Object documentationProduct Structure

 

Consists of a set of hierarchically ordered objects with the purpose of documenting one product or a set of similar products (this is similar to an engineering BOM, but has enhanced capabilities). It uses abstract representations of products and components (product families, product views, product items, and assembly groups); and specific representations of products and components (product variants, product item variants, assembly headers, and assembly items).

 

You use product structures to support product development, especially for products with many variants and a large number of components. You can set up and manage a product structure without having to maintain material masters at an early phase of the development process. You can map configurable products with the product structure, and nonconfigurable products with the product assembly in the product structure. Product structures allow a multilevel hierarchy and the multiple usage of product assemblies to support reuse and modular product design.

Product structures provide the following benefits:

  • A redundancy-free description of products or product families with many variants

  • An integrated data model for efficient product structure management

  • Variant configuration and variant management capabilities

  • The option of working with both configurable and configured materials

  • Continuous modeling right from an early stage to the manufacturing handover

  • Modeling of functional structures (with no requirement for any material number reference)

  • Template structures for the creation of product structures and the standardization of product descriptions

  • A consistent data basis for different views of the product and for all enterprise areas

Structure

A product structure consists of a set of hierarchically ordered objects with the purpose of documenting one product or a set of similar products. There are several types of objects, which are used to describe the product in a product structure:

  • Product family

    This node represents the top level of the product structure and defines the product that you are developing. It has a variant class (class type 300) assigned to it.

    Example Example

    All-Terrain Mountain Bike and the Racing Bike are the product families or the top-level elements that can be structured hierarchically in their respective product structures.

    End of the example.

  • Product variant

    This variant defines the specific representation of a configurable or configured product in a product structure.

    Example Example

    In a configured product, Model BL All-Terrain X250 and Model BL All-Terrain X350 are two variants of the product family All-Terrain Mountain Bike; and in a configurable product, Model BL All-Terrain X* Series is a variant of the product family All-Terrain Mountain Bike.

    End of the example.

  • Product item

    This node defines the abstract representation of components that are used to build up a product. It has a variant class (class type 300).

    Example Example

    Wheels and frame are product items that build up the All-Terrain Mountain Bike.

    End of the example.

  • Product item variant

    This variant defines the specific representation of components and is always associated with a product item.

    Example Example

    Aluminum and steel are two variants of the frame (product item).

    End of the example.

  • Product view

    This is the functional and logical grouping of the product structure. There are no product item variants assigned to these nodes.

    Example Example

    In the product structure for a bike, you can have a product view for the dress-up components, and another product view that groups the frame components of the bike.

    End of the example.

  • Assembly group

    This node defines a product assembly with one or more assembly headers, and assembly items. It does not have a variant class assigned to it.

    Example Example

    Wheel is an assembly group that has one or more assembly headers and assembly items.

    End of the example.

  • Assembly header

    This object defines a specific product assembly with one or more assembly items and is always associated with an assembly group.

    Example Example

    In the wheel (assembly group), the aluminum wheel (complete) and the steel wheel (complete) are two assembly headers.

    End of the example.

  • Assembly item

    This object defines the content of an assembly and is always associated with an assembly header.

    Example Example

    In the aluminum wheel (complete) (assembly header), the aluminum wheel tube and the aluminum wheel valve are two assembly items.

    End of the example.

In addition to this, a product structure contains documents and materials to completely describe a product.

More Information

Modeling of Product Structures