Benefits of using 3D Data in the Manufacturing Industry: 3 examples
When 3D models are used in digital spare parts catalogs, they bring assets and their assemblies to life. This article summarizes who benefits in manufacturing companies and beyond, and how 3D data can be used outside of design and construction.
Catalog systems that enable machine and plant manufacturers to create and publish digital spare parts catalogs offer various options for handling 3D data. This benefits various user groups within the company as well as manufacturers' customers. The following usage scenarios show the range of possibilities offered by integrating CAD visualizations in spare parts catalogs.
Easy Data Preparation
Design data and technical documentation link product development to product application. Both play an essential role in the realization of products and their maintenance. The user-oriented preparation of design data is therefore relevant for every after-sales business.
The easier and more efficient data preparation works, the more time and costs companies can save. A 3D spare parts catalog allows employees outside the design department to prepare data independently and use it for their own work.
Use Case Technical Writing
The task of technical writers is to prepare complex technical information in a way that is comprehensible to the users of a device, machine or system. With the help of 3D data, they are able to create graphics from different angles or animations for repair and assembly instructions without the support of product design or engineering.
Better Understanding of Complexity
3D models are always indispensable when it comes to presenting complex products in a comprehensible way. In the industrial sector, they are the key to mapping even large plants in such a way that even employees without engineering degrees can find their way around them. They can more quickly grasp how individual machines and components are connected and where they are located.
Use Case Sales Department
The clear and simple visualization of components of a machine or system simplifies the work of customer advisors. With three-dimensional models, they have the opportunity to present various machines, devices and systems to their customers in such a way that their advantages and special features can not only be grasped more quickly, but can be experienced directly.
With advancing digitization, companies can even go one step further and expand 3D visualizations into augmented reality and virtual reality.
Driving Revenue Growth
Mechanical and plant engineering has long since ceased to live solely from the sale of its products. The service business now accounts for an important share of sales. The sale of spare parts, in particular, secures the liquidity of many companies today. The easier it is for customers to identify and buy the spare parts they need, the easier it is for manufacturers to increase their sales. 3D spare parts catalogs play an essential role in this.
Advantages of 3D data in the Spare Parts Industry
3D data used in the spare parts catalog or in a service information system allows spare parts to be identified quickly. Everyone who works with spare parts benefits from this:
- After-sales: 3D information shows support staff at a glance which part of a machine their customer needs assistance with. With 2D data, it is often difficult to understand which part might be involved. 3D views reduce the risk of problems with understanding and the error rate when ordering parts, while increasing customer satisfaction. In addition, the 3D view into the environment of spare parts opens up cross-selling and up-selling potential in after-sales, offering new revenue opportunities.
- Service technicians: Before a service call, service technicians can prepare themselves optimally for the planned work thanks to a virtual view into their customer's machine or plant. They can better estimate which spare parts and tools are needed and save time on site. Comparing the 3D machine with its real-life model on site helps to identify malfunctions or required spare parts and significantly reduces downtime.
- Customers and dealers: Via a digital spare parts catalog or a service information system, customers and dealers can access the 3D data of their machines or systems and also easily take the identification of spare parts into their own hands. If the systems are connected to a store, the result is a self-service solution that makes customers happy and increases spare parts sales for machine and plant manufacturers without any additional effort.
Three Applications & Use Cases of 3D Data
The many ways to use 3D data outside of CAD systems provide the basis for countless applications in the organization. Do you want to upgrade your e-commerce processes, set up a service portal or optimize internal processes? With 3D data and digital spare parts catalogs, that's no problem.
#1 Using 3D data in the spare parts online retail
Selling spare and wear parts in a web shop is a lucrative business segment for machine, plant, equipment and vehicle manufacturers. The more intuitive the shop is, the easier it is for customers to order the parts they need and the more time you save in support and customer service.
However, many companies find it difficult to transfer their offline business to the online world. Their challenge is to present complex processes and parts as simply as possible so that users can find their way around on their own. 3D models take on this task: They ensure that users can more easily orient themselves within machines or assemblies. The visualizations invite interaction, and by rotating, panning and zooming, the desired part can be located after only a short time. This can also be used to implement product configurators that further simplify and accelerate the purchasing process.
#2 Setting up a service portal
The special machine manufacturer Komptech has used the 3D spare parts catalog to set up a central information and service portal. The company maintains all information about its machines in this portal. The catalog software combines parts lists and information from the ERP system and links them with drawing data from the design department.
This information converges in the spare parts catalog and is published from there in various media. The company imports 3D data directly from the design department for the customer catalogs. The software generates fully automated 2D exploded drawings from this data as an additional viewing option in the catalog and to offer customers even greater added value.
#3 Improving internal processes
By setting up a service portal using 3D data and with all information centralized, Komptech has not only improved service for its customers, but also internal processes in assembly and production. Read the whole Komptech Case Study.
