Valisys Assembly for manufacturing excellence

Citation

(1999), "Valisys Assembly for manufacturing excellence", Assembly Automation, Vol. 19 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1999.03319dad.001

Valisys Assembly for manufacturing excellence

Keywords CAD, Assembly

Valisys Assembly allows production engineers to study the form and fit of assembled products. The software, which is now available for use with the four most widely used CAD packages, Catia, CADDS, Pro/ENGINEER and I-DEAS Master Series, is marketed by Tecnomatix Technologies, an international company with its UK offices based in Canwell near Sutton Coldfield.

Designed to study how components relate to each other within an assembly, Valisys tries out all the possible combinations of variations in the components by running multiple simulations to find which tolerances are important.

Undertaken early in the design stage, these tests replace the need for more costly and time-consuming activities in producing prototype hardware and the subsequent design iterations. As well as improving productivity, Valisys will also allow more scope for improving the quality of the design and appearance of the finished product.

Valisys can be used to manage the entire design cycle in a closed loop covering product definition, prediction, measurement and analysis of manufacturing tolerances (Plate 1). By monitoring the production process, any variations in the finished parts can be analysed to allow informed decisions to be taken on the options available for ensuring full conformance to the design intent.

Plate 1 Rover used Valisys tolerance to perfect the fit of body panels on the Rover 75

"This is particularly important in cases where key components are subcontracted to specialist suppliers", says Gareth Watts, General Manager Northern Europe for Tecnomatix Technologies.

"Given accurate feedback and a clear understanding of the implications of nonconformity customers will be able to make quicker and more efficient decisions on parts specifications, liability, acceptance and rectification work, if necessary."

Valisys is a graphical system (Plate 2) with a Windows style interface making it easy to use by non-specialist engineers. Fully developed as an integral part of a comprehensive suite of digital factory solutions, Valisys can also be used to generate off-line programs for co-ordinate measuring machines and CNC machine tools.

Plate 2 Typical output graph showing the predicted variation of a critical characteristic of assembly

For further information contact: Gareth Watts, General Manager Northern Europe, Tecnomatix Technologies, 5 The Priory, Old London Road, Canwell, Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire B75 5SH , UK. Tel: +44 (0) 121 323 1300; Fax: +44 (0) 121 323 1333.