Exploit the potential of your 3D data
Three-dimensional views make spare parts seem close enough to touch; something that not only designers and engineers benefit from. Machinery manufacturers who also use 3D data for aftersales services can open up new perspectives to their employees and customers.
Find out how you can introduce 3D spare parts catalogs and seize new sales opportunities with ease.
A digital spare parts catalog contains the same information as a printed catalog; however, unlike printed information, the digital content never becomes outdated. Digital catalogs also give you the option to display three-dimensional visualizations of spare parts or assemblies, in addition to 2D data.
A 3D catalog allows users to establish more quickly the shape and geometry of components or assemblies through interactions and identify more easily the spare part they need. Read more about the advantages of 3D data in the spare parts catalogue in our expert blog.
3D data is: informative - interaktive - intuitive.
Thanks to 3D data already available, for example from the design department, all spare parts, components and assemblies can be displayed three-dimensionally. The identification and selection of the required parts is thus significantly simplified. Of course, our software and thus also the Documentation extension are designed especially for the needs of your technicians in the field and can be used on any mobile device.
Click on the image to get a direct insight into the software.
The multi-dimensional views of spare parts are already available at most machinery and plant manufacturers: 90% of them design machinery, vehicles, appliances, or plant using CAD systems.
Yet very few companies make 3D data available to everyone; internal departments or customers usually do not have access to it. This leads to employees within the same company living in two separate worlds.
It is true that 2D data is indispensable in mechanical and plant engineering. However, there are disadvantages to its use in departments not so closely associated with design. Even just deriving 3D data costs a lot of time and money.
What’s more, working with 2D data is inefficient for non-engineers and can lead to misunderstandings.
Error-prone use of 2D data – an example:
A customer calls the Support team. They have a question about a specific part of a machine. The Support employee has difficulty in deciphering which part the customer is referring to using the 2D data available to them.
It would be much easier if the employee had the same perspective of the machine as the customer. 3D data make this possible, even giving you a look inside an assembly.
Company-wide use of 3D data offers a multitude of potential for new business models, sales growth, and digitalizing your aftersales services.
3D spare parts catalogs don’t just bring advantages today. They can also potentially be expanded to form a service information system, which brings together information on parts in machines and plant from various source systems. In this way, 3D data not only makes operation easier, but it is also the key to turning things like predictive maintenance into reality.
Other specific examples are described in more detail in our expert blog, for example, what the advantages of 3D data are for your e-commerce plans.
Special machine manufacturer Komptech uses 3D data in its central information and service portal, enabling the company to improve its internal processes in the assembly, production, and service departments.
"CATALOGcreator® is used at Komptech as an information and service portal where we centrally maintain all information about our machines. What was originally intended as a benefit for our customers is now also internally an integral part of our work environment. The software solution is a tool that everybody likes to use. And this constantly improves our processes."
Stefan Gruber-Barowitsch | Head of Technical Documentation
3D data from your CAD systems can be used to create a spare parts catalog in an automated or manual manner. It can also easily be used within the technical documentation department. Software solutions from Quanos offer a variety of solutions for this purpose:
Convert your 3D data to a lightweight format so that it can be used in other systems without losing relevant information.
The integrated display of 3D or 2D graphics created in an automated way appears in Quanos SIS.one, PARTS-PUBLISHER, or CATALOGcreator®. The visualizations can be used interactively regardless of which browser, platform, or device they are viewed on.
Individual components in the 3D illustrations are directly linked with the associated data in the parts list and integrated technical documentation.
This means existing 3D data is ultimately also available to other internal departments, without having to buy additional licenses or provide training on your CAD systems. You can decide what level of detail the 3D data in your spare parts catalog or service information system should have.
We use our expertise to guide you through your 3D data project. We are a long-standing technology partner to suppliers of CAD and 3D software – such as Lattice Technology, Kisters, Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, and SolidWorks.
With our partners and our extensive set of tools, we have already delivered numerous successful 3D projects.