Installation Requirements (Beta)
Assign and enforce parts to be installed from your mBOM to a particular step in a procedure
Before implementing installation requirements, please review the Best Practices below!
Pain Points and Use Case
Have you ever been close to the end of an assembly or worse, needed to investigate a part that has been installed only to realize that the digital aBOM doesn't reflect the state of the physical build? Do you spend valuable time at the end of your build cycle or in deep investigations to rectify these differences? Now you can assign required installations at each step in a given procedure. This will prevent the run step from closing until all of the required installations are complete, similar to required fields. When a run is closed, you will have the utmost confidence that the aBOM digitally represents your physical assembly. Not only does this mean that you can trust run execution will occur correctly, but you can also build your procedure faster by understanding at a glance which components you have digitally assembled and what remains. Take an example where you have hundreds of fasteners to install. With this feature, you can ensure that from the procedure, all of the fasteners are assigned to a step before releasing the procedure.
Step Assignments
The part assignment view is split into two distinct sections. The top section represents installation requirements assigned to the step that is currently selected via the procedure step queue. The bottom section represents the selected part's selected mBOM version.
To add assigned installs to the step that is currently displayed in the procedure window, select the + button next to the mBOM item on the bottom right of the panel.
When you have installation requirements assigned to a step, they will show up in the upper half of the panel. mBOM items can be partially assigned to steps. The formatting is represented as Qty Assigned to Step / Total Quantity in mBOM (Unit).
We recognize there will be situations to release a procedure for a released mBOM while drafting up a future version of the same mBOM. Please keep the above note in mind when building procedures.
Once mBOM items have been completely assigned, they will shaded green on the mBOM panel if the "Show All" toggle is on. With the "Show All" toggle off, completely assigned mBOM items will be removed from the view for a more streamlined assignment process.
Substitutes
The crossing arrows highlight substitutes on the mBOM, showing what other parts are listed as substitutes.
Reference Designators
Similar to assigning the minimum quantity to close a step, you can also assign reference designators that are required to close a step.
Installing Inventory on Run Step Installation Requirements
Similar to installing inventory on the aBOM, now it is much more accessible from the run step itself.
You will not be able to complete a step until all run step build requirements have their minimum quantities and reference designators satisfied. The inventory list will include any available substitutes.
Permissions
To create, update, and delete installation requirements on procedures, please grant yourself a role with StepPartRequirement permissions.
Modifying your mBOM
Oftentimes, your mBOM changes even after you have released a procedure. Our aim is to prevent you from having to manipulate the procedure in as many cases as possible so you can make changes on the fly. Here is how ION handles the different types of changes on a mBOM.
No Changes to the Procedure are Required:
Removing a part:
This removes the associated installation requirements from associated procedures. This will mean you can safely remove parts without needing to revise the procedure to effect those changes.
Updating the part number on an existing mBOM requirement:
This will update all installation requirements in associated procedures automatically with the new part number.
Updating the name of a reference designator:
This will update all installation requirements in associated procedures automatically with the new reference designator if called out.
Adding substitutes:
All installation requirements will now show those new substitutes.
Procedure Revision Required:
Adding a part:
There is no impact on associated procedures.
Updating the quantity of an mBOM requirement:
You cannot reduce the quantity past what is assigned to a procedure. In this instance, you will need to create a new procedure and then up version the mBOM as well.
You can increase the quantity with no impact on associated procedures.
Best Practices
Installs will not be propagated across batches.
Each batch is designed to ensure traceability for every run within it. Since you need to select the specific inventory you install, allowing installs across different runs would compromise this traceability and could lead to inconsistencies in inventory tracking. By restricting installs to individual runs, you maintain the integrity and accuracy of the manufacturing process.
You can only assign installation requirements on standard steps when they are called out in a procedure.
Each procedure is unique to a set of parts and mBOM versions, you can assign installation requirements on the procedure that calls out a released standard step. You cannot add installation requirements on standard steps when they are in a draft or any state.
The installation requirements on steps are a minimum requirement therefore, proper training is required with technicians.
If technicians continue to install through the aBOM manually, ION will ask them to install again to meet the minimum requirement needed to complete the step. Therefore it's best to train technicians to use installation requirements so this issue does not occur. Redlining is coming at a later date so if you are not confident that your procedures will change then we recommend setting the minimum installation requirement quantity to zero with the quantity needed listed on the step content itself to allow you to make changes as needed.
Redlining: At the moment, redlining of new part step requirements is not available. If you do not want to require installs on run steps because of the inability to redline, go into your Org Settings, and under runs, tick the box
Allow run steps to be complete without required install.
As-Required, Continuous Usage, and Consumables in Relation to Installation Requirements
You should only associate build requirements to steps when you are certain they will always be installed.
If a material will always be used during the execution of a step—but the exact quantity may vary—you should add it as a 0-quantity build requirement on that step. This ensures technicians are prompted to record the actual usage without forcing a fixed amount.
Example: You always apply epoxy, but the amount differs each time. → Add epoxy to the mBOM and associate it to the appropriate step with a 0 quantity.
Do not associate build requirements to steps when installation is optional or situational.
If a material is not always installed, do not attach it to a step. Instead, you may:
Keep it in the mBOM without step association, or
Add the build requirement to the aBOM during the run when needed.
Example: A shim is only occasionally required to level a plate. → Leave it unassociated in the mBOM and add it to the aBOM only on runs where it is required.
Planned future behavior: optionality and redlining on runs.
In a future release, operators will be able to redline build requirements directly on a run, enabling optional materials within step associations. Until this is available, customers should follow the guidance above to avoid blocking steps with requirements that may not apply.
If you are blocked on a run due to required installs, you may temporarily allow steps to complete without them.
If a run cannot proceed because a required install was incorrectly assigned:
Have an admin toggle the organization setting “Allow run steps to complete without required install.”
Update your procedure and build-requirement associations following the best practices in this section to prevent future disruptions.
Coming Soon
mBOM Importer improvements: We want to improve how you import mBOMs to allow you to preserve as many connections with existing procedures as possible. This will enable you to make small changes to mBOMs without recreating all of your required installations on procedure steps.
Parts Panel and Step Build Requirements Assignment Panel Workflow Improvements: At the moment, to access the step build requirements assignment panel, you need to click through the parts panel on the procedure. We know that manufacturing engineers will spend more time on assigning mBOM items to steps and not adding top-level assemblies to the procedure. We'll make improvements to make these views more streamlined and accessible from the procedure.
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