Linking CAD to the line: wins and pitfalls

We piloted CAD-driven 3D work instructions on a catheter subassembly. Operators liked the orientation clarity and we saw fewer reworks from flipped parts. The big surprise was faster training. New hires reached takt faster when they could step through an explode sequence instead of decoding a busy 2D print.

A few lessons. Keep the viewer constrained and the views locked. Too much freedom equals lost time and wrong camera angles. Build station-specific configurations that only show kitted parts. Drive callouts like torque and adhesive lot hold times from a single source, not text typed twice in CAD and MES.

Pitfalls were mostly about control. Model updates broke links in Composer/Illustrate more than I expected, and we had to tighten ownership between design and manufacturing. Viewer licensing and IT on cleanroom terminals took planning. Validation also grows, so we documented view states like any software requirement.

Who has taken MBD or 3D instructions to production in a regulated shop? What tools and change-control setup worked, and how did you validate without slowing every ECO to a crawl?