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Part Numbers but make them words
Caden_Armstrong
Member Posts: 399 PRO
I recently wrote a blog article about "Smart" Part numbers and how they tend to create more problems than they solve.
At the end of the article I included some other "fun" options for part numbers.
One of the ideas was inspired by What3Words - what if the part number was a combination of 3 random words?
Some commentors were curious what it would look like in practice…So I threw together a quick demo with FeatureScript.
Check it out here:
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/a0e627b210f40b3429e97f9f/w/8396d6be1955ad08f9567a16/e/043f204d8ca76147c63db56e
The result? I guess its slightly easier to read than sequential numbers - there might be a context this is helpful. But I don't think I've reinvented the wheel.
Experts in Onshape Automation - Custom Features and Integrated Applications
Comments
You see the same naming convention in a few different places where human memorization or disambiguation of pronunciation is the priority in a system, like sentence structure passwords or for the fun error messages Asana shows me when they forget to pay the AWS bill and I gotta give an error code over the phone that's a string of 4 words to the tech on the other end. So this kind of "numbering" scheme could be extremely useful in situations that aren't entirely online connected systems where the data transfer is by word of mouth. Maybe your production floor is in a completely air gapped bunker where instructions are fed via paper envelope and yelled through a talk tube, or over analog radio.
Derek Van Allen | Engineering Consultant | MeddlerI've seen this kind of thing applied to product serial numbers very successfully, but never thought about it for PNs. Could be handy in the right product.
The Onsherpa | Reach peak Onshape productivity
www.theonsherpa.com
I've seen similar in software versioning. My printer currently runs firmware "Philantropic.Cockroach", for example. I think it will be fun on the shop floor with Frederic the welder asking Mahmut the fork lift driver wether he has already unloaded the "Pink.Salty.Mole" due to be delivered today.
But I agree, fun aside, that it would be easier in communication.