Defining technical specifications for a Design Object or a Design Part is an essential part of Asset Design. These technical specifications can then be used at different phases of the Asset Lifecycle. For example, Purchasing, Installation and Commissioning and Criteria Based Maintenance, among others. Technical specifications are defined by inheriting an appropriate set of Technical Attributes (technical data fields) to a design object or design part in the initial design stage. These fields could then be filled with actual values and units to complete the definition. Technical attributes such as Pressure, Temperature and Viscosity, among others, can be created for a design object. Technical Attributes are defined in Characteristics Basic Data as either Numeric or Alphanumeric in Type, and are then connected to a selected Technical Class, forming a Technical Class Template. A technical class is then applied on a per-class basis and affects all of the objects or design parts of the class.
A Technical Class Group enables the collection of an array of similar technical attributes of a template under a descriptive header such as General Information, Operating Conditions, and Materials and Commissioning Information, among others. A technical class group can be created and defined on a per class basis.
IFS Business Analytics can be used to create and analyze information based on design objects and their technical specification data available in IFS Applications. For more information refer to About Information Sources in IFS Business Analytics.
Technical attributes determine the field label names for technical data fields in the Attachment Panel for the Characteristics service. For example, attributes such as pumping temperature-normal, pumping temperature-min, pumping temperature-max, among others, can be created and customized to describe the requirements of a pump object. Technical attributes can be numeric or alphanumeric and are defined in Characteristics Basic Data.
A standalone technical class is created in Characteristics Basic Data with a name and a description. For example, a PUMP_CENTRIFUGAL technical class could contain technical attributes specific to a centrifugal pump (e.g. effect, flow, impeller, diameter, inlet pressure, casing material, gasket material and weight).
Technical attributes should be defined for a technical class to obtain a technical class template that can be connected to either a Design Object Class or Design Part Class and will enables every design object and design part of a particular class to inherit all the template bound attributes of that class.
A technical class group is an array of technical attributes of a template collected under a descriptive header. Creating a technical class group involves grouping one or more attributes of a single technical class template and giving them a group name and a sequence for which they will be sorted within IFS/Asset Design. A technical class group is owned by a Standard.
Grouping technical attributes by technical class groups for design objects or design parts has to be done manually in the Attachment Panel for the Characteristics service. Ensure that the Group columns are displayed by selecting such in the Column Chooser. Right click on the column you wish to group by and select Group By This Column.
A technical class template can be connected to either a Design Object Class or Design Part Class. Only one technical class per plant class is allowed. However a technical class can be reused and related to more than one plant class. A technical class-plant class relation is always standard specific. This relation can be modified and the changes will reflect in the Attachment Panel for the Characteristics service for every related design object or design part.
When a design object or design part is created, it automatically receives the template attributes as determined by its technical class template and plant class association. As and when required, these technical attributes can be deleted and customized on any selected design object or design part. It is also possible to return to the default settings on a technical class template by selecting the Refresh Attributes right mouse button option for the Characteristics service in the Attachment Panel. Similarly any late addition or removal of template attributes could be inherited by the design object or design part using the same option.