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Behind the industrial standard: Why is the nationally unified part numbering so important?
In modern industry, part numbering (usually referred to as PN or P/N for short) is a key tool in identifying a specific design or material.The existence of these numbers is intended to simplify references to parts and thus reduce ambiguity in communication.For example, when you need to specify a screw, the word "HSC0424PP" is obviously more than the lengthy "hardware, screw, mechanical, 4-40, 3/4 inches long, flat head , Ruks "is easier and clearer."
A part number clearly identifies the design of parts within a single company, sometimes even spanning several companies.
The division of part numbers is crucial because it helps maintain consistency and transparency between businesses, suppliers and customers.In addition, the part number itself is often distinguished from the serial number, which is a unique identification code for a specific entity. Multiple entities based on the same design will have different serial numbers.So when a customer buys a P/N
silencer and then buys another same model next week, the customer actually buys "two identical parts".However, the use of different part numbers is common in the industry.Commercially used part numbers are usually different from those used by the manufacturer.In particular, common products, such as screws, may be produced by multiple companies, so the numbers of each company will vary.This allows business customers to create their own part numbering systems in order to maintain consistency.
This design not only facilitates management, but also improves procurement efficiency.
In formulating a nationwide unified part numbering system, some countries and industry associations have also cooperated in an attempt to establish a unified product coding system.Taking Irancode, the national classification and coding system of Irancode as an example, the system uses 16-bit encoding to unify the national product logo.The U.S. government, especially the Department of Defense, has also developed different part numbering systems, such as AN (Army-Naval) and MS (Military Standard) systems to manage accessories from its suppliers.
In addition, there are meaningful and meaningless parts numbering systems.In a meaningful numbering system, the numbering is based on a specific encoding method to clearly indicate the characteristics of the component.For example, different elements in
HSC0424PPrepresent different component features.However, the meaningless numbering system that is opposite may be numbered in a random manner or in sequence. Such numbers are not illustrative in use, but are often simpler and more effective in management.For example, a number such as 3907 may not disclose any data about its thread size or drive type.
In many businesses, the suffix number (which we call dash number) is also used to handle the relationship between parts.These numbers are often used to associate a detailed set of parts or subassemblies into a common assembly or part series.Such identification systems help simplify management in business and production environments.
In the relationship between part number and drawing number, drawing number is usually the basis of part number, and these suffix numbers are often displayed on the same drawing.This design greatly facilitates the expansion of the numbering system and allows for adjustable space when more part definitions may be added in the future.
For example, for drawing number
, its associated part number may be P/N-1 and contains the number of its detailed accessories, such as -2, -3, etc.Lastly, there is also machine-readable marking technology, and many parts now record their numbers in the form of barcodes or QR codes.This not only improves efficiency in the production process, but also makes our current data management more convenient.Will future trends make such markers more common?
In this context, the importance of part numbering is self-evident. It not only does not stumble in communication between enterprises, but also improves the operational efficiency of the overall supply chain.Faced with the ever-changing market environment, can there be a global unified numbering system that can more effectively promote the development of international trade and cross-border cooperation?
