The Product is a new level of Order Information within the Order module primarily made from one or more Assemblies. An Order may have one or more Products in it and because the detailed constituents of a Product may vary greatly, their layers are also described below.
Product (new): A collection of items that need to be separately manufactured, then potentially assembled together, to be shipped together as a final product from manufacturing. This may consist of multiple objects, using multiple manufacturing workflows.
Assembly (new): a collection of Line Items (and therefore, Pieces) or sub-Assemblies that need to be assembled into a single physical object. This may also be the final physical object.
Line item (existing): a unique geometry and set of parameters for manufacturing it. Possible to produce multiple times. Each instance of the Line Item that is manufactured is a Piece.
Assembly Item (existing): An alias for Line-Items for when they specifically link to a parent Assembly.
Piece (existing): This is the level of detail used in the Manufacturing Execution System. Each one represents an individually produced physical item and the process to produce it (Production Workflows).
Adding a Product to an Order
The process of adding a Product to an Order is as simple as creating a Line Item. Simply navigate to your order, click the Add Product button and select your product file OR drag and drop your Product file into your browser.
The system will automatically unpack the Product file into the required Assembli(es) and Assembly items which will be manufactured to produce the Product. This unpacking includes automatically interpreting some Product/Assembly/Assembly Item meta-data and applying this to the associated objects. You may also export the Product's file by clicking the Download button found in Design File Info.
Creating a ZIP File for a Product/Assembly
If you do not have your own integrated Assembly format, such as 3MF, you may use our built-in Product/Assembly creation tool to structure your individual Models into a formatted Product/Assembly. These files can then be used to create Products and Assemblies within the Authentise platform.
Would you like to use a different format for describing a Product/Assembly? Let us know at info@authentise.com.
Interacting with a Product and Assembly within an Order
Assembly (line) items will be visually grouped within the Order summary to indicate their association with the parent assembly. Some fields for an Assembly (line) item will be disabled or controlled at the Assembly level (Quantity, for example) and the Assembling Process is assumed to be a step immediately after all Assembly Line Items finish their respective workflows but prior to the shipping of the (Full) Assembly.
Once component Pieces are in production, ZIP file changes or replacements to update the Product will be rejected/blocked. Changes can still be made in the Manufacturing Execution system to associated Pieces using existing controls/limitations.
Co-printed Assemblies
Co-printed Assemblies are a special type of Assembly that should be familiar to those using multi-material printing processes. Defined as a multi-body design that is printed within the same print job and typically produces an integrated final product. These are often used for applications where multiple materials (often having different colors) are used to distinguish specific characteristics of the combined, co-printed Product (for example, a clear model of a hand that has red and blue blood vessels integrated within the hand.).
Co-Printed Assemblies have a slightly different layout to draw attention to their integrated nature and have special rules in place to ensure that they are scheduled for the same printing job. Materials can be set independently for each Assembly item within the Coprinted Assembly but they must all be produced with a single production workflow and they do not have assembly steps, as a result of their integrated nature.
Anatomical Models
Assemblies provide information regarding a group of related Assembly Items (individual Models) which are assembled into a single object. These Assembly Items are grouped with the parent assembly within the Order Summary and what will be used to create Anatomical Models.
An Anatomical Model is an object representing an anatomical body or structure as the final product. It typically consists of multiple related objects which may be assembled to produce a single anatomical structure.
To get started, click the Create Anatomical Model button under the Anatomical Model tab.
You will be first asked to specify details for that model. After completing the required fields, click the Add Assembly button to begin adding line items to the model.
When creating an assembly, you will be able to specify Part Group Name, Type, and Printing Technology. Note: All assemblies with polyjet, polyjet anatomy, and FDM printer technologies will be grouped together for manufacturing. This kind of Assembly will be scheduled and manufactured as a single, integrated object on a build plate and grouped separately from other objects on the build plate.
You can also add additional assemblies, which may have their own parts. When you are happy with your specifications and have uploaded a stl file, press the Save button. Note: You will want to create a part for every unique combination of printer anatomy and parameters necessary to fulfill your order.
After adding a Part, it will be beneath the Assemblies Summary where you will be able to review and adjust the parameters for that object.
Assembly Workstations, Workflows, and Work Instructions
Work Instructions may be added manually by a user using existing Work Instructions interfaces to describe ‘Assembly Instructions’ at the Assembly Workstation.
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