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Use Cases for Shape-based Search & Anayltics

Engineering -- Supply Chain -- Manufacturing -- Service Parts -- IT

Form Follows Function

A part’s shape is not only synonymous with its function … but is also highly correlated with it’s price, manufacturing process and performance.

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This means that the ability to capture and compare a part’s shape allows that information to be used in a wide variety of meaningful ways such as search for reusable designs, or analytics to discover unwarranted price variances.     

EngineeringUseCases

Part Reuse

Reusing an existing part can save from $5,000 to $50,000 ... but reuse opportunities are often missed because too often it is easier to start the process from scratch rather than search the existing design database.   

EngineeringPartReuse

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Solenoid

In a text-based search it is typical that only a few  designs are found due to attribute errors or language. But with shape-search, any item found can be used as search target for a shape based search.  

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Shape Search

Since every design has shape, no design can hide from a CADseek search, ending the reliance on attributes for part search and classification.  As a result, CADseek search results are both comprehensive and clutter-free.    

EngineeringTaskEfficiency

Task Efficiency from Knowledge Reuse

Many mundane tasks are started from scratch, which wastes time and often creates less desirable results than what can be gained from accessing the effort, experience and knowledge that is embedded in existing designs. 

Cost Estimation

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New Design

Shape Search

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The first match (item #2) is 99.8% similar to the new design, and has the same material, tolerance and same surface finish, making it's cost of $135.94 a very accurate basis for a cost estimation for the new design.  

Design Reuse

When part reuse is not possible, starting the design process using the design file of an existing similar part saves a tremendous amount of design time, and allows designers to benefit from organizational experience and knowledge.  

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Shape Search

Quick sketch of desired design

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Existing design found using shape-search

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Design modified in a fraction of the time compared to completing a new design from scratch

Other Task Efficiency
Use Cases

There are numerous other use cases in engineering and manufacturing, where accessing data or plans can provide significant task efficiency.  

  • Testing plan reuse

  • Manufacturing plan reuse

  • Tool-path programming reuse

  • Warranty performance

  • Part performance metrics

EngineeringUseCaseAnalytics

Analytics

CADseek Analytics is an analysis and reporting application which analyzes an entire CAD database.  Shape is used to either find duplication ... or to analyze metrics that are correlated with shape, such as price, manufacturing process, supplier, and much more.    

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One-by-one, each design that meets filter criteria is compared to all other items in the database that meet the same or different filter criteria.  

Features

  • User-defined similarity level, e.g., Report all designs with greater than 77% shape similarity.  

  • Unlimited filters for attribute values such as material, supplier, division, etc.  

  • Reporting by dataset rather than entire database, e.g., Report all designs in 'Supplier' dataset ... 

  • Comparison of datasets;  e.g., Report all designs in 'Division A' dataset made of material SS103 to all designs in 'Division B' dataset made of SS103.  

  • ​Ability to set different search criteria for search target versus matches; e.g.:  Report all designs made by Supplier 1 and a cost of greater than $50.00 to all designs with 95% or greater similarity for Supplier 2 with a cost of greater than $50.00.  

Use Cases

  • Consolidation:  Identification of duplicate and near duplicate designs for evaluation of consolidation

  • Standardization Studies

  • Variance Discovery:  the discovery of highly similar designs with unwarranted variance in cost or performance

  • Attribute error corrections:  e.g.:  For all items with a description field that contains the term "rotor" with all matches having 70% or greater similarity where the description field does not contain the term "rotor."  

  • Data migration

  • Mergers and Acquisitions:  find duplication and functional duplication in acquired parts databases. 

SupplyChainUseCases

Supply Chain Use Cases

Part Reuse

Reusing existing purchased parts reduces the time and effort expended on RFP processes.     

SupplyChainPartReuse

Enter Search Text below

Solenoid

Only a few designs are found due to attribute errors or language.

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Shape Search

Using shape-search allows dozens of useful existing designs to be found  because shape-search ends the reliance on attributes, which are notoriously unreliable, makings searches comprehensive.  

Task Efficiency from Knowledge Reuse

Many supply chain tasks can be made more efficient by being able to access the data of similar designs.  

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Shape Search

New Design

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Supplier Selection

It is logical that when a business is already purchasing a part that is 94.8% similar to a new design, that the supplier of that similar part is logically a well qualified potential supplier for the new part ... as is any other supplier already making a similar part.  Their ability to make a similar part means they can handle the material, tolerance and finish (which can all be used as filters during the shape search).

Identifying these similar parts also allows purchasing agents to quickly get access to on-time delivery and other supplier performance metrics.  

Price Validation

Knowing the price that is being paid for a highly similar design provides purchasing agents with a negotiating advantage.  

Substitution

In time-critical supply situations a customer may be willing to accept a part with a different surface finish, or one that is so similar that with a small modification can be become a substitute for the desired service part.  Shape-search can easily find these highly similar designs. 

Identification

The iDentify application can be used to identify orphaned parts in manufacturing, distribution or for service parts.

The Polaris application can import 3D laser scan data to identify service parts or to cross-match parts with the potential for substitution.   

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Supply Chain Analytics

CADseek Analytics is an analysis and reporting application which analyzes an entire CAD database.  Shape is used to either find duplication ... or to analyze metrics that are correlated with shape, such as price, manufacturing process, supplier, and much more.    

Analytics - 5 page view.png

One-by-one, each design that meets filter criteria is compared to all other items in the database that meet the same or different filter criteria.  

Features

  • User-defined similarity level, e.g., Report all designs with greater than 77% shape similarity.  

  • Unlimited filters for attribute values such as material, supplier, division, etc.  

  • Reporting by dataset rather than entire database, e.g., Report all designs in 'Supplier' dataset ... 

  • Comparison of datasets;  e.g., Report all designs in 'Division A' dataset made of material SS103 to all designs in 'Division B' dataset made of SS103.  

  • ​Ability to set different search criteria for search target versus matches; e.g.:  Report all designs made by Supplier 1 and a cost of greater than $50.00 to all designs with 95% or greater similarity for Supplier 2 with a cost of greater than $50.00.  

Use Cases

  • Consolidation:  Identification of duplicate and near duplicate designs for evaluation of consolidation

  • Standardization Studies

  • Variance Discovery:  (see graphic below) the discovery of highly similar designs with unwarranted variance in cost or performance

  • Attribute error corrections:  e.g.:  For all items with a description field that contains the term "rotor" with all matches having 70% or greater similarity where the description field does not contain the term "rotor."  

  • Data migration

  • Mergers and Acquisitions:  find duplication and functional duplication in acquired parts databases. 

A key use case for Supply Chain is the discovery of unwarranted price or performance variances.   Analytics reports identify situations where there is high shape similarity, but lower than expected price similarity.  Filters can be used to control for material type, surface finish, tolerance or other factors of interest.  

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Other Use Cases by Domain

Use Cases Across the Enterprise

Design

Supply Chain

Engineering & Engineering IT

Sales

Manufacturing & Distribution

Customer & Field Services

  • Model reuse

  • Part reuse

  • Knowledge reuse

  • Should-cost estimation

  • Part reuse

  • Price validation

  • RFQ selection

  • Substitution

  • Cost or performance variance discovery

  • Consolidation

  • Standardization

  • Task assignment

  • Monitoring part reuse

  • Data migration

  • Data clean-up

  • Merger analysis

  • Estimations or Quotations

  • Fully automated quotations

  • Match scan of generic part to OEM catalog

  • Tool path reuse

  • Fixture design reuse

  • Identification of orphaned inventory

  • Substitution

  • File retrieval for 3D printing

  • Identification

  • Substitution

  • File retrieval for 3D printing

  • Match scan of generic part to OEM catalog

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