3D Model Manufacturing Reservations for Faster Supplier Pricing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process of manufacturing designed products is hindered by the need for manual requests for pricing from multiple suppliers, leading to delays and inefficiencies due to manufacturer-specific constraints and varying methods of calculation, making it difficult to determine the impact of design elements on production costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize 3D computer models to automate the selection of suitable manufacturers by comparing design requirements with supplier attributes, enabling expedited manufacturing reservations and calculating production times, thereby streamlining the production process and reducing delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If manual requests for pricing are sent to multiple suppliers, then comprehensive pricing information can be obtained, but the process creates additional work, expense, and delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing the 3D model data and automatically generating standardized pricing requests that are ready for immediate automated distribution to multiple suppliers, eliminating the need for manual preparation and reducing the overall pricing process duration
Solution Approach 2:
An automated intermediary system acts as a mediator between the design system and multiple suppliers, automatically transmitting pricing requests and receiving responses without manual intervention, thereby maintaining comprehensive pricing information collection while dramatically reducing process time and expense
2Loss of information
If manual RFP processes are used to obtain pricing from suppliers, then pricing information can be collected, but the process requires additional work and expense
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling automated generation, distribution, and processing of pricing requests without requiring manual human intervention at each step, allowing the pricing data collection process to serve itself through automation while maintaining comprehensive data collection across multiple suppliers
Solution Approach 2:
An automated intermediary system facilitates the entire pricing request process, handling communication with multiple suppliers automatically, thereby collecting comprehensive pricing information while eliminating the additional work and expense associated with manual RFP processes
3Manufacturing precision
If manufacturer-specific constraints are imposed on product design, then design can be optimized for a particular manufacturer, but design freedom is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies universality by creating a standardized automated pricing request framework that can interface with multiple different manufacturers simultaneously, allowing design optimization considerations to be evaluated across various manufacturers without being constrained to a single manufacturer's specific requirements, thereby maintaining design freedom while still enabling manufacturer-specific optimization analysis
4Productivity
If automated comparison of design requirements with supplier attributes is performed, then suitable manufacturers can be selected efficiently, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and structuring both design requirements and supplier attributes into standardized formats before the comparison process, which simplifies the actual automated comparison operation and enables efficient manufacturer selection without requiring overly complex real-time processing systems
Data Source
AI summary
A method of enabling expedited manufacture of one or more instantiations of a structure modeled as a 3D computer model, the method implemented on one or more computer devices including displaying one or more user selectable expedited manufacturing reservation options for a plurality of requests for manufacture, generating a prompt to select a user selectable expedited manufacturing reservation option, receiving an expedited manufacturing, storing the expedited manufacturing reservation, receiving a request for manufacture of one or more instantiations of a structure modeled in an associated 3D computer model from a user, compare one or more of the requests for manufacture and one or more aspects of the associated 3D computer model with the expedited manufacturing reservation, determining an applicability of the expedited manufacturing reservation to the request for manufacture, calculating a total time to complete the request for manufacture, and presenting the total time to complete the request for manufacture.