PackAssistant – Product

PackAssistant enables the user to handle different types of packaging­ explained in the following sections.

The parts can be imported in either of the formats JT (*.jt), STEP (*.stp, *.step), IGES (*.igs, *.iges), VRML (*.wrl) and STL (*.stl).

In addition, parameters for customer-specific packing solutions are available:

• Possibility to select the minimum distance between parts, the container base and walls, compartments.
• Adherence to the maximum load of the container.
• In order to facilitate the stability of the container, it is possible to define stable positions for the parts.
• Compute the minimum volume box of a single part.
• Automatic choice of an appropriate container from a list.

• Projects are held in a database, facilitating fast search and location of existing projects.
• Filtering can be performed for all parameters, either ­individually or by using multiple parameters at one time.
• Projects and the corresponding results tables are presented with a clear vertical layout; results can be easily compared.
• On selection of a result, a 3D representation is automatically shown, in addition to additional details regarding the project and the result parameters.
  
  

• The user interface is simplified and operation is intuitive.
• Help boxes (pop-ups) are provided for all functions, throughout the system.
• The interface can be adapted by the user for the choice of mm / inch and kg / pound settings.
• Improvement for loading parts:
• Direct creation and introduction of the automatically determined stable position.
• Option to adapt the part’s unit of length.

• 3D-Presentation
• 4-Window view, as used in common CAD-Tools.
• The packing direction is indicated by displaying three sides of a container as a grid.
• Live-adaptation of the bounding box and the maximum support surface to easily create manual stable positions.
• 3D representation of results
• Rotation of parts is user-friendly and parts are not hidden.
• Simple toggling of individual layers to be visualised / hidden in the result.

PackAssistant provides meaningful 3D images within a packing report, which in particular allows the ideal basis for the creation of specific commercial quotes. The customer can see straightaway how the objects should be arranged in the available space. Until now this had to be done by laborious drawings or graphs.

Packing reports are generated as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word documents. You can adjust the layout of the document to the needs of your company. Additionally the results can be exported as CAD-datasets in the formats JT (*.jt), STEP (*.stp, *.step) and VRML (*.wrl). This allows a more descriptive representation of the packing arrangement to be created, which can, when desired, also be included within the packing report. A 3D-viewer software can show individual sections and views of the packing arrangement.

PackAssistant accepts data from other programs via a new interface so that projects can be created and their optimizations started in an automated manner. This facilitates a more effective integration into the company‘s business processes and results in a faster workflow. The creation and optimization of projects via the automation interface takes place without user interaction or additional waiting times. Furthermore, there is no limitation on the number of projects that can be created and optimized via the add-on module.

The add-on module can be used in two ways:

• Excel Add-In:
  Part of the add-on module is an Excel add-in. This allows projects created in Excel to be sent to PackAssistant and to have the optimizations started.
• Direct use of the interface:
  The add-on module uses a standardized and widely used text format (JSON) for data exchange between PackAssistant and other software applications employed in the company. The standardized exchange format makes it possible to connect all software applications to PackAssistant that allow external programs to be called. The corresponding application must be configured accordingly and, if necessary, extended by an interface connection. The Excel Add-In is an example of such a connection to the interface.

You can find more information in the product sheet.

The following video explains the benefits of the PackAssistant Add-on module, how it works and how it may integrate into your company's established workflows.

PackAssistant runs on any standard PC with Windows 10, 11 or with Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 (64-bit versions only) and a minimum display resolution of 1280 x 1024 (without scaling). Please make sure you have installed the current version of the .NET Framework (at least 4.6.2), normally coming with the regular Windows updates.

We recommend the following hardware requirements for the PackAssistant components:

1. PackAssistant main component
   • a recent 4 core processor,
   • 8GB RAM or more,
   • 10GB hard disk space or more,
   • a recent video card driver,
   • and a display resolution of more than 1650 pixels in width (without scaling).
2. Central Database component
   • a recent 4 core processor,
   • 16GB RAM or more,
   • 100GB hard disk space or more for an average installation with one floating license and up to 3 users,
   • locally mounted disks,
   • and a low latency network connection:
     • Latency between PackAssistant-Client and database should be less than 50 ms. It’s best, if both are in the same local area network.
     • If you want to use a single database worldwide, then this will only work, if the PackAssistant-Client runs via Remote Desktop on a computer that is in the same local area network as the central database server. If Remote Desktop is not possible, then a separate database for each location or for each region could work.
3. Central License component
   • No special hardware is required. Any modern PC can be used as a license server.

In case all three components are installed on one system, then the highest system requirements from above are recommended.