paperless” at least one (if not all) will sneer and say, “Hah, there is NO
WAY you can get rid of the paper (2D) drawing”. In the words of Nobel Prize
winner George Bernard Shaw I will reply, “Those who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt those who are doing it”. After all, 20 years ago people
said that there was NO WAY that cars would drive themselves, that the
cellular telephone would replace over a dozen commodities (including the
phone), or that “selfies” and “twerking” would actually become a “thing”.
I guess my point is: We really have no idea what the future holds, all we can
do is try to prepare ourselves for it.
As a CAD Applications Engineer I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of
Model Based Definition (MBD), Digital Product Definition (DPD), 3D Product
& Manufacturing Information (PMI), paperless or whatever else you call it
(no, these terms are not fully synonymous… However, they achieve the same
objective: no more paper). I have found that like most new ideas, the biggest
form of resistance (leading to failure) simply comes from the fact that it is
new and not fully understood. After all, if you are already successful at what
you do then why fix something that isn’t broken? Hence the phrase “that is the
way we have always done it” (sarcasm alert!). Because of this resistance I
think that it will be quite a long time before model based definition /
paperless product definition is fully implemented and accepted, but that does
not mean that it isn’t advantageous to start your own transition early on.
Case in point: Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) is a practice that is well over 50 years old (some of the founding
principles originated circa WWII). However, it is STILL not fully understood
or used by many companies. But why is it still around then? If proper use of
GD&T did not allow designers and manufacturers to save time and money,
don’t you think it would have faded away by now? The truth is that GD&T is
a great tool when properly implemented. It has, however, suffered from the
same type of fear, uncertainty, and doubt that occurs today with paperless
product definition.
As with GD&T, paperless product definition is gaining popularity because
large industry shakers have already started the process. Particularly I am
talking about the Aerospace & Defense industry, which is one of the
largest sources for manufacturing and R&D (also one of the first to
implement GD&T). Companies that work somewhere along the supply chain in
aerospace and defense are actually being forced to implement some form of
paperless model definition (see Boeing’s D6-51991 Requirements). What I see
from Boeing suppliers in particular is that they have an initial struggle with
compliance due to investment in hardware, software, and training. However,
once implemented they experience increased productivity, increased
scalability, faster turnaround times, and more efficient communication due to
the ease of use of 3D data (read more money in your pockets).
SOLIDWORKS
have to offer for someone looking to go paperless? New for
2015,
SOLIDWORKS Model Based Definition
is an integrated drawingless manufacturing solution for SOLIDWORKS 3D design
software. You can define PMI directly in 3D, present 3D data in a clean and
structured fashion, and customize 3D output templates. SOLIDWORKS MBD makes
it easier to comply with industry standards (like the Boeing ones I
mentioned earlier), as well as collaborate with all of the internal and
external stakeholders.
Join me in October for a
SOLIDWORKS 2015 Launch event
to get a firsthand look at SOLIDWORKS Model Based Definition. I’ll be
presenting SOLIDWORKS 2015 along with my colleague David Torick in our US
locations, and Glenn Whyte and Jordan Winger will host the events in Canada.
Keep an eye on this space for a detailed blog series about SW MBD and going
paperless. If you have any questions about going paperless, drop us a line at
[email protected]
– we’re always happy to help. After successfully 86-ing the paper drawings, I
am sure you will find yourself moving from the resistant “this is the way we
have always done it” to the newly enlightened “this is the way we
should have always done it”.
Are you currently using paperless product definition? Please share your
thoughts and experience in the comments section!
