# Presentation: 098478

## A STEP based Business Process  “A Case Study” Bill Marler, Pratt & WhitneyJanuary 17, 2001

## A STEP based business processObjective 

**The purpose for this talk is to review the events of an actual ‘STEP pilot’  based upon the given business condition and summarize the ‘good, the bad, and the ugly’  **
**My expectation is that the issues and answers resulting from this pilot activity will be beneficial for someone developing a STEP based business procedure**

##   .....a little background   

- Experience with ‘homegrown’ translators ~1991
- AeroSTEP with Boeing  ~ 1994
- PowerSTEP project  ~ 1995
- Turbine pilot with MTU and P&W 1995-99
- Current PDES, Inc. pilot:  Aerospace Engine Alliance
- STEPnet and CAx-Implementors Forum test rallies

## A STEP based business process‘The Business Strategy’  

- Today’s business climate requires international partnering of products to stay competitive in the marketplace
- Product Design and Manufacturing is out-sourced to partners worldwide
- A conglomeration of ‘systems’ need to talk to each other to ensure product assembly and integrity
**The Business Strategy:  “Outsource”**

## A STEP based business process....this is the scenario

**A major Aerospace Engine company, JetJockeys, is providing Digital Mock-up (DMU) Data and Interface Geometry to an Airframe Company , Flybywire, in the US.**
**The Engine company has partnered with 2 Overseas companies Fiazco and LeJette  along with another US company,  Fans-r-Us Inc., to share in the Design and Manufacturing of the Propulsion system.  **
**As Integration manager for the Propulsion System,  JetJockeys want to manage the Product Data using UG and Iman.  Unfortunately, the other partners are on different CAD and PDM systems creating a Data Exchange dilemma.**
** **

## A STEP based business process...”The Problem”

- Multiple CAD and PDM systems involved in the Enterprise
- Integration team has to ‘manage and integrate’ the partnered product and provide appropriate DMU (Digital Mock Up) and interface information to the customer

## A STEP based business process“The Problem-Graphically”

**Outsource design **
**and Build**

**Outsource**

**Outsource**

## A STEP based business process“CAD impact of globalization”

## A STEP based business process....“At the Program Level” 

- A ‘Statement of Work’ is prepared for all members of the enterprise to endorse
- The SOW spells out the areas of responsibilities and their products
- Program Executives approve the SOW
- Data Exchange (DEX) IPTs for each alliance member are identified
- and of course an unrealistic ‘schedule’

## A STEP based business process 

**The DEX Planning  Phase**

## A STEP based business processDEX IPTs have face-to-face to... 

- Identify program DEX requirements
- Agree to a STEP-based DEX process that supports the SOW business plan
- Assign CAD/PDM responsibilities
- Identify new ‘tools’ that need to be deployed to meet objectives
- Document the entire ‘to-be process’
- Dry run: walk the process....

## A STEP based business process....the face-to-face realizations

- Current STEP success ratio < allowable
- Integrated CAD-PDM data not “RFPT”
- An effective STEP DEX procedure needs to be put in place at each site
- Validation criteria needs work
- DEX business process to be automated
- Current STEP functionality insufficient

## A STEP based business process...some immediate mitigators

- A pilot process is initiated by all to begin de-bugging the to-be DEX process
- CAD vendor participation is obtained to address throughput issues
- Local IT support is obtained
- Weekly conference calls are scheduled and action lists are maintained
- STEP experts from PDES, Inc. agree to  participate in the pilot

## A STEP business processDEX  IPT membership structure

- DMU process owner
- DMU DEX focal
- Internal Design Process support
- Internal IT participation
- Hotline for CAD vendor(s)
- PDES, Inc. representatives for STEP support

## A STEP based business process 

**The DEX Integration and **
**    ****Deployment phase**

## A STEP based business process...results of pilot teamwork

- Comprehensive requirements document

## Slide 17

## Slide 18

## Slide 19

## Slide 20

## Slide 21

## Slide 22

## Slide 23

## Slide 24

## A STEP based business process..results of pilot teamwork

- Comprehensive requirements document

- More effective STEP DEX process
- Problem Resolution procedure

## A STEP based business processschematic

- A STEP based business processschematic

**Flybywire**
**“****Catia”**

**JINX**
**“****UG”**

**Fans-r-us**
**PTC**

**LeJette**
**CADDS**

** ****JetJockeys**
**UG**

**Fiazco**
**UG**

**STEP Exchange**

**X**

**X**

**N**

**N**

**N**

**PDES, Inc.**

**PDES, Inc.**

**®**

## A STEP based business processdetailed schematic

- A STEP based business processdetailed schematic

**Method****s**

**Process**
**Owner**

**Process**
**Owner**

** ****LeJette**
** ****data exchange **
**focals**

**Send**

**Data Exchange**
** ****focal**

**Library**

**Supplier**

**LeJette**

**JetJockeys**

**Methods**

**Supplier**
**send**

- Email

- Email

- Firewalls

**   ****JJs**

- “VPN”
- environment

- EagleSTEP

**PDES, Inc.**

**®**

## STEP based business process  “effective STEP DEX procedure”

- Native
- Model

- Create
- Target
- File

- Do Quality Checks

- Create Step File

- Check for Errors

- Documentation.

- STEP

- Validate/heal

- Notify Sender
- & Recipient

- Archive

- Send STEP file

**PDES, Inc.**

**®**

## A STEP based business process Pilot effectiveness

- Low

- STEP
- Problems

- High

- Time

- Production use

- 70 - 75% Success

-      ***TARGET:90 - 95% successful exchanges***

- Add quality
-    checks

- Incorporate
-    Healing

- Model Quality
-       Issues

- Accuracy
-    issues

- Begin pilot

## A STEP based business process..results of pilot teamwork

- Comprehensive requirements document
- More effective STEP DEX process
- Problem Resolution procedure

- Integrated and automated business process

## A STEP business processProcess Improvements

- MPA

- STEP-in

- Target

- Visualization
- Program

**“****Automated Process”**

- Prepare UG file

- Add Attributes

- Add CM

- Val props

- Run EagleSTEP

- Check for errors

- Archive & FM

- Autoname
-        +
-     Send

- ftp

- Sending System

- validate

**PDES, Inc.**

**®**

## A STEP based business processProcess Improvements

## A STEP business processProcess Improvements

- MPA

- STEP-in

- Target

- Visualization
- Program

**“****Automated Process”**

- Prepare UG file

- Add Attributes

- Add CM

- Val props

- Run EagleSTEP

- Check for errors

- Archive & FM

- Autoname
-        +
-     Send

- ftp

- Sending System

- validate

**PDES, Inc.**

**®**

## Effective STEP exchange“Integration Tools”

## A STEP based business processProcess Improvements 

- STEP

**Sending**
**CAD System**

- Receive

- STEP UG

- Check Log File

- Create CM Data
- Set

- Validate
- geometry

- Archive & Library
-  Prep

- Notify
- Owner

- CM Template

- Library

- Meta Data

**PDES, Inc.**

**®**

## A STEP based business process“Integration Tools”

## A STEP based business process..results of pilot teamwork

- Comprehensive requirements document
- More effective STEP DEX process
- Problem Resolution procedure
- Integrated and automated business process

-  Improved validation technique

## INSTANCE VPs

_***INSTANCE VPs***_
***Upper image highlit part selected for mass property table***
***Lower image shows mass properties for: ***
***a) Individual comp.***
***b)CG to parent asm.***

**Notes:**
Here is an example of what differentiates PTC from our competition.  
Upon import of a STEP file containing validation properties, A log file with a comparison of the as received, as calculated, and a difference value is generated in the working directory.  This allows a user to determine if the exchange is VALID within some acceptable range.

Future additions to this will be a visible display of the validation properties in the model tree, a user definable % difference for the volume & surface area, a max distance deviation of CG, and RED flagged icons for assembly components outside of this value.

## INSTANCE VPs

***Post process CADDS part with GVP***
***Display results in DXN or browser ***

**Notes:**
Here is an example of what differentiates PTC from our competition.  
Upon import of a STEP file containing validation properties, A log file with a comparison of the as received, as calculated, and a difference value is generated in the working directory.  This allows a user to determine if the exchange is VALID within some acceptable range.

Future additions to this will be a visible display of the validation properties in the model tree, a user definable % difference for the volume & surface area, a max distance deviation of CG, and RED flagged icons for assembly components outside of this value.

## A STEP based business process 

**Ongoing improvements...**

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- More robust translators

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- 5 Universal Joints
- in UG are hollow

- A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- 5 Universal Joints in
- Cadds are not hollow

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- Reflective  testing:
- File processes OK

- A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- Problem Solids isolated
- for STEP translation

## A  STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- Problem Solids in Cadds
- file are the “inverse” of
- the actual geometry

## A STEP  business processOngoing Improvements

- A STEP  business processOngoing Improvements

- CATIA STPCAT
- ..reads OK into
- catia!!

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- STEP file fails to
- read into ProE!!

## A STEP business process..after much PRP with PDES, Inc. team  

- The problem was solved by identifying “how” the vendors processed the information in the STEP files
- Some STEP processors handled the two CIRCLEs trimming the SPHERICAL_SURFACE (the 'outer' portion of the bearing) as the two 'tops' of the Sphere; others used the CIRCLEs as the middle of the Sphere
- Both methods were “valid” according to STEP, but an agreement between the vendors had to occur to avoid this problem in the future
- Updated Recommended Practices for CAD vendor implementation

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- Translator improvements

-  Enhanced validation properties

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

**CADDS FILE VPD DATA**

- L Bracket

**L-Bracket S/A**
**Instance 1**

- Nut/Bolt
- SubAssy
- instance 1

- Nut/Bolt
- SubAssy
- instance 2

- Nut/Bolt
- SubAssy
- instance 3

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bolt

- Nut

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bolt

- Nut

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bolt

- Nut

- NAUO

- NAUO

- N-B S/A  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.50,z1.50

- N-B S/A  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.50,z1.50

- N-B S/A  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.50,z1.50

- Rod S/A vpd1
- x14.59,y20.20,z10.0

- Bolt  vpd1
- x0.0,y0.0,z16.94

- Bolt  vpd1
- x0.0,y0.0,z16.94

- Bolt  vpd1
- x0.0,y0.0,z16.94

- Nut  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- Nut  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- Nut  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- L Bracket

**L-Bracket S/A**
**Instance 2**

- Nut/Bolt
- SubAssy
- instance 1

- Nut/Bolt
- SubAssy
- instance 2

- Nut/Bolt
- SubAssy
- instance 3

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bolt

- Nut

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bolt

- Nut

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bolt

- Nut

- NAUO

- NAUO

- N-B S/A  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.50,z1.50

- N-B S/A  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.50,z1.50

- N-B S/A  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.50,z1.50

- Rod S/A vpd1
- x14.59,y20.20,z10.0

- Bolt  vpd1
- x0.0,y0.0,z16.94

- Bolt  vpd1
- x0.0,y0.0,z16.94

- Bolt  vpd1
- x0.0,y0.0,z16.94

- Nut  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- Nut  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- Nut  vpd1
- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

- Bracket S/A vpd1

- x16.72,y-50.0,z17.33

**UG SONBRH ASSY VS CADDS SONBRH**

**ASSY VPD DATA**

- Bracket

- SubAssy

- instance 1

- Sonbrh

-  Assy vpd1

- x92.17,y76.59,z18.0

**UG**

** ****Sonbrh**

**Assembly**

- Bracket

- SubAssy

- instance 2

- Plate

- Rod Sub-Assy

- Plate  vpd1

- x90.0,y75.0,z10.0

- Rod S/A vpd1

- x0.0,y0.0,z100.0

- Bracket S/A vpd1

- x16.72,y-50.0,z17.33

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- Bracket

- SubAssy

- instance 1

- Sonbrh

-  Assy vpd1

- x90.0,y75.0,z18.86

- Bracket S/A vpd1

- x16.78,y-50.0,z17.30

**CADDS **

**Sonbrh**

**Assembly**

- Bracket

- SubAssy

- instance 2

- Plate

- Rod Sub-Assy

- Plate  vpd1

- x90.0,y75.0,z10.0

- Rod S/A vpd1

- x0.0,y0.0,z100.0

- Bracket S/A vpd1

- x16.78,y-50.0,z17.30

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

- NAUO

**C of G values **

**do not match**

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

- Bracket

- SubAssy

- instance 1

- Sonbrh

-  Assy vpd1

- x92.17,y76.59,z18.0

- Bracket S/A vpd1

- x16.72,y-50.0,z17.33

- C1   Bracket

- C2   Nut-

- BoltAssy

- C3   Nut-

- BoltAssy

- C4   Nut-

- BoltAssy

**UG FILE VPD DATA**

**Sonbrh**

**Assembly**

- Bracket

- SubAssy

- instance 2

- Plate

- Rod Sub-Assy

- Plate  vpd1

- x90.0,y75.0,z10.0

- Rod S/A vpd1

- x0.0,y0.0,z100.0

- Bracket S/A vpd1

- x16.72,y-50.0,z17.33

- C1   Bracket

- C2   Nut-

- BoltAssy

- C3   Nut-

- BoltAssy

- C4   Nut-

- BoltAssy

- Rod

- Nut

- Nut

- Nut  vpd1

- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- Nut  vpd1

- x10.0,y7.5,z1.5

- Rod  vpd1

- x0.0,y0.0,z100.0

## Instance Validation Properties

_***Instance Validation Properties***_
***Upper image highlight part selected for mass property table***
***Lower image shows mass properties for: ***
***a) Individual comp.***
***b) CG to parent asm.***

**Notes:**
Here is an example of what differentiates PTC from our competition.  
Upon import of a STEP file containing validation properties, A log file with a comparison of the as received, as calculated, and a difference value is generated in the working directory.  This allows a user to determine if the exchange is VALID within some acceptable range.

Future additions to this will be a visible display of the validation properties in the model tree, a user definable % difference for the volume & surface area, a max distance deviation of CG, and RED flagged icons for assembly components outside of this value.

## INSTANCE VPs

***Post process CADDS part with GVP***
***Display results in DXN or browser ***

- Checking Instance craig11/l-bracket_asm
- Mass Properties Check - INSTANCE
-   Centroid     STCENTROID = 0.158106E+03, 0.370222E+02, -.750000E+02
-                    CALCULATED = 0.158106E+03, 0.370226E+02, -.750000E+02
-   CADDS Calculated Centroid location is outside tolerance

**Notes:**
Here is an example of what differentiates PTC from our competition.  
Upon import of a STEP file containing validation properties, A log file with a comparison of the as received, as calculated, and a difference value is generated in the working directory.  This allows a user to determine if the exchange is VALID within some acceptable range.

Future additions to this will be a visible display of the validation properties in the model tree, a user definable % difference for the volume & surface area, a max distance deviation of CG, and RED flagged icons for assembly components outside of this value.

## A STEP business processOngoing Improvements

- Translator improvements
- Enhanced validation properties
- Expanded STEP functionality

## A STEP business process...more STEP functionality

- ‘Build to Design using 100% Product Data requires more complete STEP file’
- Need Parametrics
- Lost in STEP exchange
- Features/tolerances also missing
- Annotation and text also needed
- All required to eliminate drawings and obtain full benefit of STEP in Enterprise

## A STEP based business processCAx Implementor Forum   activities

## A STEP business processSummary

- “Pilot” activity benefits process development efficiency
- Management buy-in is critical
- Use PDES, Inc., CAD vendors, and CAx Implementor Forum to help get improvements in process
- Dedicated team and automated STEP process are keys to success