Product structures

The product structure in many respects forms the heart of a PLM system. In other words, the parts or components, service elements, documents and assemblies are attached to the product and to each other through the product structure.

The product structure provides the foundation for some of the basic functions of a PLM system. Many of the functions of the system are based on the use of the product structure and the items connected with it.

The descriptive methods used to describe the product structure are usually object-oriented. An object is a data element, which describes a certain product component, product element, module, subsystem or assembly. The objects of the structure have different dependencies in relation to each other. This dependence between objects can be functional or hierarchical by nature. The actual product structure, with its different levels, consists of mutual hierarchies of various objects. The hierarchy is based on properties inherited from father to son. In other words, lower object classes contain the properties of higher classes together with some additional or changed features; for example, the coupler sensor and analogous sensor can be subclasses of the sensor class. The properties of objects can be described by the attributes connected to each object. For example, the attributes of a certain component object might include its weight, effect, item number, cost, and reference designator.