SolidWorks Inspection

SolidWorks Inspection is the quality management automation module.

SolidWorks Inspection is focused on specialists of Quality Department in the field of design. It gives the chance to plan control procedure of the made samples and to prepare the document for control – check cards of different types and the annotated submission of the design^[1] approved with them^[1].

SMK (quality management system) forms a complex of the actions which are reflected in elements of an organization structure of the enterprise, the applied processes of quality control of products (step-by-step and final), techniques of collection of information about product quality. Among the principles of SMK there are, in particular, requirements of the strict organization of all processes connected with formation and functioning of SMK, and acceptance of management decisions only on the basis of the registered facts that means documentation as the parameters of products which are subject to control, and registration of the found deviations.

These requirements generate need of creation of a number of documents which need to be had in electronic form, and in the format convenient for statistical analysis by search of bottlenecks of a production cycle. At the same time, for the accurate organization of the movement of such documents, it is desirable to include them in processes of electronic approval of documentation and to tie links to elements of structure of a product. SolidWorks Inspection, according to the statement of developers, in is greatest possible degrees is ready to automation of these processes.

The module SolidWorks Inspection is intended for solving of tasks regarding formation of control documentation on the basis of design drawings, documentation and the analysis of results of control of the released parts and assembly units.

So, at the beginning we have the drawing (by the way, in January of this year we told about an alternative – use of beschertezhny technologies of design and preparation of production by forces of the module SolidWorks MBD, but real work of the enterprises is still based after all on drawings.) The first that SolidWorks Inspection gives to specialists of Quality Department - it is an opportunity to plan control procedure of the made samples and to prepare the document for control – check cards of different types and the annotated submission of the design document approved with them.

Work begins with a task of the installation data and the choice of parameters of a part or assembly (further for simplicity will mention only a part) which are subject to control. Installation data are passport data of a part (as always in SolidWorks are set by links to properties of documents), parameters of an execution of the created summaries, parameters of controlled selection for needs of statistical analysis of results of measurements and other. Certainly, the most part of necessary settings is stored in module templates, and these each enterprise will adjust templates to itself.

Let's specify to a system what sort given it it will be necessary to select automatically in the field of the drawing. It can be the sizes, designations of roughness and the admissions of a form, text notes and so on. For the majority of object types it is possible to specify the complementary filters of the choice connected with some properties of these notes.

Creation of the project of control – setup of filters of the choice, 2014

At last, it is possible to configure admissions by default for those sizes for which you did not deliver them in the field of the drawing and did not stipulate in technical requirements. There are several options of this setup – on face value accuracy, on face value range, on settings of the SolidWorks model.

SolidWorks Inspection will automatically find on all sheets of the drawing all sizes and technology designations according to the made settings. For each element its parameters – type and the admission of the size, value of roughness, type and value of admission of a form and so on will be recognized. All results will be tabulated, all recognizable elements will be numbered on the drawing. Numbers are placed on a separate layer of the drawing and are not printed. The list can be adjusted: to add something or to delete, change the sequence of numbering, to appropriate to each size (roughnesses, to welding designation – further besides for simplicity and brevity we will mention only sizes) additional attributes. It can be the measuring instruments appointed for accomplishment of control, a processing method when receiving the corresponding element of geometry, relative importance of the size, it is possible to change some parameters set by default for all project. Certainly, lists of available transactions and measuring instruments are also adjusted under realities of the specific enterprise.

Preprocessing of the drawing – the sizes and TT which are subject to check, 2014 are selected

The next step – creation of the check card. SolidWorks Inspection uses the mechanism of templates. In templates forms of such maps and the rule of their formatting and filling remain actually, and it is possible to store several forms in one template at once, and they will be filled at the same time. In delivery of SolidWorks Inspection there is a set of the templates conforming to the standards adopted in the different countries (Russia did not create the standards for such documents so far, but there is an ordinary and effective editor of templates). Check cards form in the MS Excel format that allowed to add the macroes simplifying further work on decision making based on measurement of a real part to all templates. All results of measurements will be entered into the same document, and Excel will automatically color with them in clear colors of the traffic light: green – the result keeps within admissions, red – check is not undergone. Thus, each controlled copy of a part will receive "quality certificate". Functions of statistical analysis of data will allow to receive reports on problem places in a technology chain.

The check card with results of measurements of a part, 2014

SolidWorks Inspection can save the drawing with the added numbering of subjects to dimensional check in the PDF format. It will allow to issue to specialists of engineering control a coherent set of documents. And what to do to those who does not want to give the rights to editing the drawing even for only adding in it of links to the sizes? The fact of adding in the file of the drawing of these numbers – even if placed on a separate layer – all the same changes the electronic document from the legal point of view. The answer is simple: use SolidWorks Inspection not in adding option in the SolidWorks environment, and in the form of the separate module. In such SolidWorks Inspection option works with drawings in the TIFF and PDF formats. And it is obvious, it can palm off also the drawing made not only in SolidWorks but also received from other system, and even drawn with hands.

The choice of the subject to dimensional check and other technology notes can be performed in two ways: obvious compact manual entry or using the built-in function of optical recognition of texts. In the second SolidWorks Inspection option will recognize not only, say, rated value of the size, but also its admissions, type (linear, angular, diametrical …), the number of applications and so on. All other settings are additional properties of the size or all project, work with templates – are limited to nothing in comparison with the option which is built in SolidWorks. Also check cards in the Excel format, and the annotated submission of the drawing in the form of the PDF file are created.

The drawing in the PDF format: the sizes, roughnesses, a TT are recognized, 2014

The SolidWorks Inspection Professional option offers during the work in a separate window additional service of interface to the equipment. For input of results of measurements – they can be entered directly in this window, and not just in created by Excel map – it is possible to use the digital USB calipers and results of control measurements received from the coordinate measurement machines (CMM). In the first option the caliper is connected directly to the computer, and results of its measurements get directly to the selected cell of the control table. In the second case it is possible to read several files with protocols of measurements at once – if you check several copies of a part or assembly at once. SolidWorks Inspection is capable to compare results of work the testing and assessment material and project data of check automatically or will give you the chance to sort things out manually (that can be required in the presence of conflict situations with coinciding sizes). The color scheme ("traffic light" of the sizes which underwent and not undergone testing) it will be displayed not only in the table, but also in the field of the drawing that will simplify understanding of a situation. By the way, if these additional conveniences of the professional version seem necessary and for work with the drawing which is initially prepared in the SolidWorks window then and it is not a problem. The integrated SolidWorks Inspection option automatically will create the file of the project for option independent.

Reading of results of the measurements executed on the testing and assessment material, 2014

SolidWorks Inspection is a tool for the specific documentation used at quality control of products. It is created on the basis of drawings of SolidWorks (and not only SolidWorks). Control and design documents will be approved with each other. Use of this tool under control of SWE-PDM will allow to receive the managed and documented business process of quality control of the made products that is necessary not only for normal functioning of the serious quality system of the enterprise, but also it is required for carrying out its certification.

Creation of control documentation by forces of SolidWorks Inspection happens many times quicker and with higher quality, than at handwork.

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