The Quotation Factory platform can be used as a workflow engine to automatically send geometries to CAM systems and obtain output from that CAM system.
Some of the common use cases for this are:
Manufacturability: Based on the recognized features, shape, and working steps, send the geometry to the appropriate CAM system to perform a manufacturability check. The outcome of the manufacturability check will be sent back to the Quotation Factory platform and will be reported in the corresponding row of the BoM item.
an error/warning can be displayed
a pdf or video can automatically be attached to the row to get insights into the issue
Unfolding sheet metal: Send sheet metal with bending to a CAM system to unfold the sheet metal and attach the resulting DXF to the row in the quotation. The DXF can be used as input for the production nesting.
Estimate turning/milling production time: parts can be sent to a specific CAM system in order to obtain reliable production time estimations.
Multi-factory workflows: A self-service portal can be used as a "one-stop-shop". Depending on the requested working steps and materials, the CAM systems in various factories can be involved to determine the manufacturability based on their toolset and capabilities.
The Quotation Factory Agent
The Quotation Factory Agent is software that runs as a service on your on-premise data center. Technically, the Quotation Factory Agent is implemented as an IoT (Internet of Things) device within the Azure IoT technology that is integrated into the Quotation Factory Platform. As such, this makes sure that the connectivity has all the underlying technology to be robust and reliable as well as secure.
The Quotation Factory Agent is capable of receiving specific commands as well as files. The agent acts as a broker such that commands and files are sent to the appropriate integration that runs behind the agent. The integration logic itself picks up the command and files, sets up a connection with the CAM system, and waits for the CAM system to get back with results.
The results from the CAM system are converted by the integration into a Quotation Factory specific structure and given back to the Quotation Factory Agent. The Quotation Factory Agent is responsible for the communication back to the cloud environment where the information is further processed.
Which type of commands can be sent to an integrated CAM system?
The following types of commands are supported:
CheckManufacturability
CreateCncProgramm
CheckIfCncProgrammExists
EstimateProductionTime
How to influence the conditions under which the integration is triggered?
The triggering of integration can be configured using Business Rules. The process context in which the business rules are evaluated is:
project status changed
working step set/changed
material set/changed
Which CAM integrations are available out-of-the-box?
3rd parties have developed integrations with the following CAM systems:
LVD CADMAN-SDI
LVD CADMAN-B
Bysoft CAM
Autopol
TruTops Boost
TruTops Fab