9. Remodelling of Structured Product Data for Through-Life Engineering Services

Product data of long-living and complex systems is essential for efficient through-life engineering services (TES), since it is the basis for systematic planning, operation and documentation activities. The product structure represents the data backbone and carries geometrical, technological and system relevant information. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems are used to maintain the product data and to track product changes. However, in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector lifecycle based documentation of changes regarding product configuration, condition and functionality is still a weak spot, especially if the MRO service provider is not the original manufacturer. In such cases MRO processes start with an exhaustive product diagnosis to identify parts that have to be maintained or to determine if spare parts are needed to guarantee product’s performance. Existing 3D scanning and data processing methods have to be improved to acquire structured product data in an efficient process. This chapter presents a method for automated derivation of product structures from 3D assembly models and its application in various scenarios of through-life engineering services. The input may be a system model coming from a 3D scanning process. In order to identify spatial relations between parts a 2D contact graph is automatically created by a neighborhood analysis. Subsequently related parts are hierarchically structured into sub-assemblies by a cluster analysis. Iterative use of these two principles results in the complete product structure. Results can be exported via a XML interface for use in PLM systems.