PAS Technology is known for developing programs to automate quality assurance of complex parts, which it identifies as one of the most costly steps in the manufacturing supply chain. It develops software based on advanced feature recognition algorithms, so users can create CMM programs from any CAD file. Now, it’s reaching into the emerging dimension of information technology known as lifecycle management.
“Product lifecycle management” is a process for managing the costs, risks, and benefits of a product from, from design concept through design and manufacturing, to delivery, and service, and even replacement. PLM software for manufacturing coordinates information and resources that producers and their suppliers and customers need to define, maintain, and share product and compliance data, from concept to replacement.
Lately, the lifecycle management initiative is encompassing manufacturing steps with an increasing degree of specificity.
PAS Technology released its new PAS Inspection Lifecycle Management Suite so that manufacturers (like machine shops) can establish a complete, automated inspection process from a CAD model through to the inspection results. The ILM automates the inspection process thoroughly, eliminating the need for data translation throughout inspection and creating seamless integration of design, manufacturing, and inspection. Users can generate inspection plans directly on-model and output inspection results to FAI-compliant (or other) forms. Noting that it delivers visual inspection results, PAS stated the software allows users to engage in interactive analysis at every step of the inspection process.
The PAS Technology Inspection Lifecycle Management (ILM) Suite consists of three modules:
PAS CMM Viewer: The base module lets users throughout the product supply chain view, collaborate, analyze, simulate, and comment on inspection results. At any stage of the inspection process, authorized users can view the inspection CAD model and analyze detailed inspection results, inspection program code, and other related information. Users also can simulate inspections and deploy “what-if” scenarios.
In addition, PAS CMM Viewer features “on-model communication,” so users are able to add comments directly to the inspected model, to simplify collaboration with team members, customers, and throughout the supply chain.
PAS CMM Engineering: The second level of functionality provides engineers with additional capabilities to transform the CAD model of a component automatically into instructions that can be output directly to the inspection report form (FAI or any custom form). It’s an automated inspection model preparation package. The software streamlines the inspection process by promoting standardization and data integrity. PAS also indicated the module eliminates manual inspection interpretation, and helps users cut inspection programming time by up to 95%.
From a PC workstation, users can install complete inspection instructions and balloon drawings directly on the inspected model. CAD CMM Engineering ensures that reliable inspection results are reported directly to predefined forms (including FAI forms), eliminating the time needed to correlate results with an unfamiliar inspection report. Once the model preparation is finalized, the software automatically composites all CAD and drawing data with CMM inspection analysis and inspection instructions for the actual inspection.
PAS CMM Inspection: The most advanced module offers the complete capabilities of the ILM Suite, for end-to-end CMM programming and inspection automation for any CMM machine. It is an automated inspection program that analyzes inspected CAD models with the associated annotations, parameters, and GD&T. It generates inspection programs automatically for any CMM machine, eliminating the labor-intensive task of creating CMM program manually. An organization’s CMM experts are able to focus on their core inspection skills, which include high-level engineering capabilities and geometrical and inspection regulation knowledge.
PAS CMM inspection also allows CMM experts to generate any type of report form, including FAI standard forms, and read directly from the CMM machine inspection results to the pre-defined form. PAS CMM inspection helps inspection departments become more productive, cut costs, eliminate inspection bottlenecks, and expedite delivery times.
PAS Technology will demonstrate the ILM Suite at the SolidWorks World event, next month in San Diego. “PAS CMM has a successful track record of enabling leading manufacturers to dramatically reduce the time and effort required to produce CMM programs,” stated Sam Golan, PAS Technology president and CEO. “The tight integration between PAS CMM and SolidWorks will provide even greater time and cost savings to organizations that use SolidWorks.”
