of a new car design.A typical car has over
10,000
parts. On average, 2500 parts change during any given
week.Trying to
pull all these changes can take 2-3 weeks. Once a change is
initiated, it
must be validated and its impact on overall weight, cost and
supplier
schedule must be analyzed.This is a time consuming, resource
intensive
task.While knowledge workers are pulling the changes together,
more
design changes will invariably need to be initiated.This cycle
is repeated
every 2-3 weeks during the product development process, which
lasts
12 to 18 months.The second problem faced by the design team is
that
even when it brings up the whole product containing 10,000
parts, it
can take hours to zero-in on the part and surrounding area that
needs
to be analyzed. Because of this complexity, many engineers try
to only
work with a few parts at a time.This creates a risk of not
envisioning the
change in the context of the entire product, or the entire
surrounding
environment impacted by the change.
Technologys promised added value versus the reality of
adding
more complexity. Todays software tools attempt to solve each of
the
previously enumerated problems. For example, digital mockup
software
address one set of problems while PDM solutions address another
set.
However, productivity gain will only be significant when a
solution is able
to address all of these problems simultaneously.
Consider the following excerpt on configured digital mockup from
the
recent paper titled Fundamentals of Shared Product Structure
by
Wayne Collier, DH Brown.
A design component may represent, for example, right and left
tires
as two instances of the same CAD model. But digital mockups
create a visualization of a total product in three dimensions
and
require separate entities to visualize the right and left
sides.
Similarly, representations based on part records may use a
single
part number for an entire end-item assembly actually consisting
of
dozen parts, while digital mockups require unique identification
of
each entity included in a configuration to resolve
interference,
packaging and other design integration issues. Digital
mockups
come into use during design reviews at early phases of
product
development, before part records have been released, as
conceptual
designers explore alternatives across multiple configurations.
All of
these characteristics of digital mockup make it difficult and
time
consuming to generate them automatically for multiple
configurations if those configurations are based on traditional,
parts-
based bills of materials or traditional CAD assembly model.
In response to these limitations most companies today resort
to
brute force manual reconciliation to assemble as-ordered
product
configurations generated by order configuration
representations
from families of design components managed in CAD data
managers.This reconciliation is tedious and error
proneTraditional
approaches and automated versions of them simply do not
serve
the need to rapidly validate designs across hundreds of
product
configurations generated on the fly.
-
4Teamcenter Repeatable Digital Validation (RDV) combines
industry leading CAD integration, product modeling
technology, high performance visualization, spatial search
engine technology and a design in context application that
provides
a powerful innovative, and integrated digital product validation
solution.
Teamcenters RDV solution
Rapidly configure
Re-use alternativesDesign evaluation
Validation
Design changes
DesignerSupplier 1
Supplier 2
RDV reflects a wide variety of robust capabilities:
RDV is continuously repeatable with a new configuration or with
an
alternative design configuration. It allows the same validation
process
to be repeated at different sites or by different individuals
including
suppliers.This insures consistency of result and eliminates
human
errors during configuration.
RDV provides a powerful tool for abstraction and relevance in
a
extremely complex product development process so that the
entire
value chain can use a consistent way of accessing virtual
product content
RDV enables engineers to design and validate products with
complex
variability. Change is validated against one product, as well as
against
all possible variations.
RDV always keeps product configurations up to date with the
latest changes.
RDV allows a user to visualize the whole product as well the
specific
area of interest.The search engine database is specifically
optimized
for quick search.
RDV synchronizes CAD, visual and product structure data based
on
business rules and best practice processes captured in a
company-
specific workflow.
RDV provides a powerful classification application enabling
both product and process reuse, while reducing risk and
direct
material costs.
Collision detection and interference analysis is the first of
many
potential product validation applications based on the RDV
platform.
These common digital validation applications require easy and
efficient
access to all CAD files of a specific product variation or
product family.
The CAD data is converted to the standards-based JT format,
an
optimal and accurate CAD geometry format for visualization
and
collision detection. For collision detection and spatial
searches, UGS
harvester approach replaces time-consuming queries on the
entire
database with an efficient filter that carefully selects only
the parts that
are changed, and for the selected or appropriate
configurations.
Configure Validate against all
Validate variant/ options for reuse
Productstructure Central designrepository
Repeatable Team reviews the
same configuration to
analyze issues
Visualize
Analyse
Track andpublish Issues Progress
Figure 2.Typical RDV process flow Figure 3. Key RDV
capabilities
-
Physical and static
Months
Weeks
Days
Hours
Physical Digital Repeatablemockup mockup digital validation
Complete digital and dynamic
Huge productivity breakthrough forthe product validation
process
From weeks to minutes
From static to dynamic From concurrent to collaborative
Pro
du
ct
valid
ati
on
cycle
Technology and process
5
Figure 4. RDV productivity improvement
1. Substantial enterprise productivity gains are realized by
enabling continuous product validation. Digital validation in
the
traditional form (DMU) is unable to address all the challenges
and
offers disappointing payback.This is due to the lack of a
repeatable and
continuous process available to everyone stakeholder in your
organization.With traditional DMU, you get some exciting
discrete
events but you cannot count on them reflecting the latest
product
intent. Benefits accelerate and allow you to achieve your vision
only
when the process becomes repeatable and continuous.
In the past to stage a digital vehicle took 6 weekspulling
14,000 parts,
right version, right locationand now with this new technology
(RDV) we are
able to do the same in 2 hours
CIMdata Conference 2001, Keynote Speech, Kirk Gutmann,
Global
Product Development Information Officer, GM
2. RDV enables designers and suppliers to spend more time on
innovation and creativity. RDV removes non-value added tasks
from
your product development process, such as searching for
components
and creating the right context or environment for validation.
RDV also
eliminates human error and ensures the right version and
right
configurations are always selected. RDV presents only the
relevant
information for decision-making and validation, instead of
requiring
users to navigate through plethora of data to find what they
need to
complete their job.
Benefits
-
120 min.
60 min.
0 min.
100 1,000 10,000
Task:Visual navigation(Spatial search)
Tim
e
Assembly size/number of components process
Traditional digitalmock-up or DMU
RDV enabled design process
Figure 6. Second example of potential time savings
Examples of potential time savings
6
120 min.
60 min.
0 min.
100 1,000 10,000
Task:Product variation validation
Tim
e
Assembly size/number of components process
Traditionaldesign process
RDV enabled design process
Figure 5. First example of potential time savings
-
Figure 7. Comparing RDV and non-RDV digital validation
solutions
If designers spent 75 minutes a day searching and navigating to
find
the right components and its context for validating their design
then:
Time savings per day = 75 minutes
Time saving per year = 200 * 75 = 15000 minutes = 31 days
RDVs ability to present only relevant data also benefits
your
infrastructure. If you have 200 users searching a 5000-part
assembly
once per day, your network will be burdened with
200 * 5000 * 1 MB/part = 1 Terabyte/day just for
visualization
Using more intelligent searches, you could decrease your amount
of
actual loaded relevant data by ~80 percent or more depending
on
your users working habits.
200 users * 100 parts * 1MB/part = 20 Gigabytes/day.
This saves you money on network hardware and enables you to
maintain good performance and happy productive users on your
existing infrastructure.
3. RDV reduces errors during your production and/or assembly
phases by enabling early problem detection. RDV allows
designers,
suppliers and manufacturing planners to evaluate product
changes
continuously against specifications and business constraints,
enabling
them to reduce errors and make optimal total product
decisions.
4. RDV accelerates your time to market cycle. Companies are
able
to quickly evaluate more alternatives early in the design phase,
allowing
them to deliver right product faster to market.
5. RDV enables design reuse. RDV enables designers to easily
and
quickly evaluate many alternatives early in the design
phases.
7
Without RDV
Perform w
ork order
Perfor
m
wor
k or
der
T i m e
With RDV
If desired, include
WIPrevisions
If de
sire
d, in
clud
e
W
IP rev
isions
Remove unw
anted
parts by attribute
Add parts in
proximity
of the work
parts
Select options
Select cached
revisionrule
Enter work order
Spend less time searching, waiting, clicking, with less
errors
Look
up
wor
k or
der
Sear
ch for
wor
kpart
s
Find
where
wor
k
part
s ar
e us
ed
Load
con
text
ass
embl
ies
Set th
e
revisionru
le
Set th
e op
tions
Turn
off part
s
not inpr
oxim
ity
Turn
off
other
unw
ante
dpart
s
-
A variety of factors cause conventional digital validation
products to
fail. The following comparison explains why Teamcenters RDV
solution
succeeds while other approaches falter.
Problem: Single product focus.Typically, conventional solutions
revolve
around a single CAD visualization or PDM product.This cannot
work.
CAD and visualization products do not provide change
controls,
configuration management or advanced searching techniques. CAD
and
PDM do not have sufficiently rich and fast visualization
capabilities.
PDM and visualization do not have sufficient validation
capabilities that
complete solid models and high end CAD and CAE applications
provide.
RDV solution: RDV contains tightly integrated CAD visualization
and
PDM modules. RDV combines PDMs control and searching
capabilities
with high-speed lighweight visualization and high-end CAD
validation/
modeling.These integrated capabiliteis work in concert to enable
you
to achieve multiple validation goals in a single solution.
Problem: Too many tools, not enough application. Perhaps
through
super human effort or a talented project champion, you can get
enough
custom programming and procedures together to get through a
conventional validation pilot. However, many solutions are too
shaky
and dependent on key individuals to keep running them on a long
term
basis. Frequently, companies discover that nobody can remember
the
right buttons to push to maintain and use their pilot system
or
they learn that their customized code no longer complies with
new
product versions. In addition, companies often find it difficult
to justify
the budgeting requests needed to sustain a customized solution
(e.g.,
when management no longer sees a financial payback).
RDV solution: UGS delivers a complete RDV solution. It is
integrated
and tested for exactly your purpose before shipping.
Out-of-the-box
processes and documentation are provided for exactly your
purposes,
instead of a collection of independent, unrelated tools that you
use to
build your own solution.
Problem: Unavailable digital environment when you need it.
Many
design engineers face pressing deadlines on a regular basis
deadlines
that result in the following mindset. My deadline is today. I
need to give a
go/no-go answer on an engineering change today. I cannot wait a
week for
other people to assemble a digital mockup for me. I cannot trust
such a
decision to digital data that is 2 weeks old. I need all of the
latest data now.
RDV solution: RDV is a process not an event.All necessary
indexing
and caching is built continuously as data is released so that
you can
perform searches whenever you want.Visualization and CAD can
be
launched directly with the search results; there is no need to
export
data into special environments or perform special
translations.You get
what you need when you need it.
Problem: Too much data and manual filtering:Additional
approaches
based on visualization packages require the user to load huge
products
then filter down to what he or she really needs.This is often
preceded
by a lengthy export and translation activity.The amount of data
can be
so large that performance is unacceptable.Typically, the
graphics scene
is too big and cluttered to be of immediate use until after
considerable
manual filtering is complete.
RDV solution: With RDV, the filter is specified up front,
indicating: what
project, what configuration and what spatial area you need.Then,
the
system finds and loads only the data you require. Subsequent
searches
quickly expand your data set if you need more. Good performance
is
maintained on this smaller set and you always have a
manageable
graphics environment.
RDV is a powerful platform for the digital product validation
process,
providing a foundation for an all encompassing rapid decision
system.
This rapid decision system for product development
aggregates
results from multiple validation processes and presents them
to
decision makers in easy-to-understand web based portal. RDV
enables
optimal product and process decisions and allows more time
for
creativity and innovation by eliminating mundane non-value added
tasks.
Collision detection and interference checking (initial
appications
released with the RDV platform) instantly obsolete traditional
digital
mockup while eliminating many of the issues and drawbacks
associated
with this current best practice technology. Although DMU
applications
visually represent the product concept and facilitate complete
product
validation, they encounter many problems when implemented on
highly
engineered products. Examples of such issues are validating
multiple
configurations, keeping configurations up to date with changes
and
allowing anyone in the organization access to the latest
information.
RDV provides immediate value by solving the issues associated
with
these traditional techniques, while providing a solid foundation
for the
addition of many future digital product validation applications
that will
support a rapid decision system. UGS envisions a suite of
digital
product validation applications, including:
Simulation analysis
CAE validation
Manufacturing validation
Cost validation
Function specification validation
Test analysis
8
Why RDV excels
-
RDV allows designers to make design changes, validate the
complete
product for packaging, CAE, process simulation,
manufacturability, test,
serviceability, cost and function, and compare the validation
result to
other alternative designs. It enables designers to rapidly
configure,
visualize, analyze and compare the new part design in all its
usages in all
products to fully understand change impact. Design engineers
can
configure and visualize a part in all its current usages in all
products to
determine if it can be reused in a new product.
RDV enables designers to make optimal product decisions taking
into
account all variability and constraints.
By delivering ROI long expected from digital product
definition,
Teamcenters RDV solution provides the foundation for
facilitating the
digital transformation of todays product-driven companies.
Repeatable Digital Validation platform
Rapid decision system
Applications: CAD, CAE, costing, requirements...
Knowledgelibrary
Designchanges
Decision
Accept
Reject
Man
ufa
cturing
valid
ati
on
Figure 8. RDV-enabled rapid decision system
-
Corporate Headquarters
United StatesGranite Park One
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972 987 3000
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Hong Kong
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United States
800 498 5351
Fax 314 264 8900
Regions
Teamcenter, Parasolid, Solid Edge, Femap and I-deas are
registered trademarks; and Imageware is a trademark of UGS
Corp.
All other logos, trademarks or service marks used herein are the
property of their respective owners. Copyright 2004 UGS Corp. All
rights reserved.
9/04
About UGS
UGS is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management
(PLM) software and services
with more than 3.1 million licensed seats and 42,000 clients
worldwide.The company promotes
openness and standardization and works collaboratively with its
clients in creating enterprise
solutions enabling them to transform their process of innovation
and thus begin to capture the
value of PLM. For more information on UGS products and services,
visit www.ugs.com.