The JT Workflow Forum (JT WF) is a joint project established by the prostep ivip Association and the VDA. Its task is to support the further development and industrialization of the JT format by defining coordinated industry-wide use cases. It is also driving forward standardization of JT as a DIN/ISO standard.
The vendors represented in the JT Implementor Forum (JT IF) incorporate the use cases defined and prioritized by the JT WF in their software. The tasks they perform include developing CAx JT interfaces based on the current DIN SPEC 9138:2021 and STEP AP242 XML, implementing new functions based on user requirements, and coming to an agreement on common approaches to implementation. The objective is to increase user confidence in JT by providing interoperable software.
JT-WF and IF carry out benchmarks together. The aim of these benchmarks is to compare and assess the mapping of geometry, product and manufacturing information (PMI). and validation properties in the current JT interfaces from a neutral standpoint. Interaction between STEP AP242 XML and JT in the context of transferring assembly and kinematic information will also be examined.
In 2023, the JT WF focused on the exchange of kinematic models with JT and STEP AP242 XML, the use of semantic PMI and the validation of PMI in JT files. The group conducted a survey to examine the relevance of the 41 use cases developed by the project group. It also revised the Content Harmonization Guideline, which specifies how which information is mapped in JT and STEP AP242. A new version is now available to all interested parties on prostep ivip Association website.
The group continues to support the standardization process of the JT format at ISO. A ballot was launched in 2023 to achieve international recognition of the third edition of the standard.
One highlight of the year for the entire JT community was the 7th JT Day, to which the host Schaeffler welcomed approximately 80 participants. The program of events included exciting presentations on the day-to-day work with JT and the future of the standard. The event also offered numerous opportunities for the face-to-face exchange of information and ideas at the vendors' booths.
This year, the testing performed in the Implementor Forum indicated significant progress in, among other things, the transfer of semantic PMI with validation properties, which is documented in the current version of the implementation guideline. Improvements have also been made with regard to the exchange of kinematic data using AP242 XML. Thanks to a new test model provided by the JT WF, which has a more complex mechanism, the vendors were able to increase the scope of the kinematics tests.
Benchmarks were performed in the first half of 2023 with the aim of comparing and assessing the development status of current JT interfaces in terms of mapping geometry, product and manufacturing information (PMI) and validation properties from a neutral standpoint. Interaction between STEP AP242 XML and JT in the context of transferring assembly and kinematic information was also examined. The benchmark confirmed the very good results achieved in the last rounds of testing performed in the JT IF. They will be published in both a short report available to the public and in a detailed long report for prostep ivip and VDA members.
One challenge in the project is the global orientation of the working group, which now includes not only members from Europe and Asia but also participants from the USA.
The work performed by the smaller subgroups of the JT WF is to be continued in 2024. The project group has already discussed new topics regarding content harmonization, e.g. content classification. This is intended to make it easier to classify the expected content. In 2024, both the JT WF and the JT IF will focus on the transfer of PMI to assemblies using AP242 XML and references to JT geometry elements. Further development of PMI for individual parts and kinematics, both including validation properties, is still on the agenda. One possible extension is the transfer of material information to JT.
The third edition of the JT standard ISO 14306 is expected to be published in the second quarter of 2024. Work on expanding DIN SPEC 9138:2021 to include material data is also underway .
As the JT project groups are increasingly dealing with topics that go beyond the boundaries of the JT format, they have increased the level of communication with other project groups. This meant that, for the first time, there were cross-group calls with the CAx IF project group to discuss topics they have in common. Implementation of the corresponding results by the vendors is to be tested in collaboration between the JT IF, the CAx IF (kinematics, validation properties) and the PDM IF (product structure).
I hope that we will be able to publish the new DIN SPEC 91383-2024 this year and that the extremely positive results achieved in the last JT benchmark will help to further increase the popularity of the format. If long-term success is to be ensured, the JT WF must continue to generate useful results for the use of JT and AP242 XML in industrial environments. And the more vendors take part in the rounds of testing performed in the JT IF, the better interoperability of the formats with regard to semantic PMI, kinematics and validation properties will be.
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