The three approaches
In progress.
- Meaningful numbering — encodes classification, material, or function in the part number itself.
- Meaningless numbering — a pure identifier; metadata lives in attributes.
- Hybrid — a short prefix carries one or two stable facts; the rest is meaningless.
What each one costs in year three
The costs only show up after the catalog grows past ~5,000 active parts. That's where this draft will spend most of its time.