Product and manufacturing information, also abbreviated PMI, conveys non-geometric attributes in 3D

computer-aided design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve c ...

(CAD) and Collaborative Product Development systems necessary for manufacturing product components and assemblies. PMI may include geometric dimensions and tolerances, 3D annotation (text) and dimensions, surface finish, and material specifications. PMI is used in conjunction with the 3D model within

model-based definition Model-based definition (MBD), sometimes called digital product definition (DPD), is the practice of using 3D models (such as solid models, 3D PMI and associated metadata) within 3D CAD software to define (provide specifications for) individual ...

to allow for the elimination of 2D drawings for data set utilization.

Uses and visualization

The PMI annotation is created on the 3D CAD model, associated to edges and faces, and can be exported into neutral formats such as

ISO 10303 ISO 10303 is an ISO standard for the computer-interpretable representation and exchange of product manufacturing information. It is an ASCII-based format. Its official title is: ''Automation systems and integration — Product data representa ...

STEP and 3D PDF. This information can then be used by a number of down-stream processes. PMI can be used to generate annotation on a traditional 2D drawing the data. However, generally, PMI is used to visualized product definition within the 3D model, thus removing the need for drawings. Some 3D model formats enable

computer-aided manufacturing Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) also known as computer-aided modeling or computer-aided machining is the use of software to control machine tools in the manufacturing of work pieces. This is not the only definition for CAM, but it is the most ...

software to access PMI directly for

CNC Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a p ...

programming. The PMI also may be used by tolerance analysis and

coordinate-measuring machine A coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is a device that measures the geometry of physical objects by sensing discrete points on the surface of the object with a probe. Various types of probes are used in CMMs, the most common being mechanical and l ...

(CMM) software applications if the modeling application permits. PMI items are often organized within annotation views. Annotation views typically view including camera/view position, selected and also the particular state of the assembly (visibility, rendering mode, sometime even position of each element of the assembly). CAD applications have different notions of PMI Views (for instance "Capture Views" and "Annotation Views" are specific to Dassault Systems

CATIA CATIA (, an acronym of computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application) is a multi-platform software suite for computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering (CAE), 3D modeling and Product lif ...

, etc.). For anyone to be able to display any kind of PMI View,

Adobe Systems Adobe Inc. ( ), originally called Adobe Systems Incorporated, is an American multinational computer software company incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in San Jose, California. It has historically specialized in software for the crea ...

has unified their format and added their description to the

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

format (version 1.7).

Communication deliverables

In an effort to unify the visualization of PMI across the different existing solutions,

has released a version of the Myriad CAD font that allows display of PMI information from almost any CAD application. Similarly,

Siemens Digital Industries Software Siemens Digital Industries Software (formerly UGS and then Siemens PLM Software) is an American computer software company specializing in 3D & 2D Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software. The company is a business unit of Siemens, operates un ...

offers downloadable font sets for multiple languages such as for Asian character sets. The

STEP standards also handle a wide range of PMI information. ISO 10303 is an ISO standard for the computer-interpretable representation and exchange of product manufacturing information. It is an ASCII-based format. 59 Its official title is: Automation systems and integration — Product data representation and exchange. It is known informally as "STEP", which stands for "Standard for the Exchange of Product model data". ISO 10303 can represent 3D objects in Computer-aided design (CAD) and related information.

Standards

Industry standards for defining PMI include ASME Y14.41-XXXX Digital Product Data Definition Practices and

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

1101:2004 Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) -- Geometrical tolerancing—Tolerances of form, orientation, location and run-out.

References

External links

NIST MBE PMI Validation and Conformance Testing Project
(free CAD models with PMI) Computer-aided design Product lifecycle management Technical drawing {{Industry-stub