Modular variant principles

To minimize engineering and production costs, you can create modules in the product—self-contained plug-compatible units that can be reused. This technique imposes tight constraints on how the product is designed; Teamcenter supports those constraints when you work with modular variants. When you use modular variants, the options and associated logic are attached to a module item. Variant conditions on the components can only refer to options on the parent module, thus making the module independent of any other parts in the structure with regard to variant logic. This approach requires variant data and option values to be propagated up and down the structure so that end users (customers) can set options on lower level modules when configuring the whole product from the top level. Manufactured goods are often designed and assembled from modules. For example, consider a company that produces a range of refrigerators and freezers in different sizes and colors. The door assemblies are developed in a department that designs a modular door suitable for use in any refrigerator or freezer. They design a generic door assembly that has all possible components for any use—a sheet steel outer door and two internal covers, one for a freezer and one for a refrigerator. (This is a simplified example; in a real product there would be many more individual components.) You can then configure the door assembly for a particular use in a refrigerator/freezer by setting various parameters or options that describe it, for example, door width, door height, application (refrigerator or freezer), and color (white or stainless steel). This intelligent door assembly is called a module. The door module is completely self-contained and so can be reused in any product by setting its public interface options. The public interface options only control the features and components contained in the door module itself, and make no reference to options in higher or lower level modules. The modular variant functionality enforces this linking.

Note Teamcenter evaluates options from the top of the structure downwards, so the position of each module is significant. The structure of the door assembly and its associated options is modeled as follows. Structure of assembly and options