1. Tips & Techniques Top-Down Design Tools Managing Complex Assemblies
Victor Remmers Holland Engineering Consultants BV

2. Top-Down Design Philosophy

3. Traditional Design Approach
“Bottom-Up Design”
Design of individual components independent of the assembly
Manual approach to ensure that components fit properly and meet the design criteria
Components and those placed in sub-assemblies are brought together to develop the top-level assembly
Errors are manually identified and modifications to each component are made to make the adjustment. As assembly grows, detecting these inconsistencies and correcting them can consume a considerable amount of time
Top Level Assembly
Component
Design
Component
Design
Component
Design

4. Possible example Bottom Up?
Mate

5. Top-Down Design Philosophy
Method of placing critical information in a high-level location
Communicating that information to the lower levels of the product structure
Capturing the overall design information in one centralized location
Design
Information
Component
Component
Component

6. A more integrated approach….

7. Top Down Design Stages – It is a concept.
6-Stage Process
Conceptual Engineering Phase
Layouts and Engineering Notebook
Preliminary Product Structure Phase
Pro/INTRALINK, Model Tree
Capturing Design Intent Phase
Skeleton Models
Manage Interdependencies Phase
Reference Viewer & Reference Graph
Communication of Design Intent Phase
Copy Geoms, Publish Geoms & Shrinkwrap
Population of the Assembly Phase
Automatic Component Constraints & Component Interfaces

8. The Bobcat example

9. Conceptual Engineering Phase Layouts and Engineering Notebook
Stage 1
Conceptual Engineering Phase Layouts and Engineering Notebook
Understand Existing Situation
High-level Requirements
Space Allocation
Define New Space and Motion
2D Sketches
3D Models
Rapid Iteration & Convergence
Animations
Capture Key Design Intent
Parameters
Notes
Spreadsheets
Proprietary Data

10. Preliminary Product Structure Phase Pro/INTRALINK, Model Tree
Stage 2
Preliminary Product Structure Phase Pro/INTRALINK, Model Tree
Quickly define product hierarchy
Before any of the components’ geometry is defined
Intuitive, automatic mapping to “start models”
Templates ensure all designs share the necessary common elements such as layers, views & parameters
Foundation for efficient task distribution
Assembly Population Environments
Pro/E menus and Model Tree pop-up menus
Pro/INTRALINK and PDMLink
Component Creation Methods
Empty Components; Copy from start models
Automatic assembly of default datums
Unplaced, Partially- & Over-Constrained Components

11. Capturing Design Intent Phase Skeleton Models
Stage 3
Capturing Design Intent Phase Skeleton Models
What needs to happen?
Capture conceptual design parameters within the context of the assembly
Capture & control critical object interfaces in a single, convenient location
How? Skeleton Models…
Centralized pathway for communication
Facilitate task distribution
Promote well-organized design environments
Enable faster, more efficient propagation of change
Special Treatment in BOMs, Simplified Reps, Drawings, Model Tree & Mass Property Calculations
Uniquely supported Scope Control Setting

12. Manage Interdependencies Phase Reference Viewer & Reference Graph
Stage 4
Manage Interdependencies Phase Reference Viewer & Reference Graph
Tools to Manage References
External Reference Control
Ensures Top-Down Design methodology is followed
Incorporate design management rules directly into the design
Ensures proper design reuse
Pro/INTRALINK
Model Tree
Global Reference Viewer
Reference Graph

13. Stage 5
Communication of Design Intent Phase Publish Geoms, Copy Geoms & Inheritance
Publish Geometry Features
Provides ability to pre-determine the geometry to be referenced by a Copy Geometry feature
Allows designers to define their interfaces to the rest of the design
Copy Geometry Features
Allows copying of all types of geometry
Surfaces, edges, curves, datums, quilts, copy/publish geometry
Retains copied geometry name and layer settings
Dependency on parent geometry can be toggled
Can be “Externalized”
External Copy Geometry
Build relationships on external models independent of an assembly
Useful for coordinate system assembly practices
Inheritance – Inherit model geometry for one-way associativity
Shrinkwrap (included in Foundation Advantage Package)

14. Stage 6
Population of the Assembly Phase Automatic Component Constraints & Component Interfaces
What tools are available for populating the assembly?
Assembly Tools
Drag & Drop Placement
Component Interfaces
Component Creation
Within the context of the assembly
Mirror Parts or Subassemblies

15. How does Top Down Design relate to company goals?
Four Goals from Upper Management
1) Cycle Time Reduction.
2) Increase User Satisfaction with Software.
3) Margin Increase.
4) Cost Reduction.

16. Why should you use it? Benefits: Reduced design time
5-Apr-17
Why should you use it?
Benefits:
Reduced design time
Reduced errors (right the first time)
Increased quality
Better project management visibility
Concurrent engineering
Confidence in top-level regeneration
Knowledge of how modules interface
Top-level change control
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17. Example: to design an alternator...
What information should a designer need to work with most times?
Neighboring Subassemblies
320MB
Complete Top-Level Assembly
540 MB
All Skeleton Models in Top-Level Assembly
70 MB
Subassembly,
with Skeleton Model containing
all required information ~ 20 MB

18. What does an example look like?
Three Phases
Pro/INTRALINK
Pro/CONCEPT
ISDX
Pro/ENGINEER
Pro/NOTEBOOK
CAPTURE DESIGN CRITERIA
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
DETAILED DESIGN

19. Product Definition

20. Product Definition: Engineering Layout
What it is:
First thing done in design cycle
Used to evaluate key interface points
Used to evaluate key components of project
What it is Not:
Three dimensional solids
Fully detailed

21. Advantages of Using a Layout
Document design information in one centralized location
Document design information before creating solid models
Investigate design options without involving the entire assembly
Easily make design changes because all of the design information is contained in one location

22. #2 Product Definition: Assembly Structure
What it is:
Virtual Assembly / BOM
Used to organize assembly & assigning of design tasks
Used to input non-geometrical data up-front
What it is Not:
Three dimensional solids
Fully detailed
Fully constrained

23. Advantages of Defining Preliminary Product Structure
Defining the product structure prior to defining geometry can assist you in organizing the assembly into manageable tasks that can be assigned to design teams or individual designers.
Associate specific library parts (that are to be used on the project) with the assembly at the start of the design, preventing confusion later.

24. Advantages of Defining Preliminary Product Structure
Cont…
Submit the assembly to Pro/INTRALINK or PDMLink and assign models to the appropriate vaults or folders.
Individual designers can focus on specific design tasks instead of on how their design is going to fit into the overall structure.
Input non-geometrical information such as the part number, designer’s name, etc., at a very early stage.

25. #3 Product Definition: Skeletons
What it is:
Zero-mass geometry
Exact location detail
Minimized geometric detail
What it is Not:
Three dimensional solids
Fully detailed

26. And Definitely Not This!!
                                                       

27. Advantages of Using Skeletons
Provides a centralized location for design data
Simplifies assembly creation / visualization
Aids in assembling mechanisms
Minimizes unwanted parent-child relationships
Allows you to assemble components in any order
Controls propagation of external references

28. Central source for information
Benefits of Communicating Information From a Central Source
Task distribution
Concurrent Modeling
Managing External References
Tools
Declaration
Publish Geometry
Copy Geometry

29. Hierarchy Top_level.asm Top_level_skeleton.prt Sub_assy_1.asm
Sub_assy_1_skeleton.prt
Sub_assy_2.asm
Sub_assy_2_skeleton.prt
Sub_assy_x.asm
Sub_assy_x_skeleton.prt

30. 3D Design … Finally!
The foundation is set … but topologically modifiable … it’s time for 3D.
With Reference Control Manager, you are safe to create your parts directly in the assembly.

31. More Than Meets The Eye! Interchangeability: Family of Tables
Interchange Assembly
Layout Declarations

32. Power of Top-Down Design
To Achieve Advanced Automation, consider using:
Relations
Pro/Program

33. Miscellaneous Tips Separate Part Versus Assembly for Skeleton Features
Avoid constructing assembly-level skeleton features since the system requires that you perform all edits of these features in Assembly mode.
The components can become an obstruction and degrade performance.
Furthermore, you cannot easily reuse skeleton features at the assembly level in other subassemblies. By using a separate part file, you can edit the feature in Part Mode and reassemble it into many different assemblies.
Geometry Features
Place all static information in a skeleton as early as possible and place all dynamic information later in the design process cycle.

34. Miscellaneous Tips Datums for Skeleton Models Visualization
Consider renaming skeleton datums to “sk_”
Visualization
Use simplified reps and transparency prolifically to make viewing easier
Use “display states” to highlight different items at different times
Use surfaces to clarify meaning of centerlines & axes
Conceptualization
Don’t be afraid to use simple hand sketches before delving into complex situations … it’s NOT illegal

35. Pro/E Wildfire Enhancements High-performance Assembly Modeling
5-Apr-17
Pro/E Wildfire Enhancements High-performance Assembly Modeling
Lightweight Components
Represent common components with lightweight graphics for optimum display speed
Accurate mass properties and BOMs
Customizable symbolic representations
Flexible Components
Represent multiple states of a single component in an assembly
Addresses critical need for consistency between BOM and assembly model
Intelligent Regeneration
Assembly regeneration is up to 80% Faster!
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire offers a new lightweight component representation. This lets you replace a component with a 2D symbol while maintaining an accurate BOM and mass properties. This allows for improved visualization of large models and faster regeneration times.
Additionally, Flexible Models allow you to define variable dimensions, features, parameters and geometric tolerances for the same part within the same assembly. This allows for multiple geometric variations along with a completely accurate Bill of Material.
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36. Highlights of Top-Down Design
Capture knowledge, or design intent, allowing you to concentrate on significant issues by making the software perform tedious, repetitive calculations.
Enable the framework for interchangeability of components allowing for high-velocity product development by supporting rapid iterations of product variations.
Create a concurrent design environment by spreading project design responsibility across many organizational levels.

37. New in Advanced Assembly in Wildfire 3.0
Data Sharing Dashboard
The Data Sharing dashboard consolidates the Merge, Cutout, and Inheritance features in a modern user interface.
Enhancements to Data Sharing features in a new dashboard offer many benefits:
Allows changing of multiple feature types at any point
Offers a user-friendly user interface with easy access to commands
Supports object-action workflow for increased productivity
Consolidates Data Sharing features, such as Merge, Cutout, and Inheritance

38. New in Advanced Assembly in Wildfire 3.0 (#2)
Top-Down Design with Mechanism Assemblies
You can now design a skeleton model that includes motion.
Motion skeletons are available in Assembly, allowing motion to be incorporated into the model at the beginning of the design process. There is no longer a need to recreate an assembly to include a mechanism analysis.
You can create mechanism bodies and connections as a motion skeleton, then run a simple kinematic analysis to ensure that the skeleton provides the appropriate degrees of freedom. You can then create and assemble components to the motion skeleton. Motion skeletons are defined in the same way as normal assembly skeletons and include reference control settings. They do not appear in the assembly bill of materials.

39. POWER OF
TOP DOWN
DESIGN!!!

40. 5-Apr-17
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