Changing part number with PDM

[christian chu]

We have a vendor and they change part number each time there is a change on that part
Using SW PDM, we tried to keep the part number unique and change the rev. only
Anyone here change part number in PDM each time part changed?
Thanks

[berg_lauritz]

Yes, we started doing this way more often now.

We only do revisions if the part is interchangeable (no influence on current design!) or if there is something missing that we manually added in a fixing process (i.e. a hole was not big enough, we drilled it out; a hole was missed, we cut it in).

Any structural change, bolt pattern change, purchased part change etc. will get a new part number & a new assembly number.

[christian chu]

for new part number: you renamed the existing part number or added new part number to the Vault?

[jcapriotti]

Same as @berg_lauritz here, if the change alters "form, fit, function" it gets a new part number. In that case, the old part gets replaced in all assemblies and become either Inactive or Obsolete.

[bnemec]

We have our process to decide if we revise or take out new number looks a lot like this:

[Frederick_Law]

How much changed in the vendor model?
If it doesn't affect anything in your assembly, just change the name in vault.
Vault will update reference of all files using that part.

If it affect assembly, it's a huge can of worm.
I have new vendor part replaced old one. Mounting holes are different.
So I make new part and need to find and modify every parts that the new vendor part will mount to.

Some vendor parts we don't have model. Just a part file with part number and description. They can be rename.

[jcapriotti]

We have our process to decide if we revise of take out new number looks a lot like this:
image.png

Looks a bit like our ECO process......of course, many of these boxes blow out into sub processes.

[christian chu]

Can you explain the chart you attached here
Thx

[christian chu]

Same as @berg_lauritz here, if the change alters "form, fit, function" it gets a new part number. In that case, the old part gets replaced in all assemblies and become either Inactive or Obsolete.

I understand that in "Form,fit,fuction", the part number must be changed - The question is how to adapt this process into the PDM? Foe each life cycle, the revision (letter or number), not part number, is bumped up to the next one

[bnemec]

I understand that in "Form,fit,fuction", the part number must be changed - The question is how to adapt this process into the PDM? Foe each life cycle, the revision (letter or number), not part number, is bumped up to the next one

I assume Part Number is a data card variable. So long as it's not set to be a version free variable you should be able to apply a the new part number while the file is checked out. Also assuming the file name does not contain part number.

But the PDM file (Document) would get revisions, but the part it represents would not and then the rev in title block would be wrong. But the customers parts do not have a revision? If they do it would always be 0 or A? So no rev on drawing?

Also, where does the new part number come from? Does the customer provide it?

[christian chu]

I assume Part Number is a data card variable. So long as it's not set to be a version free variable you should be able to apply a the new part number while the file is checked out. Also assuming the file name does not contain part number.

But the PDM file (Document) would get revisions, but the part it represents would not and then the rev in title block would be wrong. But the customers parts do not have a revision? If they do it would always be 0 or A? So no rev on drawing?

Also, where does the new part number come from? Does the customer provide it?

using part number as a data card variable (map to file's CusProp) is the way I thought off. So I can keep file number unique.
However, they want to change file number (considered as part number) and it's an issue I have to deal with

[bnemec]

using part number as a data card variable (map to file's CusProp) is the way I thought off. So I can keep file number unique.
However, they want to change file number (considered as part number) and it's an issue I have to deal with

So PDM does this fairly well too, depending on what the file's where used tree looks like (none of the where used can be checked out). In PDM the file (Document) gets a unique ID in the database and the file name is just another variable, kinda. Move Tree is the tool to use to rename the file and what I like about it is it warns if any parent files are checked out and a change in file name or file path in the vault shows up in the file history as well. Renaming the file in PDM is just another row in the history view. Downside is the process can be tedious and the users must pay close attention to what they are doing. Some are quick to say that dispatch could automate name changing for you, but it can introduce other gotcha's. We used it a bunch during migration phase, but I pretty much avoid it for ongoing operations.

Just a thought on the process, you could do the rename first (with move tree, never windows explorer rename) then use a transition action to set the part number data card variable to the filename without extension. Then users wouldn't need to apply the new part number in multiple places.

[jcapriotti]

IMO, I would copy and create a new file if the part number changes. Otherwise the old number kind of gets lost in history and is harder to figure out what happened to it. This allows the old file to gracefully get obsoleted. Yes it creates more work updating assemblies but its a cleaner break.

@christian chu I forgot to ask, are you naming the file the vendor part number or assigning it an internal company specific number?

[bnemec]

IMO, I would copy and create a new file if the part number changes. Otherwise the old number kind of gets lost in history and is harder to figure out what happened to it. This allows the old file to gracefully get obsoleted. Yes it creates more work updating assemblies but its a cleaner break.

@christian chu I forgot to ask, are you naming the file the vendor part number or assigning it an internal company specific number?

Maybe I misunderstood Christian. The Vendor of a part changes the part number instead of revising the part, I presume they're documentation of the part has no concept of revision. Also assuming the old number is obsoleted or archived in some manner and never made again? Do you revise your own model or do you import a vendor supplied model each time?

I'm curious, when you said "they" want to change the file name, who is "they"? I'm assuming not the vendor. So other internal departments? Can your company assign their own part number then have part number interchange from vendor pn to internal pn? We have our own part number system, the mapping of vendor (and customer) part number to our number is all done in the ERP system by purchasing and sales departments. I can understand that there's 1001 different ways of going about this.

[christian chu]

1. The Vendor of a part changes the part number instead of revising the part, I presume they're documentation of the part has no concept of revision
Yes, the vendor changes the part # when there is a change on part. Revision is only changed if there is an update on 2D dwg.
What we've been doing is keeping the 3d model and 2D dwg same revision and it's how we keep track the part history
2. who is "they": our Supply Chain
Sorry, I'm not clear on this. Our Supply Chain who don't know any thing about SW PDM want us to do the same as Vendor does
Here is the problem: say a part XXXX-000 (3D) Rev. A (2D) needs to change to XXXX-001 Rev. A then to XXXX-002 Rev. A (nothing change in 2D)
if I rename in PDM, what I get is XXXX-002 Rev. A (the previous 2 are gone in Vault) with no revision history
if I create a new part # then I get 3 parts and 3dwg in Vault

[jcapriotti]

@christian chu Are you naming and numbering your model and drawing files with the vendor number?

In my experience, vendors renumbering their files is common. Sometimes it happens when they get bought out and the new owner renumbers them, sometimes they just get a new system numbering scheme. Often there is no actual change to the part. In those cases, at most I would have the vendor's part number as a version free variable on the model PDM data card for search as needed. Even better is to manage vendor part information in a separate system....maybe an ERP/MRP, and then link it to PDM to import the number if it changes.

[bnemec]

@christian chu Are you naming and numbering your model and drawing files with the vendor number?

In my experience, vendors renumbering their files is common. Sometimes it happens when they get bought out and the new owner renumbers them, sometimes they just get a new system numbering scheme. Often there is no actual change to the part. In those cases, at most I would have the vendor's part number as a version free variable on the model PDM data card for search as needed. Even better is to manage vendor part information in a separate system....maybe an ERP/MRP, and then link it to PDM to import the number if it changes.

This ^.

Letting your supply chain dictate your CAD file naming sounds like a disaster to me. They only see a sliver of the implications of file names. My concern is that the vendor has a system and all the reasons to name things and track objects how they do. Then your supply chain has another system and tracks objects in a way that best suite them. I'm assuming the requirements of their object tracking and data management do not completely overlap with what you need in CAD land. Trying to achieve and maintain a 1:1 perfect link between their systems (due to requirements they deal with) and your CAD/PDM may prove to add a lot more cost than value.
Like Jason and others mentioned, if the customer and your supply chain wants to change part number when a revision works best for you in PDM then just use a variable for the vendor part number and revise the file in PDM. I struggle to see why non-CAD users would have any say in your CAD file naming convention. Now if they are talking about the file name of pdfs or step files to send out, there are plenty of tools to automate saving those files with a file name from data card variable(s).

[berg_lauritz]

@christian chu Are you naming and numbering your model and drawing files with the vendor number?

In my experience, vendors renumbering their files is common. Sometimes it happens when they get bought out and the new owner renumbers them, sometimes they just get a new system numbering scheme. Often there is no actual change to the part. In those cases, at most I would have the vendor's part number as a version free variable on the model PDM data card for search as needed. Even better is to manage vendor part information in a separate system....maybe an ERP/MRP, and then link it to PDM to import the number if it changes.

Agreed.
There is no way I let their numbers dictate ours. We stumbled upon this in our old company:

The same company used the same name (123-456789) for different parts (one was a washer, the other one a rod) in different purchased assemblies! We requested both of those and put them together without renaming for validation purposes and everything was screwed up! After renaming with a prefix/suffix all our problems were solved.
If you want to keep those import files as a reference - I would suggest you to do something similar. A date as a suffix/prefix is already very helpful for future comparisons.