Cadmatic's web-based 3D viewer, and eBrowser have been integrated with several plant data management systems. One of those is integration with SAP maintenance Module. This kind of software integration is part of the Cadmatic Maintenance Concept that has been developed primarily for the purposes of process industry. The user experiences with the new system have been positive.
The Cadmatic Maintenance Concept means continuous updating of the 3D model in order to serve the demands of maintenance planning. The core idea is to provide the planning department with a 3D model of the plant on which changes can be made as required by the daily maintenance of the plant. For example, if a new pipeline is needed at the plant, it is included in the 3D model, and the drawings and material lists necessary for installation of the pipeline are generated automatically from the 3D model. As the designer is making changes, the 3D model is simultaneusly updated and instantly ready to produce the required documents.
"Previously, when changes were made separately to a huge number of individual 2D drawings, nobody would, after a while, know which of the drawings were up-to-date and which were not. Now, all documents are automatically updated whenever the 3D model is updated", explains Sami Koponen, Product Manager of Cadmatic.
Easy to find information
Integrating the 3D model, eBrowser and maintenance management systems such as the SAP Maintenance Module brings many new useful functions to the Cadmatic Maintenance Concept. The maintenance work will become significantly easier.
The integration enables the user of SAP Maintenance Module to select the object requiring maintenance, say a pump, and immediately locate it in the model. Similarly, the user of an eBrowser model can select an object and access the information about its maintenance and repair history and the spare parts used. The user interface is either SAP Maintenance Module or the 3D model of Cadmatic eBrowser.
"It is also possible to employ eBrowser for project management and follow-up, as well as data transmission during the project. Within the Cadmatic system, eBrowser can be internally linked with different documents. Moreover, it can also be linked with external document management and maintenance software. For example, isometric diagrams related to pipings can be imported to eBrowser, or they can be used for locating certain components at the plant. All you have to do is to open the eBrowser model", Koponen explains.
Cost savings through effective document management at M-Real's mills
The feedback from the users involved in the pilot projects have been positive. At M-Real's paper and pulp mills, the link between eBrowser and the SAP system was activated in autumn 2002. For example, at the Kirkniemi Mill two Cadmatic 3D models are being used, namely those for the PM 3 plant and the special pulp mill.
"The 3D model is continuously updated for the purposes of maintenance planning. The new way of handling data has radically reduced the number of documents to be processed by the mill's planning department, and thus made the department's work much more efficient", says Koponen. The current 3D models replace more or less completely the previously used document archives, which contained thousands of documents.
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