Teamcenter PLM for Machine Builders Guide
Teamcenter PLM for Machine Builders Guide
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Program monitoring
Program monitoring overview ───────────────────── 7-1
Program, project, subproject, and event states ───────────── 7-1
Modify the program properties ──────────────────── 7-1
Edit the event information ────────────────────── 7-2
Manage resource assignments ──────────────────── 7-2
Machine design
Machine design overview ─────────────────────── 8-1
Change Management
Change management overview ─────────────────── 10-1
• Maximize the reuse of modularized platform design, libraries, and bill of materials (BOM).
• Drive technical specification requirements, which can be associated to an order or to general product
requirements.
• Synchronize the release of engineering parts, assemblies, and drawings to improve the clarity in the
manufacturing process.
• Use programs to track the project's status and provide a timeline for release that satisfies the customer
machine requirements.
• Integrate with Change Management to improve the quality and speed of engineering design changes.
Note:
In addition to this documentation, online training is also available for the PLM for Machine Builders
solution.
• You are familiar with general PLM terminology, methods, and the general industrial machinery
business process.
• You have completed the basic training courses for Active Workspace and NX.
computer aided design (ECAD) users who may be involved if a new or updated part is required for the
machine order.
The table below describes the user roles and tasks these users complete during the different phases of
the PLM for Machine Builders business process.
The table below describes the user roles involved when an ECAD request is made during a PLM for
Machine Builders project.
Note:
When the Component Library Manager completes the workflow task requesting
the new component, the new part is set to the Component Released status.
The PLM for Machine Builders dashboard provides you with all the information you need for the machine
project in one location. The dashboard contains a list of recently accessed or created objects, your
orders, charts for programs, events, program deliverables, and deliverables assigned to you. Discussions
between engineers and other users that relate to the machine are also displayed.
Discussions
The Discussions panel shows the discussions between members of the machine builder project. These
discussions can be about program deliverables, the program itself, parts, and all other aspects of the
machine project. It is a place to get input, make requests, or collect feedback from your team members.
• Click on the attached object to view what the discussion is related to.
• Click the Replies link to view the replies from other users or add a reply of your own.
• Unfollow the discussion because it is no longer relevant. When you unfollow the discussion, it no
longer appears in your Discussions panel.
The graphic that follows shows the PLM for Machine Builders business process. This process is commonly
followed in the industry for managing the program and engineering data from the beginning of the
project to its release to production. The business process is a baseline for your machine orders and can
be expanded and customized as needed.
PLM for Machine Builders uses Active Workspace Program Planning to coordinate the work activities
from the planning stages to the release of the machine. The program tracks the release of the product
using an expanded tree view that contains events, risks, deliverables, and other program data.
The Project Manager is responsible for the creation and monitoring of the program, which includes
performing the following actions:
• Creating the program with the required information for the machine project by using the provided
template or your own template.
• Establishing the program by adding program objects, such as events and deliverables.
• Monitoring the program and its objects and updating them as necessary.
Requirements and specifications are an integral part of the PLM for Machine Builders solution. While
often used interchangeably in the industry, there are specific distinctions for each item within the
solution.
Specifications
Specifications are performance attributes, commonly derived from the customer requests, which ensure
that the released product meets the needs of the end user. Specifications define the capabilities of
the unique industrial machines, including information on the features that contribute to the machine's
performance. Because these features vary between machines, specifications play an important role in
describing the machine features.
For example, the specifications for a milling machine include features such as spindle orientation, axis
travel, spindle speed, and horsepower. These specifications indicate the performance capabilities of the
milling machine.
• Axis travel is the distance that the machine can move on each axis.
• The spindle speed indicates how fast the spindle can rotate and is measured in revolutions per minute
(RPM).
• Horsepower is the amount of power the spindle can exert during cutting.
Requirements
Requirements are the internal attributes the engineering team requires to meet the needs defined in
the machine specifications. In the context of the example above, the engineering team expands on
the specifications for the spindle speed and horsepower by adding engineering attributes for machine
reliability, such as planned life expectancy and cost targets. The engineering team turns the speed and
power specifications into maximum acceptable stress levels and bearing life.
The PLM for Machine Builders solution uses Active Workspace requirements management to manage
the requirements for the project to ensure that the requirements documents are attached to the order,
machines, and modules. This provides traceability throughout the design process.
To use requirements for the solution, keep the following assumptions in mind:
• The design requirements are managed at the specification level and not at an individual requirement
level.
• Traceability is maintained between a specification and the corresponding item attached to the
specification.
The graphic below shows how requirements and specifications are associated and managed in the PLM
for Machine Builders solution.
The PLM for Machine Builders solution is designed to meet the typical business scenarios for the
machinery industry. The scenarios listed below define the engineering process used by the solution.
The PLM for Machine Builders solution focuses on the following engineering processes for machine
development and order fulfillment.
• Platform Design. The advanced engineering group designs and manages a common platform for
the product family. The design is structured for maximum data reuse and program execution by
configuring selections and options in a platform bill of materials (BOM).
Note:
This is also referred to as modularized machinery design.
• Engineering to Order (ETO). The Project Manager creates a program from a received customer order
for a machine and creates a program to manage the design and development of the new machine.
Most of these orders are based on an existing machine platform, but customization is possible and
requires specialized design of the machine modules to meet the customer requirements.
A large portion of the new machine design reuses the existing designs. The design engineers perform
further engineering work to comply with the customer-specific requirements.
• Configure to Order (CTO). CTO engineering processes require a robust platform design and strict
adherence to the options and selection capabilities of the platform to satisfy the customer orders.
The customer machine design is completed by selecting compatible modules within the machine
platform. In some instances, custom engineering is required to complete the order, but most of the
machine (around 90 percent) it is derived from the platform.
During the machine specification and planning phase of the machine builder business process, you
might want to request a new electrical machine component to meet the needs of the machine order
and requirements. To start this process, a program deliverable is created for the new component, any
relevant objects are attached, and the deliverable is assigned to the ECAD Engineer.
The ECAD Engineer creates the new electrical design assembly in Active Workspace. If needed, the
engineer uses the Request New Machine Component workflow to request a new electrical machine
component and attaches any relevant parts or specifications as a reference object. For example, the
engineer can attach a part that is similar and specify that the new part requires different dimensions.
This sends a new ECAD Component workflow task to the Component Library Manager. This user
approves the request and then creates the new part in the ECAD authoring tool.
As the ECAD work progresses, other workflows such as the Machine Builder Concept Design Release
Process and Machine Builder Part/Design Concept Design Release Process are used to approve the
conceptual designs of the new component. When the work on the new component is complete, the
Component Library Manager closes the workflow task to release the part to the ECAD Engineer.
The new component can now be added to the existing machine bill of materials (BOM) during the
detailed machine design and release phase of the business process.
Document Management is a Teamcenter solution for managing documents and drawings for a product
design by gathering design information, choosing templates and formats, generating the documents
and drawings, managing the revisions, and releasing the documents and drawings when work on them
is completed.
In the PLM for Machine Builders solution, there are two different approaches for a design release:
part-centric approach and drawing-centric approach. The following table shows the differences between
these approaches.
In this approach, the design release process releases the part design, and the drawings are bundled with
the design. This guarantees consistency between the part design and the drawing in the release process.
PLM for Machine Builders focuses on a part-centric approach but also supports the drawing-centric
approach, which allows releasing of the drawings independently from the parts.
PLM for Machine Builders also includes preconfigured translators to convert NX drawings to different
formats. This is accomplished by using workflow handlers during the drawing release workflow. A
custom configuration of the Dispatcher service allows for releasing of drawings in different formats.
A baseline for the machine builder project is typically created when the Project Manager creates the
program for the machine. As work is performed on the machine, changes are often required to the
engineering documentation. These changes are submitted using the simple change functionality of
Active Workspace.
These engineering changes are managed using an industry standard workflow that ensures members
of the change team and impacted business roles are involved in the design change. The steps below
outline a high-level overview of the out-of-the-box change management workflow.
3. The engineer performs the engineering changes required for the change request.
Note:
The change management workflow for the PLM for Machine Builders solution can be customized
to meet your needs.
The release process for program deliverables, such as the machine specifications, machine parts, BOM
assemblies, and CAD drawings, involves submitting these target objects to a workflow that requires
the assigned users to approve the object. The PLM for Machine Builders solution contains multiple
preconfigured workflow templates that automate this process using industry standard workflows.
The following steps outline a high-level overview of the out-of-the-box release process workflow.
1. An engineer or another team member is assigned as the owner of a deliverable object by the
project manager. These deliverables are part of the overall program and are assigned to the
program events.
2. The responsible user for the deliverable starts the required work. This may be creating the machine
specifications, creating the bill of materials (BOM) for the new machine, or creating a CAD drawing
for a new part.
3. Once the work is completed, the responsible user submits the work to the appropriate workflow
template and assigns the users responsible for approving the work for release.
4. The assigned reviewers approve or reject the work. If approved, the program deliverable's target
object is released. If rejected, the target deliverable is sent back to the user who submitted the
workflow so that work can be done to address the reasons why it was rejected and not released.
The following graphic is an example of a workflow template in PLM for Machine Builders.
A modular approach for designing the machine platforms allows for the reuse of components across
different variants of machines. PLM for Machine Builders supports the modular design approach by using
a modular data model.
The following graphic shows a modular bill of materials (BOM) architecture for a milling machine.
The machine is divided into independent modules, such as tool changer, milling head, and work
platform. These modules can be further subdivided into submodules to create a hierarchy of modules.
Different modules can also use the same sub-module. There can also be variants of modules. In the
milling machine example, the 5-axis work piece holder and the 6-axis rotational work piece holder are
variants of the work platform module.
In addition, with a modular approach, submodules, such as the column or slide, can be positioned
differently to meet the requirements for the new machine.
Note:
A modular design can also include an installation assembly level.
First, a unified modular architecture is defined for the milling machines to ensure that all the machine
designs follow the same architecture. This also enables the reuse of design components at the modular
level instead of the component level. The CAD assembly for each module is managed to guarantee the
consistency and traceability of the design data for different revisions of modules for different machines.
When a customer order is received for a new machine, the engineer searches all existing base machines
to find a machine with the configuration closest to the customer order. This machine data is reused by
modifying some of the machine modules. The engineer can also search through appropriate modules
from the existing base machines and add them to the new machine design, further reusing existing
module data.
The following graphic shows a 3D model of the milling machine used in the dataset in the PLM for
Machine Builders solution.
The top node of the BOM is the Machine item. It consists of machine modules, such as the main bed
and tool changer. In a modular design, each module consists of the Installation assembly items instead
of a CAD assembly. Each Installation assembly consists of a CAD assembly of mechanical parts.
The installation assemblies are added to stop revisions from directly affecting the parents in the BOM.
Revision management requires revisions to components at the lower level in the BOM and must be
captured as revisions to the parent items. Without the installation assembly, revising a small component
would require revising multiple levels of the BOM structure, which may include the modules or
platforms. Using the installation assembly ensures that only the installation assembly. which is the
highest level, needs to be revised when revising a CAD assembly. This keeps the modular structure above
the installation assembly intact.
Bill of materials (BOM) configuration is the process of managing the engineering BOM (eBOM) and
configuration for CAD designs. PLM for Machine Builders uses a single unified engineering BOM for both
the part and design BOMs.
The structure context is used to save the complete configuration context for a machine unit BOM as the
revision rule. The data structure of the structure context contains the assembly of the machine and the
configuration context and also includes the revision rule applied in the BOM configuration.
PLM for Machine Builders focuses on revision effectivity. This specifies when a particular revision of an
item is in effect. There are two types of revision effectivity: one specified using effective start and end
dates and the other, using the unit number effectivity. PLM for Machine Builders uses date effectivity
to determine the appropriate configured structure based on the effective date. Because a CAD assembly
can be referenced in various cloned platform assemblies, using the unit number effectivity may become
ambiguous.
There are different approaches for reusing existing machine designs in a new machine that are based
on the customer need and the size of the machinery company. The following are the common reuse
approaches used in the machinery industry:
• Cloning approach. This approach uses an existing machine chosen from a set of base machines and
duplicates the machine design. The duplicated machine is the starting point for meeting the customer
requirements.
• All reused components are referenced in the new design. No new items are created. Only links to
the original items are created.
• Copy approach. This approach makes a copy of an existing machine design. All components of the
machine are copied, and a new item is created. The copied design is then modified to meet the
customer requirements.
• Bottom-up approach. This approach reuses modules from an existing machine design to build a new
machine design.
In this example scenario, a machine company starts an engineering-to-order project for a SMIC 6-axis
milling machine design. The application engineer starts the project by using a base machine design of
an existing 5-axis milling machine. Based on the configuration required for the new design, the engineer
chooses the Mach-5LEA3O base machine, which is similar to the new machine requirement.
Next, the engineer clones this base machine design to generate the BOM for the new 6-axis milling
machine. Because the engineer used a cloning approach, the original BASE machine BOM is not
impacted by the new design, but it does retain the traceability of the reused components from the
original BOM.
During the detailed design phase, the initial BOM is updated with the new design components to
generate the BOM for the new milling machine. The following graphic shows the process described in
this example.
Note:
Base machines may need to be updated occasionally. After the new machine is released, it can
be added to the base machines for future reuse. The base machine BOM must be managed to
maintain the integrity and consistency of the data.
Procedure
1. Open the Deployment Center home page from a web browser and log in with your administrator
account.
2. Click on Environments.
3. Select the environment where you want to install the PLM for Machine Builders solution.
5. In the upper right corner of the panel, click Edit Selected Applications .
6. From the list of available applications, select Machine Builder and Machine Builder Active
Workspace.
The scripts are generated, and the Deploy Instructions panel opens.
10. In the Deploy Instructions panel, scroll down to the Deploy Script Directory section. This displays
where the deploy scripts are located once generated.
• Open the Deploy Instructions HTML file in a browser window. This file contains the command
arguments you must use when deploying.
12. Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the deployment directory created
when you unzipped the installation files.
13. Run [Link] with the command line arguments specified in the Deploy Instructions HTML file.
The deployment starts. You can monitor the status of the deployment from the command prompt
window.
Procedure
1. Navigate to the TcRoot install directory location on the machine where you want to install PLM for
Machine Builders.
3. Select Configuration Manager as the type of maintenance you want to perform and then click
Next.
5. Select the existing configuration for the Teamcenter environment that you want to contain the PLM
for Machine Builders solution and then click Next.
b. Expand Base Install > Active Workspace > Client and then select Machine Builder, Program
Planning, and Order Management.
Note:
If a feature you need to select is grayed out, you can hover over it to see which other features
must be selected in order to enable installation of the feature.
8. Continue clicking Next until you can click Start to begin the installation of PLM for Machine
Builders.
• Adding and reviewing the machine order with the purchase order attached as the deliverable.
• Creating the machine specifications with the requirements specification attached as the deliverable.
• Creating the revised machine object with the module revision attached as the deliverable.
• Cloning the machine and updating the BOM to include the new machine object.
When you create the new program, you open the program template and then save it as the new
program. This preserves the out-of-the-box template and allows you to then modify the program as
necessary.
Note:
Once a machine order is added to the program, a link is automatically created from the program to
the machine order so it can be easily accessed when viewing the program.
When you assign reviewers to signoff on the requirements, they can use the markup features of Active
Workspace to review and add their comments in the documents. Files can be marked up in various ways,
including:
• Highlighting text
Note:
You can view the About marking up files topic in the Active Workspace Document Management
help to learn more about using markups in Active Workspace.
Managing programs
As the project manager, you can quickly create a new machine builder program using the provided
program template. When you set the prime event date for the new program, all the event dates are
automatically adjusted.
Procedure
2. Select the template from the results and then open it.
The program template is displayed. The template includes a project with an example customer
order deliverable, a deliverable instance, and various events.
4. Enter the details and specify a Prime Event Date for the new program.
5. Click the Include Deliverables checkbox to include all the deliverables that are part of the
template.
6. Click Save.
Active Workspace creates the new program from the template and opens the new program.
Program objects, such as events, issues, risks, and opportunities, can be added to your program to track
all known and possible variables for your program. Each of these items can have their own deliverables
and deliverable instances. For example, a risk can contain a document deliverable that explains the
potential impact of the risk on the program.
Procedure
1. Search for and open the program you want to add additional program objects to.
• Click the Impacts tab to view the RISKS, ISSUES, and OPPORTUNITIES for the program. You can
then click Add to in the corresponding section for the object you want to add.
• From the primary toolbar, click New > Add Event to add a new event from the Add Event
panel. This allows you to specify the name, state, and planned date for the new event.
• From the primary toolbar, click New > Add Plan Level to add a new plan level (such as a
project or subproject) to the program.
• In the Overview tab that is displayed below the program tree, click Add to in the
ATTACHMENTS section to attach a file to the program. You can upload the file, select it from
your palette, or search for it.
After creating your new program, you can add the deliverables containing the machine order and
machine specifications to the program. A link is automatically created from the program to the machine
order so it can be easily accessed when viewing the program. The following instructions assume that
you are using the program template included with PLM for Machine Builders.
Procedure
2. From the program view, choose where you want to add the deliverable. You can add the
deliverable to a program, project, subproject, or event.
For example, if your program has an event called Add and Review Order, you select this event and
then add the order as a deliverable for this event.
The program deliverable is added to the selected event, program, project, or subproject.
After specifying your program deliverables, you can add the machine order and specifications to the
deliverables. The following instructions assume you are using the program template included with PLM
for Machine Builders.
Procedure
1. Open the program that contains the deliverable that you want to add the machine order and
specifications to.
2. From the program view, select the event, program, project, or subproject that contains the
deliverable.
5. Click Add to .
• If the order already exists, click the Search tab, enter the name of the order, and then select it
from the list.
• If you need to create the order, select Order from the OTHER section of the panel. Enter the
order properties. Required fields are marked with an asterisk.
Note:
If the order specifications already exist, you can click in the Order Specifications field to
select it from your Palette or search for the specification and add it to the order.
With the order and specifications added to your program deliverable, you can open the order and add
the customer requirements document to the specifications as an attachment.
Procedure
2. Expand the CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS section to see the customer requirement specifications
for the order.
6. Select the file you want to add. You can search for the file if it already exists in Active Workspace or
upload it from your local machine.
After adding the order and specifications to your program deliverable, you can open the order and add
the required machines to it.
Procedure
3. Click Add to .
4. Enter the data for the industrial machine to add to the order. Required fields are marked with an
asterisk.
5. Click Add to add the machine to the order. The newly added machine is now displayed in the
MACHINES section of the order.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 as necessary to add all required machines to the order.
Once you have all the necessary items attached to the customer requirements, you can send it to a
workflow for review and approval by the relevant stakeholders. The following instructions assume you
are using the workflow template included with PLM for Machine Builders.
Procedure
2. Expand the CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS section to see the customer requirement specifications
for the order.
7. Select the Machine Builder Requirement Specification Release Process from the Template
dropdown list.
8. Click Submit.
The requirements are sent to the workflow and the necessary tasks are generated.
As the project manager, when you use a workflow template that has review and release tasks, you
receive a task in your Inbox to select the signoff team for the workflow. If you use one of the provided
machine builder workflow templates, the required role may already be listed in the REVIEWERS section.
Procedure
2. In the REVIEWERS section, click Add next to the user role to add the required reviewer.
3. From the list of users, select the user to complete the review task and then click Add .
4. Optionally, click Add in the ADDITIONAL REVIEWERS section to add more reviewers for the
task. You can also set how many of the reviewers must complete the signoff task in the MINIMUM
PARTICIPATION section.
5. Click Complete to send the perform signoff workflow tasks to the specified reviewers.
As a reviewer of a workflow item, such as customer requirements, you may need to markup a
document, approve it, or reject it as part of the workflow process.
Procedure
• To view the document, select it from the TARGETS section and open or download it.
• If the document needs no corrections, click Approve to approve the document and sign off on it.
The engineering work for the machine project must meet the required specifications, which are either
developed internally or requested by the customer. To ensure that these requirements are met, as part
of the program, a specification review is created to track the work on the machine. These machine
specifications are also attached to the relevant program objects, such as the machine order, to ensure
traceability of the work.
• Document the performance attributes required by the customer to ensure that the customer needs
are met.
• List any additional features that contribute to the machine's performance capabilities.
Once the machine specifications are created and approved, the application engineer reviews the
specifications to determine which base machine assembly bill of materials (BOM) to clone.
As an advanced engineer, you may receive a workflow task in your Inbox to create the machine
specification. This task may reference the program information and customer requirements, which you
can use to help create the machine specifications. When creating the machine specifications, you create
them as child objects of the requirements specifications. This allows for easier tracking and HTML editing
of the specifications.
Procedure
1. Open the program deliverable that contains the customer requirement specifications for the
machine order.
Note:
If you received a task to create the specifications, this deliverable may already be linked
directly in the task.
2. In the CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS section, select the requirements specification object and then
open it.
3. Select the requirements specification object and then click Add > Child in the work area toolbar
to add a child object.
4. Enter the name for the new child object and then click Add.
5. From the Documentation tab, edit the technical specifications as necessary and then click Save
Edits when you are finished.
The technical specifications are added, and you can start the release workflow.
With the technical specifications added to the customer requirements, you can send the specifications
for review and release using a workflow template. The following instructions assume that you are using
the workflow template included with PLM for Machine Builders.
Procedure
1. Select the customer requirement specification and all additional child objects. You can Shift + click
the first and last item in the list or choose Select All from the work area toolbar.
3. Select Machine Builder Requirement Specification Release Process from the Template
dropdown list.
4. Click Submit.
The requirements are sent to the workflow, and the necessary tasks are generated.
Cloning machines
In most cases, you can clone an existing machine when creating the bill of materials (BOM) for the new
machine. This is because many machine parts are common across different models and variants of a
machine. When you clone an existing machine's BOM, you create a new BOM from the existing one
instead of making it from scratch. This saves time and ensures many of the common parts are already in
the BOM of your new machine.
When cloning the machine using this solution, you duplicate an existing machine structure and
then customize it to meet the required specifications. As you work through the components on the
duplicated BOM, you set different actions to determine what is included in the new machine structure.
The following table describes the different actions you can perform.
Action Description
Remove Removes the component so it is not included in the new structure.
Replace The component is replaced with the replacement specified in the Replace panel.
Save As Saves a copy of the component to the new structure and you own the saved
component. If the saved component is a structure, all its child components are only
referenced in the new structure and are still owned by the user who created the original
component structure. The component's Revision Name and Description can be edited
as necessary.
Save As and Saves a copy of the component to the new structure and you own the saved
Copy Children component. If the saved component is a structure, its child components are copied
to the new structure, and you own those as well. The component's Revision Name and
Description can be edited as necessary.
No action The component is only referenced in the new structure and continues to be owned by
(blank) the user who created the original component structure.
As the application engineer, you may receive a workflow task to identify the base machine for cloning.
You may also be assigned a program deliverable to add the new machine to once you have completed
the cloning process. You can refer to the machine specifications to help you identify the features that
are common to an existing machine design. You then select the base machine that matches most of the
features of the new machine and needs the least design changes to meet the machine specifications.
Procedure
1. Review the machine requirements to determine which base machine to clone. These requirements
are usually attached to a program deliverable.
2. Search for the machine in Active Workspace. You can also perform an Advanced search to search by
the Item ID or other criteria.
3. Select the base machine from the search results and open it.
4. From the Overview tab in the AVAILABLE REVISIONS section, select the base machine revision
you want to clone and open it.
With the base machine open, you can now start the process to clone the machine.
As the application engineer, you first identified the base machine to clone.
Procedure
1. With the base machine revision open, click the Content tab.
The base machine bill of materials (BOM) is displayed. You can expand the modules as necessary to
view the parts that make up the individual machine modules.
2. Select the machine to clone. In most cases, this is the top item listed in the BOM.
The Action column is displayed in the table and other columns such as Revision Name and
Description can now be edited. You can adjust these fields as necessary.
• Select modules and parts that are not needed in the new machine BOM and then click Edit
Structure > Remove from the work area toolbar to remove them.
• Select modules and parts that you want to replace in the new machine and then click Edit
Structure > Replace to open the Replace panel.
From the panel, you can select the replacement module or part from the Palette tab if you have
it copied to your clipboard. You can also click the Search tab to search for it.
Note:
You can also replace or remove BOM objects after you have saved the new machine BOM.
5. Click Save and then select the ID Naming Rule. You can choose to use the Default IDs for the
name or ID Naming Rule to enter your own naming rules.
6. Optionally, select the Run in Background checkbox if you want to run the duplication process in
the background. This option is commonly used when you are duplicating a very large BOM with
many modules and parts.
7. Click Save.
Active Workspace duplicates the BOM and clones the machine. With the machine cloned, you can
add the new machine to a program deliverable.
In Active Workspace, the default view in which the machine BOM is displayed may contain several
columns with data that is not necessary for your machine project. You can apply a column configuration
that displays only the columns relevant to most machine projects.
Procedure
1. From the Content tab of the BOM assembly, click Table Settings in the upper-right corner of the
BOM table.
2. Select Arrange.
Active Workspace applies the configuration and populates the Table Columns section with the
appropriate columns while removing the columns that are not needed.
You now see only the columns relevant for a machine builder project in your BOM.
Note:
If you want to make further modifications to the BOM view, you can follow the steps listed
above and use the Add or Remove arrows to add or remove table columns from the view. When
finished, you can click Save as a new arrangement. This allows you to enter a name for your new
arrangement. It can then be selected by clicking Column Arrangements in the Arrange panel.
With the new machine BOM created, you can add it to a program deliverable to include the new
machine design in your machine builder program.
Procedure
If you have a large number of deliverables, you can use the Filter box to filter the list by deliverable
name.
3. Click Add.
The new machine is added to the selected deliverable. You can submit the new machine to a
workflow for approval.
With the machine cloned and the new BOM created, you can send this BOM to a workflow for approval.
The following instructions assume that you are using the workflow template included with PLM for
Machine Builders.
Procedure
1. From the Content tab of the new machine BOM, click Select All from the work area toolbar. You
can also Shift + click the first and last items displayed to select all of them.
3. Select the Machine Builder Part/Design Release Process from the Template dropdown list.
4. Click Submit.
The new machine BOM is sent to the workflow and the necessary tasks are generated.
Next, the ECAD team members work on the request using their own specific workflow templates as
necessary. When the work is complete and the new component is released, it is added to the machine
BOM.
The following ECAD workflow templates are included in PLM for Machine Builders:
• Request New Machine Component: This workflow template is used to request the design of a new
machine component that meets the needs of the customer order and requirements.
• Machine Builder ECAD Design Release Process: This workflow template is used to release newly
created machine objects.
• Machine Builder Concept Design Release Process: This workflow template is used to release
module or machine concept designs. When used on a module, it is released without review. When
used on a machine, reviews are required for the release process.
• Machine Builder Part/Design Concept Design Release Process: This workflow template is used to
release concept machine objects.
• Machine Builder IA Concept Design Release Process: This workflow template is used to release a
concept installation assembly.
Procedure
1. Open the machine program and select the appropriate event to view its details.
2. From the DELIVERABLES section, click Add to and select Program Deliverable from the list.
• Click the Deliverables tab and add the ECAD part as a deliverable.
• Click the Attachments tab and add any relevant requirements and specifications for the part.
5. Select the event that contains the deliverable you just created.
The new deliverable for the machine component is displayed in the DELIVERABLES section.
6. Select the new deliverable then click Manage > Assign Resource.
7. Select the ECAD Engineer from the list and then click Assign.
The deliverable for the new component is assigned to the ECAD Engineer.
Procedure
3. For the Template, select Request New Machine Component from the list.
4. In the REFERENCES section, click Add to attach an object, such as a document, requirements, or
an existing part, to the workflow.
Note:
You do not specify anything in the TARGETS section of the workflow. Any additional objects
should be added to the REFERENCES section.
• From the Palette tab, select any reference objects from your CLIPBOARD, FAVORITES, or
RECENT objects.
• Click the Search tab to search for the reference object to add to the workflow.
7. Click Create to create the request for the new machine component.
The workflow is created and the request for the new component is sent to the Component Library
Manager. This user creates the new part in the ECAD authoring tool that meets the requirements
specified in this workflow.
Procedure
2. Click the Team tab to view all the tasks assigned to your team.
Your team consists of all users defined as a Component Library Manager. The perform sign-offs
workflow task generated from the workflow request submitted by the ECAD Engineer is accessible
to every Component Library Manager user.
3. To start work on the new component, select the perform-signoffs task and open it.
When you click Approve, the next task in the workflow is assigned to you and the other
Component Library Manager users no longer see the signoff task.
7. In the TARGETS section, click Add to and add the new part as a target.
With the new part added, you can now open it in your ECAD authoring tool, work on the electrical
design, and save the design to add the ECAD dataset to the part.
Note:
As you create the new parts in your authoring tool, you can submit the designs to a workflow
to get approvals from other team members. The About new component requests and
ECAD workflows topic has more information on ECAD-specific workflows.
8. With the ECAD work complete, you can now add Comments to the Create Component task and
then click Complete to release the new part for use.
The ECAD Engineer receives a message in their Inbox that the request is complete and that the part is
now available for use.
Procedure
1. From the BOM assembly for your design that contains the newly created components, select the
top element in the structure.
3. For the Template, select Machine Builder ECAD Design Release Process from the list.
4. Click Submit.
The design is submitted to the workflow and the tasks related to the review and release of the
design are generated and sent to the ECAD Manager.
Procedure
• To review the design, select it from the TARGETS section and open it.
• If the design needs no corrections, click Approve to approve the design for release.
• If the design needs corrections, click Reject to reject the design and send it back to the ECAD
Engineer for additional work.
• Not Started. The program, project, subproject, or event has been created, but no work has started on
it yet and it is not in progress.
• In Progress. The program, project, subproject, or event is in progress and is actively being worked on
by the team.
• Complete. The program, project, subproject, or event is complete and is no longer being worked on,
but it has yet to be released to the customer.
• Closed. All work on the program, project, subproject, or event is complete, and the overall project is
released to the customer.
Procedure
1. Search for the desired program using the search box or click the Programs by State tile on your
dashboard.
Procedure
1. Open the program that contains the event that needs editing and then select the event.
Procedure
1. Search for the desired program using the search box or click the Programs by State tile on your
dashboard.
4. Select the appropriate tab that contains the object you want to manage.
The Overview tab contains the event deliverables. The Impacts tab contains the risks, issues, and
opportunities objects.
a. Select the deliverable from the DELIVERABLES section of the Overview tab.
b. In the upper right corner of the table, click Resource Assignment . The Assign Resource
panel opens.
c. Select the user from the list and then click Assign to assign them as a resource for the
deliverable.
Tip:
If you have a large number of users, you can filter the list by Group, Role, and Project. If
you know the exact user or resource pool you are looking for, you can type the name in
the Filter box.
If you are assigning a resource to an impact, such as a risk, issue, or opportunity, do the following:
b. Select the object from the RISKS, ISSUES, or OPPORTUNITIES section that needs a resource
and then open it.
c. From the primary toolbar, click Manage > Assign Resource. The Assign Resource panel
opens.
d. Select the user from the list and then click Assign to assign them as a resource for the risk,
issue, or opportunity.
Note:
If you have a large number of users, you can filter the list by Group, Role, and Project.
If you know the exact user or resource pool you are looking for, you can type the name
into the Filter box.
6. When you are finished managing the object, click Previous Location to return to the event
properties or program.
Tip:
To remove a user as a resource, follow the same steps as above but click Remove User to
remove the assigned user from the selected object.
• There are existing machinery part libraries that are available for reuse.
• The initial bill of materials (BOM) for the new machine design is generated from the platform BOM.
Example
In this example, a machinery company starts a new project for a SMIC 6-axis milling machine design. As
an engineer in the mechanical engineering team, you begin designing the mechanical assembly for the
machine order. You review the existing 5-axis milling machine design and determine that you can reuse
this design and modify it to add a new 6th-axis movement to the design.
After validating the initial design concept, you begin to design the new component by searching for or
reusing existing parts from the library or creating new CAD designs in NX for the parts.
For the machine design process, the engineer works in NX and uses the Active Workspace integration to
view requirements and perform other actions. For the PLM for Machine Builders solution, the engineer
does the following in NX:
• Searches for the existing parts and uses NX integration to open the parts.
For more information the integration between Active Workspace and NX, you can view the Teamcenter
Integration for NX documentation on Support Center.
Procedure
1. Select the machine design that contains the drawing dataset that is ready for approval and release.
3. Select the Machine Builder Drawing Release Process from the Template dropdown list.
4. Click Submit.
The drawing is sent to the workflow and the necessary tasks are generated, including the select
signoff team task, which is sent to your Inbox.
Simple change is a simplified version of the process for creating and performing change revisions. It is
designed for situations that do not require the detailed features of a change notice or detailed workflows
and is therefore incorporated in the PLM for Machine Builders solution.
Example:
Simple change is intended for minor changes where a single person or small team is responsible.
An engineer is tasked with a minor change to a part. Instead of managing the change using a
standard, elaborate change notice, the team uses simple change to streamline the process.
• Overview. This tab displays all the information for the simple change, including the workflow it is
assigned to, the tasks involved, the impacted items, details of the change, the change summary,
and the change participants. The state of the change (Elaborating, Contributing, Approving, or
Released) is also displayed.
• Workflow. This tab displays detailed information on the workflow process, including the current and
completed tasks. A graphical representation of the workflow that shows the upcoming tasks is also
displayed.
• The degree of completion of the overall change process, that is, its Maturity.
The change states interconnect with each other and are dependent on the other change states. For
example, Maturity is a substate of the Closure state. The states of a change are set during the workflow
process.
Tip:
You can view the states of a change in the Overview tab.
Procedure
1. Select an object and click New > Create Change. Select Simple Change from the list.
The change is created and automatically submitted to the simple change workflow.
3. (Optional) Set a simple change as an active change context. Select Active Change from the
global navigation and select the simple change from the list.
Note:
Set the simple change as an Active Change to ensure that all revisions and changes are
captured as solutions in the Change Summary. For more information, refer to Set a change
notice or a Simple Change as an Active Change.
Procedure
1. From the Overview tab of the simple change, navigate to the PARTICIPANTS section.
2. Select the participant type. You can choose from the following:
• Requestor
• Contributor
• Approver
3. Once the participant type is selected, you can choose from the following actions:
• Add. Opens the Add panel so you can add other users as participants.
• Replace. Opens the Replace panel so you can choose a user to replace the selected participant.
All users listed as a participants receive a workflow task in their Inbox to complete. Once all the tasks are
completed and the change approved, it is released and the impacted items are revised.
Note:
You can change the provided workflow templates to meet the needs of your organization.
The workflow templates are preconfigured with common release processes for the deliverable types
listed. The following list details the workflow templates included with PLM for Machine Builders.
• Machine Builder Part/Design Release Process: This workflow template is used to release machine
objects.
• Machine Builder Drawing Release Process: This workflow template is used to release a machine
object that contains a CAD drawing.
• Machine Builder IA Release Process: This workflow template is used to release an installation
assembly.
• Machine Builder Release Process: This workflow template is used to release module or machine
revisions. When used on a module, it is released without review. When used on a machine, reviews
are required for the release process.
• Machine Builder Requirement Specification Release Process: This workflow template is used
to release a requirement specification document, such as machine specifications or customer
requirements.
In most cases, the workflow templates contain the following tasks that must be completed by the
assigned users to release the deliverable object:
• Review tasks: There are two review tasks for the included workflow templates. These tasks are to
select a signoff team by assigning the reviewers responsible for the review. These reviewers then
perform the task of reviewing the attached target objects to determine if they are approved for
release.
• Rework: If one of the reviewers determines that the target object is not ready for release and rejects
the review task, the object is sent back to the user who initiated the workflow so that the comments
from the review can be addressed.
When a session is created, the revision rule, date, variant rules, and other properties of the existing BOM
components are saved. This creates a snapshot of the current BOM configuration.
Create a session
You can create a session to save the modified bill of materials (BOM) for a cloned machine when it is
ready for the release process. Once created, the session can then be added to the machine.
Procedure
1. Open the structure for the machine BOM that is ready to be released.
4. (Optional) To specify the level of access to the BOM for other users, do the following:
• Select the Allow others to view check box to grant read access to other users. Clear the check
box to deny read access.
• Select the Allow others to edit check box to grant write access to other users. Clear the check
box to deny write access.
Note:
The Allow others to edit check box is displayed only when the Allow others to view
check box is selected.
Procedure
1. With the new session open, from the primary toolbar, click Add to Machine.
2. From the list of machines, select the machine that you want to add to the session.
3. Click Add.
The session is added to the machine. You can view the session from the Saved Sessions tab of the
machine and open it to view the saved machine structure.
Procedure
1. Open the machine and navigate to the Saved Sessions tab to view the session for the machine.
2. Expand the structure to select the design revision you want to submit to the workflow.
4. From the Template list, select Machine Builder Part/Design Release Process.
6. Select the user you want to assign to review the machine object.
7. Click Submit.
The machine object is submitted to the workflow, and the workflow tasks are created and sent to
the appropriate user's Inbox.
8. From your Inbox, open the task to select the signoff team.
9. Add the appropriate reviewers to the task and then click Complete.
Once all the reviewers complete their tasks, the part or design is released.
Procedure
1. Open the machine and navigate to the Saved Sessions tab to view the session for the machine.
2. Expand the structure to select the installation assembly you want to submit to the workflow.
6. Select the user you want to assign as a reviewer for the installation assembly.
7. Click Submit.
The installation assembly is submitted to the workflow, and the workflow tasks are created and
sent to the appropriate user's Inbox.
8. From your Inbox, open the task to select the signoff team.
9. Add the appropriate reviewers to the task and then click Complete.
Once all the reviewers complete their tasks, the installation assembly is released.
Procedure
1. Open the machine and navigate to the Saved Sessions tab to view the session for the machine.
2. Expand the structure to select the module revision you want to submit to the workflow.
6. Select the user you want to assign to review the machine module.
7. Click Submit.
The module is submitted to the workflow, and the workflow tasks are created and sent to the
appropriate user's Inbox.
8. From your Inbox, open the task to select the signoff team.
9. Add the appropriate reviewers to the task and then click Complete.
Once all the reviewers complete their tasks, the module is released.
Procedure
1. From the milling machine program, select the Review and Release Order event and open it.
2. Select the deliverable instance for the machine and open it.
3. Click the Saved Sessions tab to view the session for the machine.
4. Review the structure and verify that everything is correct and that all the necessary machine
components are approved and released.
8. Click Submit.
The machine is released, and the Release Status changes to Design Released. When you view the
saved session for the machine, the session is also released, and the machine builder clone revision rule is
applied to the entire machine structure.