In the increasingly complex world of product development, companies use multiple CAD systems to design various product parts to meet the challenges of meeting different market, customer, and regulatory needs. Due to niche design requirements, this approach is sometimes necessary, but it is often the result of organizational preferences or mergers/acquisitions, which poses significant challenges to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).
The goal of PLM is to manage the entire lifecycle of a product, from concept to disposal, which involves complex coordination and management of large amounts of data among various stakeholders. If the PLM system is not suitable for adaptation, using multiple CAD systems may exacerbate these challenges.
What is Multi CAD in PLM?
Multi CAD in PLM is the ability to manage and integrate data from different CAD systems within a single PLM system. The Multi CAD in PLM enables companies to simplify product development processes across different CAD systems. Multi CAD in PLM allows companies to:
Accessing and viewing data from different CAD systems in a universal interface
Convert and exchange data between different CAD systems without losing information or quality
Collaborate and communicate with different stakeholders using common data formats and languages
Control and track changes and revisions to data from different CAD systems
Optimize and validate product performance and quality using data from different CAD systems
Why is multi CAD important in PLM?
Multi CAD in PLM is important as it can help companies improve product development efficiency, quality, and innovation. Multi CAD in PLM can help you:
Reduce product development time and costs by eliminating data conversion and translation errors and delays
Enhance product development flexibility and flexibility by using the best CAD system for each design task
Improve product development collaboration and coordination by promoting data sharing and communication between different CAD systems
Improve product development quality and reliability by ensuring data consistency and accuracy between different CAD systems
Promote product development innovation and competitiveness by utilizing the functions and characteristics of different CAD systems
Customer viewpoint: Lufthansa Technik
Our client Lufthansa Technik is a leading provider of aircraft, engine, and component maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. With global operations and over 25 years of service, Lufthansa Technologies needs to integrate its component data management into a PLM system. A determining factor of the PLM system is its ability to support multiple CAD enterprises. We sat down with Severin Todt, Senior IT Director at Lufthansa Technik, to discuss their digital threading journey, particularly its relationship with integrating into a PLM system that can support multiple CAD enterprises.
Severin said this:
When we consider integrating PLM, we must choose which PLM system to use and which company we want to collaborate with in the process of moving towards a PLM system. Due to this decision or conceptual challenge, we have decided to have an MVP (Minimum Feasible Product) to demonstrate or have the company demonstrate their ability to provide us with the product they want. PTC told us that they have the best multi CAD integration, and we are skeptical about it, but they have demonstrated on MVP that multi CAD is best supported by PTC Windchill.
We did compare it with other PLM systems. I won't tell you which PLM systems, but what's impressive is that the facts and data we see from pre-sales are also proven in real-life MVP. It is not only related to supporting a good multi CAD environment, but also the way PTC is executed in our evaluation. Therefore, we not only challenged the technology, but also challenged the team's support for us. This is also very convincing.
You can watch the complete interview here.
Windchill is a first-class PLM system
In the field of product lifecycle management, Windchill is the primary solution for multi CAD enterprises seeking to completely change their product development process. To bridge the gap between complexity and innovation, Windchill provides a powerful, flexible, and intelligent PLM platform aimed at meeting the diverse needs of modern enterprises. By achieving digital transformation and cultivating competitive advantages, Windchill is not only a tool, but also a strategic ally in driving the product development landscape. Let's delve deeper into Windchill's countless ways of empowering teams and transforming processes:
Seamless multi CAD collaboration: Windchill supports multiple CAD file formats, making it easy to collaborate across various CAD tools. This means that the team can use their favorite CAD software without worrying about compatibility issues.
Native CAD data management: Store and manage CAD data in its original format without the need for conversion or translation. This ensures data integrity and simplifies management tasks.
Synchronize CAD data: Automatically synchronize changes and revisions from different CAD systems to maintain consistency and accuracy of the entire product data.
Unified digital thread: connecting every stage of product development, from concept to service, integrating CAD data with important product information to achieve an overall view.
Real time insights and analysis: Share actionable insights into product performance and usage, support continuous improvement, and drive innovation.
Integration with cutting-edge technology: Windchill seamlessly integrates with IoT platforms such as ThingWorx, augmented reality platforms such as Vuforia, and generative design tools such as Creo. This opens up possibilities for predictive maintenance, immersive product experience, and AI driven design optimization.
Implementing Multiple CAD Strategies with Windchill
In the field of product development, the integration of multiple CAD systems in PLM, such as Windchill, is a key driver of innovation, efficiency, and collaboration. Lufthansa Technik's experience in Windchill highlights the transformative potential of a unified PLM environment that can seamlessly adapt to various CAD tools.
Windchill's ability to bridge the gap between different CAD systems, ensure data integrity, and simplify product development processes highlights its position as a leading PLM solution. For companies committed to managing the complexity of modern product design and manufacturing, adopting a multi CAD strategy in PLM systems like Windchill is essential for improving productivity, quality, and market competitiveness.
