A standard part is any part that can be reused or ‘standardised’ across an assembly or multiple assemblies. These include fasteners, brackets, cylinders, castor wheels, handles or even entire assemblies of parts. Not every part is worth designing from scratch, and doing so is clearly a waste of time. To ‘think in standard parts’ requires a departure from traditional engineering processes which were created with drafting tables and pencil drawings in mind, not the advanced 3D computer-aided design (CAD) tools available to design engineers today.
PART CATALOGUES
According to John Marshall, technical manager at WDS Components, the way products are designed is one of the most significant shifts in the component and standard part industry.
He says: “Like all industrial businesses, WDS used the drawing board as the tool for product design; however, by the 1980s, the introduction of CAD meant faster design, whether for completely new products or new versions of existing designs.
“The advantage for customers was that it helped bring products to market faster, and dramatically sped up their process, as CAD drawings could be integrated directly into their designs.”
In the 1980s, the WDS catalogue – on 3.5-in floppy disc – enabled designers to download 2D DXF or DWG files and integrate them into their designs in software packages such as AutoCAD. By the mid-1990s, WDS adopted 3D CAD when SolidWorks was first introduced.
“WDS has kept pace with every software version thereafter,” adds Marshall. “Today, WDS provides over 20,000
3D CAD images, covering almost its entire product range, free to download.”
Design engineers play a critical role in identifying which parts should come from a manufacturer or supplier and which ones should be designed and manufactured internally. Designing-in more commercial standard parts saves time and resources – which is compounded when the supplier offers configurable CAD models that contain the appropriate metadata for use downstream from engineering.
Certain parts can be designed for future reuse by configuring the design to fit several applications. For example, when designing an L-bracket, several mounting configurations can be drilled into it.
Engineers need to plan ahead to make sure this L-bracket will work in their designs, but they will save time and resources by reusing this ‘standard’ component. Not wasting time searching for, redrawing, or creating a part also improves productivity and saves resources throughout the product life cycle from the supply chain to manufacturing and maintenance of the physical product.
Cadenas PARTsolutions’ CAD catalogue promises to create a standardised and repeatable process. Each design is made up of three components: user-configured parts, specialised engineering parts and parts sourced from outside vendors, which are incorporated into one cohesive system. These parts will be called upon by the PARTsolutions software for each design based on the features and options selected.
Its director of marketing Adam Beck, pictured above, says: “By breaking down the sales and design process into more standardised, repeatable components, Cadenas PARTsolutions enables industrial manufacturers to greatly reduce their engineering efficiency while speeding up delivery for the end-user.”
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Companies often manage standard parts but have no fully-established processes and system support for doing so. Commonly, standard parts are managed in several different systems at the same time.
Christian Kjellberger, PLM consultant at Technica, pictured at right, says: “How much more efficient could you be if you found a way to better manage how you store, find, and re-use those parts in your designs? What if you could manage your standard parts in one platform?”
By using one system (such as Catia or Enovia V6 on SolidWorks’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform) to find, re-use and control standard supplier parts and internal standard parts, savings are made in design time.
Categorising and storing digital parts based on their attributes is important for a robust management system. This requires a consistent file management process.
Beck says: “Folder management and naming conventions are two essential classification techniques that will help engineers find parts faster.”
He explains that folder management starts with creating a hierarchy of folders based on either previous projects or types of parts, whichever makes the most sense within a particular data storage environment.
“Once a folder structure is set up, it’s time to create the folders and arrange the CAD files,” Beck continues. “When old CAD files are in the correct hierarchy, it’s vital to create a governance and approval process for future file introduction.
“Even if working alone, use a checklist to ensure parts are classified into the right folders, which makes accessing files easy down the road.”
Equally as crucial as folder management is creating a logical naming convention that will help every engineer easily find and reuse parts.
LOCAL FILE STORAGE
Small companies specialising in simple products can manage CAD files locally. To do this effectively, a good folder system is essential.
When several engineers work on a project or assemblies are complex, they require a better way to manage files like a product data management (PDM) system. For large assemblies and long projects, organisations may implement a product lifecycle management (PLM) system as well. PDM manages part and product data, helps manage the files, allows for permissions, and sets protocols for approval processes. This data can be stored locally or in a cloud system.
PLM creates workflows, timelines, and processes, ensuring projects keep to deadlines and ensure everyone, even in multiple departments, are working on the same iteration of each part and assembly.
DRAWBACKS
“Classification is akin to the Dewey Decimal System,” explains Beck. “At the library, hierarchies are created based on titles and types of books.
“PLM classification is a logical structure for managing folder hierarchies based on types of parts. PDM and PLM systems are the libraries where the part data is stored and managed. The Dewey Decimal System is a highly organised and effective way to find books at the library, but classification falls short when managing and searching for 3D parts.
“PDMs and PLMs promise a better way to find parts faster. The reality is, they can’t live up to the promise. They are designed for storing information effectively, not indexing and aggregating it. Those systems hold data, but they don’t effectively parse the data and provide relevant results for each user’s needs.”
Classification doesn’t effectively find the right parts for engineers unless they know exactly what they are looking for and the exact attributes embedded in the CAD model.
Consistency is the key to long-term classification success. The faster you need to locate parts, the more attribute data is required for each part. Every time a new part is entered, a huge amount of attribute information must be entered with future search parameters in mind. If every engineer doesn’t use the same naming conventions and attribute information on every part, then classification falls flat. “If you need to find information quickly in your daily life, do you go to the library or do a Google search?” Beck asks. “In 1990, the library was an excellent source for finding information. In 2023, paper library systems are outdated.”
BEYOND CLASSIFICATION
If engineers want to search for parts, they require a strategic parts management system, software that makes finding and reusing CAD models easy. The system should also have part governance in place to enable part reuse management. Like Google, it parses and aggregates part data so the right part can be found quickly and efficiently.
Parts management systems have several different search functions, including geometry and shape search, to aggregate company standard parts, preferred commercial standard parts and industry-standard parts; making them easy to find.
“Trying to reuse parts without a parts management system is like trying to find a specific bolt in a random pile of parts,” says Beck. “You may find what you are looking for eventually, but not efficiently.
“A parts management system brings the power of a Google-like search to a company’s parts and preferred supplier parts. It makes it easy to find pre-approved standard parts for reuse even if the part was created by someone in a different location or a different division within an enterprise.”
CHANGING MINDSETS
Using standard parts rather than redrawing and redesigning them specifically for a project can be a mindset change. Getting people to change the way they do their job isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. “The industry is changing at a rapid pace,” explains Beck. “Change isn’t only smart [for] business, but it’s imperative for any company’s long-term success. Engineers that grow their skillset and help bring designs to the market faster with fewer resources will stay relevant as innovation pushes the field into the future.”
BOX: ANOTHER WAY TO COMPARE
With RS Components’ Think Hub digital platform, design engineers and procurement specialists are said to be able to quickly and easily compare a wide range of components and products offered by multiple suppliers of electronic components.
There are two parts to the site: a product comparison tool, and a questions and information area. The comparison tool enables engineers to search and filter for the products they’re looking for, while also giving them access to product pages, important documentation such as CAD files, and datasheets.
A major feature is the comparison of products from multiple companies rather than just supplier-specific brands, while also providing the specification differences between products.
Coverage of the offering is currently limited to electronics; in addition to sensors, future key component categories will include contactors/breakers, relays, push buttons and switches, as well as test and measurement devices.
BOX: USING STANDARD COMPONENTS FOR PROTOTYPING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
For rapid prototyping solution, 3D printing is a viable solution for design purposes, but it does not provide the material properties to truly test prototypes for their given uses. This is where standard components can be used to further enhance the product design process, according to Marcus Schneck, CEO of norelem.
He says: “Our customers predominantly work in areas such as maintenance, toolmaking and special machinery. The workers in these industries have specific needs when it comes to the product development process; needs that cannot be fulfilled by rapid prototyping processes such as 3D printing.”
Standard components, on the other hand, are readily available and quality-compliant, making them suitable for prototyping. norelem’s services includes the provision of CAD data and supporting technical information.
