Monolithic Structures and Routings

What is a monolithic structure or routing?

Monolithic structures and routings are extensions of the traditional concepts of product structures and routings used to minimize data entry within complex assembly MRO application flows. Unlike a manufacturing facility, which deals with a single part revision, and therefore a single defined set of parts and operations, at a time, complex assembly MRO shops can and do typically perform maintenance on multiple revisions of a given overhaul part at the same time. Although performed on different revisions of an overhaul part, as well as on overhaul parts built up from different combinations of alternates, maintenance tasks often contain similar elements. For example, a similar set of problems may be defined for different revisions of an overhaul part. Or a similar set of operations may be involved in performing the same maintenance task on overhaul parts built up of different combinations of alternates. Or the same level of disassembly may be required to perform different repairs on different components of the same overhaul part.

Monolithic structures and routings are so called because they define a superset (or 'monolithic' set) of parts or machine and labor operations. Monolithic structures and routings are used with assembly, disassembly and repair. Because they are not defined for a superset of parts or operations, disposition structures and routings are not monolithic. Disposition structures and routings are defined by the user to identify  consumable parts used up during and machine and labor operations involved in the inspection process. Although disposition structures and routings are defined for position parts, the parts and operations are generic to all valid position alternates. Any variance in the inspection will occur only at the level of the work instructions.

Monolithic structures and routings for disassembly and disassembly

Monolithic structures and routings are generated for disassembly and assembly during the transfer of the VIM template structure to manufacturing. These monolithic structures and routings represent respectively the set of all parts, including alternates, and machine and labor actions used for the parts and valid alternates for the specific aspect of MRO maintenance. For example, a monolithic disassembly structure specifies all the possible parts, including alternates, involved in the complete disassembly of the overhaul part. The corresponding monolithic disassembly routing specifies all possible machine and labor actions which could be performed on all possible parts, including alternates, involved in the complete disassembly of the overhaul part. Monolithic structures and routings, for both disassembly and assembly, are defined in terms of position parts. 

These monolithic disassembly and assembly structures and routings are used in the automatic generation of disassembly and assembly shop orders that occurs when the interim orders associated with a work order for which work scope has been specified are released. Because the actual serial structure of the overhaul part is not know until disassembly, both the disassembly and assembly shop orders use the monolithic disassembly and assembly structures and routings defined for position parts. This significantly reduces the number of structures and routings that would otherwise need to be created to support disassembly and assembly. Similarly, disposition shop orders are created by the release of the interim order structure. These disposition shop orders also are created for position parts.

Monolithic structures and routings for repair

Monolithic repair structures and routings, however, are somewhat different. Repair structures and routings are user-created rather than system-generated. Repair structures and routings represent only the superset all possible spare and consumable parts used up during and machine and labor operations involved in the repair process. Repair structures and routings are defined for 'real' rather than position parts.

Monolithic structures and routings with MRO manufacturing operational data

Monolithic structures and routings significantly can also work in conjunction with MRO manufacturing operational data elements to reduce data entry. A monolithic structure or routing can be combined with one or more MRO manufacturing operational data elements to create a structure or routing which is unique for the specific case. For monolithic disassembly and assembly routings, maintenance levels and repair codes are the relevant MRO manufacturing operational data elements; for monolithic repair routings, disposition codes, discrepancy codes and repair codes are all used. Thus, for example, the user can build up specific structure and routing information information for maintenance levels or repair codes.

Consider the process of defining maintenance level structures. Used in both disassembly and assembly, a maintenance level represents a state of disassembly either to tear an overhaul part down to (i.e., disassembly) or at which to start putting the overhaul part back together (i.e., assembly). Maintenance level structures specify the the parts to be removed to get to this level (i.e., a disassembly structure) or put back on from this level (i.e., an assembly structure). Maintenance level disassembly and assembly structures are defined as the subset of the parts in monolithic disassembly or assembly structure relevant for the specific maintenance level. Each maintenance level structure reuses the monolithic structure.

Maintenance level routings behave similarly. A maintenance level routing specifies the machine and labor operations required to remove the components to get to this level (i.e., a disassembly routing) or put back components on from this level (i.e., an assembly routing). Maintenance level disassembly and assembly routings are likewise defined as the subset of the operations in monolithic disassembly or assembly routing relevant for the specific maintenance level.