Models created in house - method of validation/verification?

[neurosis]

We create models from a lot of 60's and 70's era drawings. 

For those of you who are unlucky enough to have to go through this, do you have a method of verification prior to putting the model in to production for machining?  Like running it through a QC? Or a second set of eyes some point along the way?

[Jeff]

I do it all the time even for drawings that date back to the early 1900's. But my files are for our use only so take that for what it's worth.

We're a small job shop, and I'm the only programmer so it's all on me and my operators to get it right.
Sometimes they catch a mistake I make,sometimes they don't.

That's the way the weenie wiggles.

[neurosis]

We're a small job shop, and I'm the only programmer so it's all on me and my operators to get it right.
Sometimes they catch a mistake I make,sometimes they don't.

This has been the way we do it for a majority of the smaller parts that we run.  Some of the larger parts with more expensive material, it's a little more difficult to justify.

We're a semi small shop as well.

That's the way the weenie wiggles.

  This has me cracking up for some reason.

[gcode]

I've seen guys who make check prints of their models
In other words, they build the model, then use that model to make a B/P
and compare their B/P to the customer supplied drawings. (mkd, I'm pointing at you) 
This works very well, but is time consuming and does not go down well with the bosses
in a pressure cooker job shop environment.

[neurosis]

We've done that. 

Some of the modern models don't match the aesthetics (verbiage) of the older prints.  The views can be confusing. 

That is a great idea. 

[neurosis]

This recently came up because of a super difficult print to read.   

The print had about 12 different part numbers on it.  The dimensions were defined by a table and only one of the dash numbers were shown on the print. 

The parts were wildly different in appearance so the visual on the print wasn't a lot of help. 

[gcode]

This recently came up because of a super difficult print to read.   

The print had about 12 different part numbers on it.  The dimensions were defined by a table and only one of the dash numbers were shown on the print. 

The parts were wildly different in appearance so the visual on the print wasn't a lot of help. 

This is where SolidWorks excels
You make your model with the table dimensions defined by a Design Table (SW speak for an excell spread sheet)

Once you have the first dash number done, you copy that row in the design table over and over, editing the table values

It takes a while to do the first one, but once it's done the rest of the parts are 90% done tool

[neurosis]

This is where SolidWorks excels

We use TopSolid for all of our modeling and tooling design. 

I've been using Solidworks since its inception.  It's a long story that I wont go in to. 

I stopped using it when we moved to TS. 

You make your model with the table dimensions defined by a Design Table (SW speak for an excell spread sheet)

This works amazingly for families of parts.  TS has a built in version of this and you can use excel if you want, but it's not necessary.  That's not what I'm talking about however.

If I remember next week I'll pm you a clip of the print. 

[Tim Johnson]

We create models from a lot of 60's and 70's era drawings. 

For those of you who are unlucky enough to have to go through this, do you have a method of verification prior to putting the model in to production for machining?  Like running it through a QC? Or a second set of eyes some point along the way?

If I get an old part that's not modeled up I'm lucky enough to be able to send a request to get it done through engineering. The detailers do it everyday and I usually will have the model inside of 4 hours.

[neurosis]

It takes a while to do the first one, but once it's done the rest of the parts are 90% done tool

After looking at this for a bit, I think that this could work.   It would definitely take some planning and the first part would take a while to get through but the rest of them would be a breeze. 

Thanks for planting that seed in my head. 

[JParis]

Place I worked at years ago now, they were coming out of a 2D world into the 3D world so much didn't exist as 3D models..to help out, I was modeling every part I processed for machining in Solidworks and sent them the model that they would detail up in a new print and release.

[gcode]

After looking at this for a bit, I think that this could work.  It would definitely take some planning and the first part would take a while to get through but the rest of them would be a breeze. 

Thanks for planting that seed in my head. 

Years ago I did contract work for a guy who had some Okuma lathes.
Okuma lathe canned cycles are crazy powerful and he did 95% of his programming at the machine.
Occasionally, he'd get a part that had an arc problem the control couldn't solve so he'd send it to me.
All he ever wanted was a single finish profile of the part.
The parts he sent me were always B/P's with lots of table defined parts
I'd model them in SW using a design table and program them in Mastercam for SW Lathe.
It would take a couple of hours to do one so I was earning my $45 lot charge.
If I ever got another dash number from that print, it was 5 minutes work to crank it out.
Easy money.. eventually he hired a guy who had a bootleg copy
 of AutoCad and that was the end of that
It's been so long ago I don't even remember who to do it anymore

[neurosis]

The parts he sent me were always B/P's with lots of table defined parts

These are a little different in that there are flag notes that define additional features that are on some parts and not others.  I'll have to work my way around that and I'm not sure that it would be possible.  There would have to be some zero value dimensions in the table.  I might have to ask a TS guru. 

The parts are fairly complicated to model so if I can get this to work it would save a couple days of modeling. 

[gcode]

Maybe you could use the design tables to do the basic shapes then flesh out the deatail stuff old school

[TylerBeer]

We have to design review with another engineer - and then a shop review, if the shop manager and another engineer are good with it, we rarely have problems.