The core philosophy of
overloaded (or 150%) Creo Assemblies centers around ALL available design/configuration options (parts/sub-assemblies) being available as the starting point.
The final Creo Assembly / BOM is often derived/reduced from ALL available options to the final BOM using manual, logic-based or automation operations.
Characteristics of overloaded Assemblies - Typically a very "flat" structure for all primary design options
- Component relationships are placed/constrained with specific purpose
- delete/suppress of any component will results in a predictable final result (planned for depended items also deleted/suppressed as a result)
- Stable or predictable placement references
- Common/Global Coordinate Systems
- Skeleton Model(s) w/ Placements
- Conventional Assembly (mate/align) Constraints
- or ... just "packaged" placement
Overloaded Creo Assembly structures, and the knowledge that drives them, must to be properly managed -and- version controlled just like any other Creo Part/Assembly. PTC's Windchill is an excellent system for this.
Resume vs. Remove vs. Hybrid Philosophies
Resume and Remove approaches assume ALL available design options are pre-assembled into, or within, a top-level assembly as the starting point. Hybrid approaches use combinations of Resume and Remove - but also may include the dynamic addition of new options.
- Resume Philosophy
- Common approach used for in-vehicle-position configurations where each designed component/sub-system option are basically static items.
- Assumes ALL options exist in a SUPPRESSED state by default and are RESUMED / enabled to produce the final geometry.
- Remove Philosophy
- Common approach for configurations with anticipated dependent relationships like machine designs where components and/or sub-systems are planned to be included/excluded by default.
- Assumes ALL options exist in an ACTIVE state by default and are either SUPPRESSED / DELETED to produce the final result.
- Hybrid Philosophy
- In some configuration applications, a starting point can be a combination of pre-assembled models that are either active or suppressed by default.
- This may also include pre-defined locations for new models to be assembled during the automation process. Assembled models typically use known assemble references (e.g. named coordinate systems) or as assume to just be "included" as a "packaged" assembly component.
- Packaged components can be standard components (parts, assemblies or even bulk items) and are often used for non-geometric items (e.g. oil, paint, packaging materials, etc.) where parameterization of items may be required. These are useful for situations where you need to report information on your drawings (e.g. repeat regions) or leverage/reference them within parametric relations to help drive the design/configuration.
- It should be noted that other, non-geometric, BOM items are typically (and often better handled) in Windchill via WTParts that are required down stream but may not influence or be technically required within the Creo Assembly.
Overloaded Assemblies typically assume that every option is already known,
claims space and are properly aligned/interfaces with other components around them. This making it easier to validate common placement of like items and globally evaluate clearances / changes.
The final design/configuration is often driven from an
external data source like a MRP/ERP/Order System... or a simple spreadsheet to drive the final BOM requirements.
When planed for, and executed properly, the simple resume/suppress/delete, or even the dynamic assembly of highly variable, components from the main
overloaded assembly can be a trivial process using Excel Power Query and
Nitro-CELL.