Revising a WT-part without revising related CAD objects

Question

My colleagues want to revise some WT-parts and make changes in the BOM. The WT-parts have related CAD-objects, but these will not be affected as the BOM change is not showing in the CAD models and the drawings. The BOM update is to change from one grease to another. The job will take many hours if CAD objects needs to be revised and customers needs to approve a drawing that have not visually been changed. So my colleagues want to revise the WT-part, but want to exclude the CAD objects from revise and Change Notice. The result will be that the revision for the WT-parts will differ from the CAD objects.
Me, as an administrator say that's not good to do, as it will create problems in the future, but have no more argument to explain why we shouldn't go this way.
How do other companies do? Can anyone help me explain which situation we will end up in, if I allow this.

avillanueva · Accepted Answer

Great question. Fundamentally, think of the physical item you are building. What is its revision? Does it derive from the WTPart? From the CAD model or Drawing? What revision do you carry in your ERP system? Windchill can handle, better than before, having related items differ in revision. So long as the business can handle the complexity of all the items floating at different revisions, no issue there. It makes Configuration Managements job a bit harder because you need to keep track of the links and ensure things are correct.

What I mean about this is take the final product? If I change the CAD model, drawing or BOM, I could potentially end up with a different item. If we are tracking revision to the WTPart, changing the drawing would not be reflected, no change to WTPart, BUT could end up creating something different.

For my company, we sync revisions. Change one, change them all. In the end, its a simpler process to follow and it means there is only one answer when someone asked what the revision of a physical item is. If you seeing "hours" to update CAD models and drawing to change grease and something that is not visual, they are either blowing smoke up your rear, lazy, or the process is broken. Revising those items with no change here takes 2 seconds.

BenLoosli · Answer

We keep the revision level of the CAD document and the WTpart to be the same.

In our assembly structures, we have items like grease as a Bulk Item in the CAD assembly. Our CAD assembly drives the WTpart BOM structure. They must be in sync, change in CAD and it changes the WTpart. If there is a change that MUST be made at the WTpart only level, then an admin must do the change since they can do it without revising the WTpart.

Sign up

Please use your PTC eSupport account.

Welcome to the PTC Community

Please use your PTC eSupport account.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded