Model Based Definition (MBD) for Small business - is it even applicable?

[Mike212]

We are a small company with less than 20 engineers and have been asked to look into Model Based Definition. Has anyone in the Small and Medium sized businesses implemented MBD? Is it worth it? If yes, what exactly did you implement? and for what types of users? What are the benefits?

It just seems like MBD is for companies that have lots of people, lots of process overhead and not for smaller companies that can get by with the CAD tool... Am I missing something here?

Mike

 

[KENAT]

Actually, it can be for the small companies that are clients/customers/vendors to the aforementioned big companies. Or for certain niche applications. We use it occasionally for complex form molded parts or even a couple of fairly complex (at least hard to dimension compound angled grooves) machined parts.

One real issue seems to be because there isn't a comprehensive Industry 'standard' that covers all aspects related to MBD (ASME Y14.41 is a start but is more about telling CAD companies what their packages need to be able to do) then each supply chain needs to set up their own rules etc.

There have been several threads in several forums about MBD here are a few - you'll be able to find more.

thread1103-277996
thread1103-239768

http://www.eng-tips.com/search.cfm?...q=MBD&t=&h=&searchSite=2&searchArea=1&d=1&s=1

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[drawoh]

Mike212,

How are you fabricating your stuff?

If you are subcontracting to machine and sheet metal shops, you need orthogonal drawings to define your parts and allow your inspectors to accept and reject stuff.

If your parts all are weird, curvy shapes, produced by rapid prototyping and then casting of some sort, MBD makes a lot of sense.

--
JHG