TeamcenterKnowledge

Structure Management on Active Workspace ─ Usage

About global alternates and substitutes

Understand the difference between global alternates and substitutes in Teamcenter, including their definitions, examples, and key characteristics, to effectively manage interchangeable parts within product structures.

Parts are the different components that make up a product. In certain cases, one part can be interchanged with another part. There are two types of interchangeable parts, namely, global alternates (also known as alternates) and substitute components (also known as substitutes).

The following video explains the concepts of alternates and substitutes:

Alternates

An alternate is a part that can be interchanged with another part in all circumstances, irrespective of where the other part is used in a product structure. Alternates are not specific to a variant or a product. You use alternates to specify that a part is interchangeable in any assembly.

Example

Consider a Halogen bulb that is used in several assemblies across products. You can specify an LED bulb as an alternate for the Halogen bulb. This means that in all assemblies and products, in place of the Halogen bulb, the LED bulb can be used.

Note the following important points about alternates:

  • If you reuse a part in some other assembly, the alternates of the part are carried over.
  • Parts and their alternates are related in one way only. For example, the LED bulb is an alternate of the Halogen bulb. However, the Halogen bulb is not an alternate of the LED bulb.
  • One part can be an alternate of multiple other parts. For example, the LED bulb is an alternate of the Halogen bulb and of the Xenon bulb.
  • Alternate relationships are not shared. For example, the Xenon bulb is not an alternate of the Halogen bulb, even though the LED bulb is an alternate of both bulbs.
  • Alternate relationships are not chained. For example, the LED bulb is an alternate of the Halogen bulb. And the Xenon bulb is an alternate of the LED bulb. However, the Xenon bulb is not an alternate of the Halogen bulb.

Substitutes

Substitutes are parts that can be interchanged only with a particular occurrence of a component within a single assembly. You define a substitute for a single occurrence in an assembly and not for an item. You use substitutes to specify that a part is interchangeable only in a specific assembly.

Example

Consider that Crosskart has a lighting assembly that uses the Halogen bulb, by default. You set the Xenon bulb as a substitute for the Halogen bulb within the lighting assembly. A substitute can be used in place of another part but only in a specific assembly. So, you cannot use the Xenon bulb in place of the Halogen bulb in another assembly.

Note the following important points about substitutes:

  • You define a substitute for a single occurrence in an assembly and not for an item.
  • You can add multiple substitutes for an occurrence of a part.
  • You can replace a part in an assembly with a substitute.
  • All substitutes of one occurrence share the same occurrence attributes. The occurrence attributes can be a find number, quantity, and notes.