Additional Windchill Capabilities > Manufacturing Process Management > Windchill MPMLink Overview > MPMLink Explorers > About the Process Plan Explorer > About Process Plan Explorer Tabs > Control Characteristics
  
Control Characteristics
In a process, part, assembly, or system, control characteristics are any functional features, geometrical or material properties, that can be qualified, measured, or quantified and for which variation or deviation control is necessary.
Use the Control Characteristics tab to view and add control characteristics, as well as manage the resources allocated to a control characteristic. Different options are available, depending on the object selected in the structure pane:
If a part or process plan is selected then use this tab to create control characteristics
If an operation is selected then use this tab to allocate control characteristics and resources to other control characteristics
Available Actions
The following table explains the actions available from the toolbar on this tab:
Control Characteristics Task Toolbar
Icon
Action
Description
Insert Existing
Adds an existing control characteristic.
Insert New
Adds a new control characteristic.
Remove Standard Control Characteristic
Removes the selected control characteristic from the part or operation to which it was allocated.
Copy Standard Control Characteristic
Copies the selected control characteristic to the clipboard.
Paste
Moves the control characteristic on the clipboard to the designated location.
Update Model Item
Searches for and selects a new model item that is to be associated with the control characteristic.
Show Search Bar/ Hide Search Bar
Use to search a control characteristic from a list of control characteristics.
Table views (Default)
Customizes the table views.
Attributes in Control Characteristics Tab
The following attributes are present in the Control Characteristics tab of Manufacturing Associative Part Structure Browser:
Number
Name
Severity
Description
Model Item Graphical Representation
Version
Context
You can edit the values Severity and Description of a control characteristic inline. If a model item is associated with a control characteristic, then the information about the model item is displayed in Model Item Graphical Representation.
Model Item Graphical Representation in Control Characteristic tab
You can add a control characteristic in the control characteristic tab by using the following operations:
Insert Existing
Insert New
Paste
The information displayed in the Model Item Graphical Representation attribute varies based on the selection.
If there is no model item associated with the part, attribute is blank.
If there is only one value that meets the criteria, attribute shows the default value.
If there are multiple values, by default the record shows blank for this attribute. The system launches the Select Model Item dialog box from which you can assign model item to a cc record. Select a model item from the Model Item ID drop down list for a given record. You are required to perform this selection for each record of the control characteristic for a specified category. A model item can be assigned only once to a cc record. If no model item is selected, then the filed will be blank. If all but one model item remains to be assigned, this model item is automatically assigned to the next record you create for this control characteristic.