Shape Search
There is another exciting feature that will be revealed in the upcoming release of Solid Edge 2021. Shape Search will allow for the indexing and searching of an entire library of parts based on the shape alone. This will be a powerful tool that will allow engineers to surface and reuse old parts that have already been a part of the supply chain.
Imagine you need to create a new bracket that is like one you just know you have created before. Which machine was that a part of? Which vendor did we use? Shape Search will allow for you to quickly create a simplified version of the part you are looking for and search the database. Parts that are similar in form will be displayed in a list and you can open them and find one that is suitable. All of the data associated with that part will be available without having to re-discover all the details that have already been decided upon.
Another example could be a part that will be processed in house. A new part could be introduced for manufacturing and the engineers would be able to look back at other parts that have a similar shape. How did we fixture the older similar part? What strategies did we use to process other parts like this one? These are brand new questions that will be easier to ask and provide valuable new insights to engineers and decision makers across the spectrum of the product lifecycle.
This will work for standard parts, sheet metal parts, and assemblies, and the search can be performed from a new or existing part. It won’t matter how the parts were named or when they were created. Once the part has been indexed and established in the database, results can come back in seconds. This is just one of the many features we have outlined that will be a part of the all new Solid Edge 2021. In case you missed them, check out some of the previous blogs we have posted on the new feature that we are excited about.