partsstructures

Parts structures, sometimes referred to as product structures, are the hierarchical organization of a product into assemblies and components. They show how parts are combined to form subassemblies and the final product, and they are used across engineering, manufacturing, and service domains to understand dependencies and plan work.

A parts structure is typically represented as a tree or graph, with nodes for parts and edges representing assembly relationships. Each node carries attributes such as part number, description, quantity required, tolerances, material, supplier, and lifecycle status. The root node represents the final product; leaves are raw materials or purchased parts.

Relation to BOM: A parts structure often underpins the bill of materials (BOM). The engineering BOM (EBOM) describes the intended design, while the manufacturing BOM (MBOM) reflects how the product is manufactured and assembled. The alignment of EBOM and MBOM is important for change management, configuration control, and accurate planning.

Creation and maintenance: Parts structures are created in engineering design and product lifecycle management (PLM) or CAD systems, and they evolve through revisions. Changes to a part or subassembly propagate through the structure according to defined rules, affecting cost, procurement, and lead times.

Applications and benefits: They support material planning, cost estimation, inventory management, configuration and variant management, and service planning. They enable reuse of components, standardization, and efficient change propagation, but can become complex for large products. Good governance and data integrity are essential.

Challenges: Ensuring consistency across domains, handling multi-level hierarchies, managing version control, and keeping data synchronized with procurement and manufacturing systems.