ADVANCED FRAMEWORK

EXTENSION (AFX)

Introduction

March, 2016
EXPERT FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Common Challenges with Framework Design
•Increased volume of quotation requests from prospective customers
• Typical framework design tools are NOT integrated with modelling and analysis tools
– Increased software, training, & maintenance costs
– Requirement to learn up to 3 systems / UI’s
– Interface not guaranteed

•Framework beams created as features in a single part

– Poor performance on large designs
– Inaccurate BOMs & weldments

•Inability to react to customer requests due to:

– Framework creation is very slow and tedious in standard modelling packages
– Changes to the foundational imported structural data require major rework to the complete design
– Inefficient users due to multiple UI’s

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Overview
•Optimized for large assembly design
– Utilizes top down design techniques
– Individual parts for every beam
– No assembly cuts or references
– Automated drawing creation
•Offers comprehensive libraries
– Profiles and equipment
• ANSI, DIN, Sheetmetal, BOSCH, KANYA, Maytec, Mintec,
Rose + Krieger, Frame World, 80/20
– Joints
• Corner, Overlap, Offset, Mitre, T, Profile, Coping

•Enables design reuse and automation

– Leverage concept design used for quotations
– Leverage existing proven designs
• Provides a fully integrated modelling, framework, and analysis solution from a single vendor

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Customer Quotes
Decreased the design cycle time to improve competitiveness
“Our primary design tool at QMN is Creo. We are very proficient with it, but the Advanced
Framework Extension cut down on the design cycle to make us even more competitive.”
~ Rodney Shook, Senior Consulting Engineer, Quietly Making Noise, LLC

Provided the tools for efficient reaction to customer requirements

“We have been able to modify our designs faster than we ever have before now that we are
using Creo AFX. It allows us to fulfill our customer needs quickly and accurately.”
~ Renato Braun, Engineer, Hans Schmid AG

Increased profitability with robust flexible designs and automatic

creation of drawings
30% to 600% more flexible design configuration and iteration
100% to 250% more robust model connections which automatically update with beam
changes
~Harald Ley, General Manager May Tec GmbH

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Customer Metric
•Company Background
– Quietly Making Noise, LLC (QMN) provides mechanical, structural, and acoustical engineering consulting services to the power,
oil, gas, process, and construction industries. Their designs are primarily fluid systems, enclosures, parts, and structures
•Opportunity
– Needed a library for structural designs to cut down on design time
•Results
– Using PTC Solutions has enabled Quietly Making Noise to:
• Reduce design time
• Easily assemble the multiple beams that make up their enclosures
• Easily make changes to these structures
“Our primary design tool at QMN is Creo.We are very proficient
with it, but the Advanced Framework Extension cut down on
the design cycle to make us even more competitive.”
~ Rodney Shook, Senior Consulting Engineer, Quietly Making
Noise, LLC

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Customer Metric
• Company Background
– Hans Schmid AG (HSB) was founded 1865 in Bern,Switzerland. Fences are the core business of HSB including doors and gates
for industrial and private use. HSB also offers different types of locksmith products
• Opportunity
– HSB needed to increase design control and flexibility to accommodate customer needs
• Results
– Using PTC Solutions has enabled HSB to:
• Present 3Fulfill customer needs and wishes in a short amount of time
• Modify and control parts with ease and flexibility
• D representation directly to customers allowing customers to contribute to the design

“We have been able to modify our designs faster

than we ever have before now that we are using Creo
AFX. It allows us to fulfill our customer needs quickly
and accurately.”
~ Renato Braun, Engineer, Hans Schmid AG

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 1
• Create skeleton model
– Simple sketched lines defining structure shape
– Options to create sketch:
• Within Creo
• Imported from 3rd party application

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 2
• Place beams
– Select style
– Select profile
– Select size
– Insert beam

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 3
• Create joints
– Select joint style
– Select 2 beams
• Beams automatically cut
• No assembly references

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 4
• Endplates
– Select style
– Select placement
• Beams automatically cut back (inc.
coping)
• Holes automatically created
in beams

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 5
• Bracing
– Select style
– Specify size
– Select placement
• Beams cut back automatically
• Datum points included in
bracing plate automate
hole creation

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 6
• Placing stairs
– Select style
– Select pitch, tread size, etc.
– Select:
• Top of stairs
• Bottom of stairs
• Attaching face
• Centre plane
– Stairs built automatically

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 7
• Placing Screw Connections
– Dynamic UI for screw connections
– Scaled preview of users configuration
– Save / retrieve screw configurations
– Control patterning
– Place screw connections
• On datum points
• On datum axis
• By mouse pick
– Create holes without external
references
– Redefine screw connections
• Single or all instances

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Stage 8
• Create associative drawings
– 3D view
– Orthographic views
• Fully dimensioned
– Bill of materials
• Quantity, description, etc.
• BOM balloons

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Building a Frame – Optional Stage
• Analyze Structure
– Use Pro/Mechanica
• Perform beam analysis
– Export to *.DSTV
• Type of beam, length, & position relative to assembly's standard coordinate system
• Industry standard format
– "Produktschnittstelle Stahlbau" of "Deutscher Stahlbauverband DSTV".
• Perform structural analysis
– Export to *.SDNF
• Type of beam, length, & position relative to assembly's standard coordinate system
• Industry standard format
– Steel Detailing Neutral Format
• Perform structural analysis
– Export to STAAD Pro
• Type of beam, length, & position relative to assembly's standard coordinate system
• Industry standard format
• Perform structural analysis
– Import from *.SDNF
• Type of beam, Length, & Position relative to assembly's standard coordinate system

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Impact on Business Initiatives
• Integrating Expert Framework Extension into the design process has a major impact on some of the most
important product development initiatives facing discrete manufactures today
– Reduce time-to-market
– Reduce total product cost
– Improve product quality
– Improve information exchange
– Improve product customisation

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Helping Business Initiatives
• Reduce time to market
– Provides rich tools to complete structural designs quickly and easily
– Leverages proven top down design techniques
– Automates creation of beam drawings

Skeleton Model Place Beams

Simple sketched Line Place beams on the simple lines

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Helping Business Initiatives
• Reduce product costs
– Embedded within Creo
• No import / export of structural data
• One solution reduces maintenance & training costs
• Digital model reduces expensive prototypes and modifications on site
– Leverage concept designs

Rectangular Channel
Box Section Change

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Helping Business Initiatives
• Improve product quality
– Define the complete digital model
– Improve adherence to quality standards
– Automated associative drawings

Change

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Helping Business Initiatives
• Improve information exchange
– Define a complete 3D digital model in one CAD system
• View a complete and up to date design at any time
• Eliminate time lost importing, exporting, and updating data
• Accurate cost, manufacturing and installation estimations
– Use Creo’s structural and thermal simulation capabilities to conduct structural analysis
– Accurate BOMs
– Accurate Cut Lists

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Helping Business Initiatives
• Improve product customization
– Intuitive tools quickly create 3D structural designs
– Simple tools efficiently change profiles &/or the design
• Automatic joint update
• Automatic drawing update

Change

Creation Change
AFX 20X faster than core modelling AFX 70X faster than core modelling

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ADVANCED FRAMEWORK EXTENSION
Summary
• Develop high quality designs & products faster
– Generate 3D drawings
– Automatic BOM’s
– Modify existing designs
– Increase variety with multiple designs

• Reduce time to market

– 30% to 600% more flexible design configuration and iteration *
– 60% to 300% quicker assembly*
– 100% to 250% more robust model connections which automatically update with beam changes*
– 75% reductions in product development cycles*

* Findings from production usage at Maytec

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