CAD to PDM Material Assignment via Intermediary Objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Product Data Management (PDM) systems face challenges in accurately tracking and managing material assignments for parts with multiple materials, leading to errors in engineering time consumption, regulatory analysis, and calculations of mass and center of gravity, due to missing material assignments and incorrect transfer of low-level geometric entities from CAD systems.
Innovation Solution
A data processing system integrates material assignments between CAD and PDM systems by creating assignment objects that capture the relationship between geometry and materials, allowing for precise tracking and calculation of mass and center of gravity, and enabling material data-driven design validation, with the ability to roll up associations and visualize material assignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If material assignments are transferred from CAD to PDM systems using conventional methods, then the integration process is simple, but accuracy of material tracking is poor leading to errors in mass and center of gravity calculations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary data structure (material assignment object) that mediates between CAD and PDM systems. This object captures the relationship between geometry and materials with precision, allowing accurate tracking without direct complex integration between the two systems. The intermediary structure includes fields for geometry references, material references, and quantitative data that bridge the gap between CAD's geometric precision and PDM's material management needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the material assignment information into distinct components: geometry references, material references, and quantitative data. This segmentation allows each component to be handled independently with appropriate precision, improving overall tracking accuracy while managing complexity through modular data organization rather than monolithic integration.
2Manufacturing precision
If detailed material assignments for multiple materials are tracked, then calculation accuracy improves, but data management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy or representation of material assignment data in the PDM system that mirrors the detailed CAD data structure. This copy includes essential information (geometry references, material references, quantities) needed for accurate calculations without requiring the full complexity of the original CAD data, thus maintaining precision while reducing management burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The material assignment object structure is designed to be universal, handling multiple materials and multiple geometric entities through a standardized template. This multi-functional data structure can represent any material-geometry relationship consistently, enabling precise calculations for complex multi-material parts without requiring separate management approaches for each material type.
3Measurement precision
If low-level geometric entities are transferred from CAD to PDM, then geometric accuracy is maintained, but system performance and scalability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential geometric reference information needed for material tracking from the full low-level geometric data. Instead of transferring complete geometric definitions, it captures sufficient references (such as solid body references, surface references, or curve references) that maintain geometric accuracy for material assignments while leaving detailed geometric processing in the CAD system, thus preserving precision without sacrificing performance.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various disclosed embodiments include a method for integrating material assignments between a computer-aided design (CAD) system and a product data management (PDM) or product lifecycle management (PLM) system, the method performed by a data processing system (100) and comprising accessing a designed part (310) in the CAD system, wherein the designed part (310) includes one or more geometric entity objects (312). The method also comprising assigning one or more assignment objects (322) from the PDM system to each of the one or more geometric entity objects (312). The method further comprising associating one or more material objects (302) from the PDM system with the one or more assignment objects (322), wherein the one or more material objects (302) identify one or more materials identified from the designed part (310). The method comprising generating a design object (330) in the PDM system representing the designed part (310) based on the one or more assignment objects (322) and the one or more material objects (302).