You can loosely define MBD as the integration of Product and Manufacturing Information (PMI), which can include dimensions, tolerances, notes, surface finishes and so on, directly into the 3D model.
With MBD, the 3D model becomes the design authority on which downstream manufacturing activities and deliverables are based. Many organizations are moving to MBD, but the path forward is not always clear. The following tips will help you to start down the path toward MBD in your organization.
Get Support at the Top
It is imperative that the push to MBD comes from management. Models developed in an MBD environment touch many areas and teams within an organization.
Implementing MBD can change to how models are developed and used downstream, so there needs to be direction from the top to ensure buy-in. The biggest obstacle can be the shift in mindset toward new processes, rather than a technical one.
Setup an MBD Team
With buy-in and direction from management, a team should be established to champion the change to MBD with the user community. Having a select group of users who lead the initiative and keep stakeholders from management to manufacturing abreast of the project requirements and status, will help to move things forward. The team will be responsible for understanding and communicating the technical and corporate use cases for the product designs, and the impacts of moving to MBD on the various areas of the organization.
Develop Initial Processes
Your team will develop an initial set of processes and best practices to apply. This will be somewhat fluid as the team iterates through the required data, annotation practices, tolerancing standards, required output and so on. Some initial recommended practices the team may want to investigate are as follows:
- Develop a MBD instruction sheet (also known as a Schema) that indicates the information that is to be included, where to place it, and how it is to be shown.
- Use the minimum number of views required to show the part details.
- Use Combination States to display the part's filtered information and any PMI or Inspection information.
- Name any combination states, saved orientations and layer states that are associated with one another, using the same name so the association is obvious.
- Include only GD&T objects that are required to manufacture, inspect, and/or assemble the parts.
- Follow all standards as outlined by ASME 14.5.
Start Small
Moving to MBD does not happen overnight. You will ensure the initial project is large enough to be meaningful, but not so large or so mission-critical that the process fails to be fully vetted due to time or resource constraints.
Train Users
It is highly recommended that end users be trained in MBD – both the tools and the reasons for shifting to it. As stated, MBD is as much a mental shift as it is a technical one, and proper training can avoid some of the natural push-back that can occur.
Rand 3D offers the following class: Working with 3D Annotations and Model Based Definition at its training centers, on-site or through live online learning. Your organization may also benefit from custom training development, where the standard course is used as a starting point and is augmented by using your organization’s processes and models. For more information, contact us: training@rand.com.
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