Show the machine before the service call.
Movement, service points, parts references and documentation connected to one product journey.
Private discussion study · not a client endorsement3D PARTS CATALOGUES AND SERVICE GUIDES FOR EQUIPMENT MAKERS
Interactive spare‑parts
catalogues
for manufacturers.
Built from your CAD, parts lists and manuals. Customers and dealers find the right part faster, and your team takes fewer calls.
Start with one machine and one useful outcome. Your team approves the references and fitment rules before anything is customer-facing.
INTERACTIVE PRODUCT EXAMPLE
01 / CONVEYOR
Loading the conveyor example…
FROM MACHINE TO COMPONENT
One visual path from assembly to enquiry.
↗
Independent demonstration using Creator Transfer Chamber open-hardware CAD. Not a customer installation.
VISUAL IDENTIFICATION
SERVICE CONTEXT
DOCUMENTATION LINKS
ONE MACHINE TO START
THE GAP BETWEEN A MACHINE AND A PART NUMBER
Your customer can
see the problem.
Can they name the part?
A description, a phone photo, an old PDF. Your team pieces together which component the customer means before the enquiry can move forward.
The visual selector gives both sides a shared reference. Customers find the assembly, select the component and send its approved identifier, quantity and machine details. Your team can then check fitment, availability and the next step.
“It’s the small bearing beside the pulley.”
Flange bearing · 1293N500 · Qty 2
Illustrative enquiry using the archived demo BOM.THREE INTERACTIVE PARTS CATALOGUE EXAMPLES
Find it. Confirm it.
Send the enquiry.
Start small with a guided conveyor journey, then see the same approach on whole machines built straight from their CAD and bill of materials.
Start with the bearing beside the pulley.
A guided example from vague description to reference-ready enquiry.
Loads a 9.1 MB model. No sign-in required.
01
Describe the problem
02
Confirm the reference
03
Build the request
A whole machine, from its STEP file.
452 parts in a plastic shredder: separate the assemblies, X-ray to any part, turn the blade shafts and check each part against the bill of materials.
Loads a 1.7 MB model. No sign-in required.
01
Separate and X-ray
02
Check the BOM match
03
Spot the mismatches
526 parts, from an ERP parts list.
A CNC router built from its 93 MB STEP file: watch it come apart in three stages, run a cutting job, and see how many of each part the CAD places against how many the bill of materials supplies.
Loads a 1.2 MB model. No sign-in required.
01
Separate in stages
02
Run a job
03
Check the counts
All three examples use open-hardware CAD and BOM data: the Creator Transfer Chamber (CERN-OHL-P v2), the Precious Plastic Shredder Pro 2.0 by Stichting One Army (CC BY-SA 4.0) and the Mekanika Evo M by Mekanika (CERN-OHL-S v2). Our converted models are shared under the same licences. Fitment is unverified. A client pilot uses the customer’s approved part data and review process. Nothing in these demos is sent.
PRIVATE PRODUCT STUDIES
See your machine
before you commit.
We prepare tailored, non-public examples for selected manufacturers. They show what one machine could do as a sales, parts or service experience without pretending to be a published case study.
Make the assembly easier to explain.
Explore the machine, isolate a component and move from a vague description to an approved enquiry.
Private discussion study · public data onlyTurn product data into a useful interface.
Start with one model, one parts or service question and a review process your team can verify.
Private discussion study · scoped for discussionHave a product that needs a tailored example? We can prepare a private product study from a public page first, then define what your team would need to make it exact.
Request a private studyFROM YOUR CAD AND PARTS LIST
Send the STEP file.
Get the explorer, and the gaps.
Two real machines, built by our pipeline from the makers’ own files: one STEP assembly and one parts list each.
| Shredder Pro 2.0 | Mekanika Evo M | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker’s files | 25 MB STEP, Excel BOM | 93 MB STEP, ERP BOM export (CSV) |
| Converted | 1.7 MB web model | 1.2 MB web model in 33 s, full sub-assembly tree kept |
| Parts placed | 452 (82 distinct) | 526 (70 distinct names, 94 shapes) |
| Matched to the BOM automatically | 87%, by drawing number and supplier reference | 63%, by standard, size and name |
| What the check found | 3 parts where CAD and BOM disagree | 21 parts where the CAD and BOM counts differ |
Both built from the makers’ own downloads: nothing redrawn. Shredder ↗ · CNC router ↗
On the shredder, the check found three places where the maker’s own CAD and parts list disagree.
| Part | The CAD says | The parts list says |
|---|---|---|
| Shaft bearings | UCFL 209 | UCFL 206 |
| Drive coupling | HRC 230 | HRC 240 |
| Taper lock bush | 3020-40 | 3020-45 and 3020-50 |
Found automatically, flagged in the explorer as “confirm before ordering”. Gaps like these are easy to miss between engineering and the parts list, and a pilot hands you the list. On the CNC router the same check compares counts: the CAD places 80 M6x16 screws where the kit’s BOM supplies 64.
A PARTS EXPERIENCE, NOT ANOTHER 3D VIEWER
The model is
only the beginning.
We connect the visual experience to the information your parts team needs. The scope starts with one assembly, your approved references and the enquiry process you already use.
See the component
in context.
Rotate the equipment, focus on an assembly and isolate a component. Use selected exploded views where they make relationships clearer.
Confirm the approved
reference.
Link selected components to the part numbers, descriptions and documents your team approves. Keep uncertain matches visible for review.
Give your team
a usable request.
Include selected parts, quantities and machine details. Start with a downloadable enquiry; scope email, website or ordering integration separately.
START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
CAD files?
Great. No CAD? Let’s look.
You do not need a perfect digital archive to start. We first check whether the available information can support a useful, trustworthy pilot.
You have CAD.
We prepare an assembly for the web and map the selected components to your parts list. We check what is sellable, what is a kit and what needs to stay internal.
A useful starting point
An assembly export and its parts list.
You have drawings or manuals.
We assess whether a selected assembly can be reconstructed from drawings, dimensions and product photos. Your product team reviews the component identities.
A useful starting point
A manual, drawing or assembly diagram.
You have the physical product.
We scope photography, measurement or scanning where suitable. Hidden components need their own references. An annotated photo catalogue may be the better first step.
A useful starting point
Product photos and access to one assembly.
Visual models do not establish manufacturing dimensions or replacement compatibility. Those need verified product data.
A SMALL, USEFUL FIRST PROJECT
One product.
A practical pilot.
Choose an assembly that creates confusing parts enquiries. Prove the workflow before committing to a wider catalogue.
-
01
Choose the enquiry problem.
Which parts are hard to describe? Who needs to find them? We agree on one product or assembly and the customer journey to test.
-
02
Check the source and map the parts.
We review the CAD, drawings or product references with your team. Selected components are linked to the identifiers you approve.
-
03
Build it. Review it together.
You get a working browser demonstration to inspect: geometry, labels, component relationships and the enquiry output.
-
04
Test it with real enquiries.
See whether customers identify the intended part and whether your team needs fewer clarification steps. Use that evidence to decide what comes next.
WHERE TO BEGIN
Pick the parts that
need a conversation.
A good pilot is an assembly people recognise visually, but struggle to describe precisely.
- Equipment with several similar rollers, bearings or fittings.
- Assemblies supplied through dealers or service teams.
- Products currently supported through PDFs and phone calls.
- A product family where your team can verify part identities.
A simple component already easy to find by its label may not need a 3D catalogue.
BEFORE WE START
A few practical
questions.
Could our engineering team build this themselves?
Yes. If you have the tools, time and product data, building internally is an option. Tidalform offers the preparation, component mapping, browser experience and review work as a focused project, so your team can contribute product expertise without owning the whole implementation.
Do you model the whole machine?
Only when that serves the task. A pilot can focus on one useful assembly and a small set of parts. The rest of the machine can remain context rather than a fully detailed catalogue.
Will customers be able to order parts?
The current demonstration prepares a local enquiry. A client project can be scoped around your existing enquiry or ordering process. Prices, stock, checkout and ERP connections need their own agreed integration and data source.
How do you know a part fits?
Appearance alone is not enough. Your team needs to approve the identifiers and any model, revision or serial-number rules. We do not infer compatibility from a photograph or a 3D mesh.
What happens to confidential CAD?
Do not send confidential files with the first enquiry. We can begin with a public product link or non-confidential image, then agree access, permitted use and what may appear in the customer-facing model before files are shared.
What does a pilot cost, and how long does it take?
That depends on the source material, component count and required connections. After reviewing a non-confidential example, we can propose a bounded scope, price and delivery plan before work starts.
LET’S FIND A GOOD FIRST ASSEMBLY
Pilot one assembly.
Learn what customers need.
Start with the product and parts enquiry that creates the most explanation. We’ll define a bounded first pilot before any confidential files are shared.
- One browser-ready assembly with agreed context.
- Selected components mapped to your approved references.
- A guided customer path and structured sample enquiry.
- One review round with your parts or service team.
Martin · Tidalform
Sunshine Coast, Australia