Predictika · Aerospace bearings

An AI sales agent's rod end bearing order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for aerospace rod end bearings: the bearing series, female or male shank, dash size, keyway and left hand thread options, and the load, pin size and temperature the customer needs. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public RBC Aerospace Bearings catalog pages and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Self-lubricated high misalignment and CRES metal-to-metal rod end bearings, female and male: dash sizes, bore, static radial limit load, temperature range and options. See everything this validator covers

This validator models an order for RBC Aerospace Bearings rod ends, based on four public catalog pages (2008 edition), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Series and sizes — the high misalignment self-lubricated rod ends (female and male) in dash sizes 03, 03A, 04, 05, 05A, 06, 07, 08, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 20, and the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends (female and male) in sizes 03 to 16. A size the catalog does not list for the chosen series is blocked.
  • Bore and load — each size has a listed bore and a static radial limit load; the pin size and the load the customer needs, and any limit load stated in the order, are compared with the catalog. Sizes whose limit load the catalog bases on the pin go to a person.
  • Temperature and options — the CRES rod ends are listed for -65 to +325 degrees F. The high misalignment pages give no temperature range, so an order with a temperature outside that range goes to a person. A keyway or a left hand thread is shown in the catalog, the two together are not, and the male CRES load ratings apply without lubricators.

Any rod end order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (RBC publishes none, so this page shows no price build-up or line-item quote), the high temperature series, other RBC product lines, thread sizes, dimensions and misalignment angles. The catalog pages are marketing and engineering summaries: where they give no figure, the validator states none.

The AI sales agentBuilds the rod end bearing order from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      
Waiting for the call.

Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong

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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Sizes that exist in one series but not anotherOnly with care
The size list differs by series (03A, 05A and 20 only in the high misalignment series), so each series needs its own list of allowed sizes.
Series, shank type and size are checked together against the catalog on every call.
Load rating against the load the customer needsOnly with workarounds
The rating is a property of each size and series, and the required load is a separate field, so the comparison is often left to a person.
The size is looked up and the rating, the required load and any stated rating are compared in one request.
Pin size against the bore of the selected sizeOnly with care
The bore is a per-size attribute that has to be compared with a customer measurement held elsewhere.
The pin diameter is compared with the bore of the selected size on every call.
Series-specific limits such as temperatureOnly with workarounds
A temperature range that applies to one series only, and none stated for the other, is a conditional rule per series.
The CRES range is enforced; for the series with no stated range the order goes to a person.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the order is saved or a step is completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next.
All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

What this validator catches: findings from its test cases

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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

1The application needs a static radial limit load of 23,621 lbf; the selected size is rated 23,620 lbf.
2The application needs a static radial limit load of 15,000 lbf; the selected size is rated 8,260 lbf.
3The customer pin or bolt is 0.75 inch; the selected size has a bore of 0.625 inch.
4The quote states a static radial limit load of 30,550 lbf; the selected size is rated 23,620 lbf.
5This dash size is not listed for the selected series; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed in sizes 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 10, 12, 14 and 16, while the high misalignment rod ends also list sizes 03A, 05A and 20.
6The catalog limit load for this size is based on pin limitation; a person should confirm the pin or bolt that will be used.
7The application runs from 0 to 400 degrees F; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed for -65 to +325 degrees F.
8The application runs from -80 to 200 degrees F; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed for -65 to +325 degrees F.
9The catalog pages for the high misalignment rod ends give no temperature range; a person should confirm the 70 to 450 degrees F operating range with RBC.
10The catalog shows part numbers for a keyway or a left hand thread but not for both on this series; a person should confirm the combination with RBC.
11The catalog says the male CRES load ratings apply to bearings without lubricators; a person should confirm the rating with a lubricator.
12The application needs a static radial limit load of 25,000 lbf; the selected size is rated 18,560 lbf.
13The customer pin or bolt is 0.625 inch; the selected size has a bore of 0.5 inch.
14The quote states a static radial limit load of 17,430 lbf; the selected size is rated 18,560 lbf.
15The application runs from 70 to 350 degrees F; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed for -65 to +325 degrees F.
16The catalog pages for the high misalignment rod ends give no temperature range; a person should confirm the -80 to 70 degrees F operating range with RBC.

Scenarios and results

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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

1. Temperature above the CRES range: CRES female rod ends for a hot link at 380 degrees F

The agent's request. Please quote 24 CRES metal-to-metal female rod ends in dash size 10. The customer's pin is 0.625 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 18,000 lbf, at -40 to 380 degrees F. The listed limit load for this size is 20,600 lbf. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Blocked.

  • Outside the CRES temperature range. The application runs from -40 to 380 degrees F; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed for -65 to +325 degrees F.

2. Temperature above the CRES range: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

The agent's request. Please quote 24 self-lubricated high misalignment female rod ends in dash size 10. The customer's pin is 0.625 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 18,000 lbf, at -40 to 380 degrees F. The listed limit load for this size is 23,620 lbf. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Needs approval.

  • Temperature not covered by the catalog page. The catalog pages for the high misalignment rod ends give no temperature range; a person should confirm the -40 to 380 degrees F operating range with RBC.
  • Order summary. 24 rod ends with a bore of 0.625 inch and a static radial limit load of 23,620 lbf each.

3. Load above the CRES rating: CRES male rod ends at 22,000 lbf

The agent's request. Please quote 60 CRES metal-to-metal male rod ends in dash size 10. The customer's pin is 0.625 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 22,000 lbf. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Blocked.

  • Static radial limit load too low. The application needs a static radial limit load of 22,000 lbf; the selected size is rated 20,600 lbf.

4. Load above the CRES rating: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

The agent's request. Please quote 60 self-lubricated high misalignment male rod ends in dash size 10. The customer's pin is 0.625 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 22,000 lbf. The listed limit load for this size is 23,620 lbf. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Allowed.

  • Order summary. 60 rod ends with a bore of 0.625 inch and a static radial limit load of 23,620 lbf each.

5. Size not offered in the CRES series: CRES female rod ends in size 20

The agent's request. Please quote 12 CRES metal-to-metal female rod ends in dash size 20. The customer's pin is 1.25 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 50,000 lbf. The listed limit load for this size is 70,060 lbf. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Blocked.

  • Size not listed for this series. This dash size is not listed for the selected series; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed in sizes 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 10, 12, 14 and 16, while the high misalignment rod ends also list sizes 03A, 05A and 20.

6. Size not offered in the CRES series: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

The agent's request. Please quote 12 self-lubricated high misalignment female rod ends in dash size 20. The customer's pin is 1.25 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 50,000 lbf. The listed limit load for this size is 70,060 lbf. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Allowed.

  • Order summary. 12 rod ends with a bore of 1.25 inch and a static radial limit load of 70,060 lbf each.

Narration transcript

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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an order for aerospace rod end bearings: the bearing series, female or male shank, dash size, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public RBC Aerospace Bearings catalog pages and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
  3. The agent says. Please quote 24 CRES metal-to-metal female rod ends in dash size 10. The customer's pin is 0.625 inch and the application needs a static radial limit load of 18,000 lbf, at -40 to 380 degrees F. The rest of the request is on screen. The listed limit load for this size is 20,600 lbf.
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
  5. Blocked, with one finding, all in one answer. The application runs from -40 to 380 degrees F; the CRES metal-to-metal rod ends are listed for -65 to +325 degrees F.
  6. The validator returned one blocking finding in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
  7. What this shows: for series-specific limits such as temperature, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
  9. The corrected request. It changes the series to self-lubricated high misalignment and the stated limit load as to 23,620 lbf.
  10. It calls the validator again.
  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
  12. The one blocking finding is cleared; one approval remains for a person: temperature not covered by the catalog page.
  13. One problem caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and the corrected quote now goes to a person for approval. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.