Centralize and Manage Complex Design Data with Product Data Management
Electromechanical design projects are complex, involving intricate interactions between electrical and mechanical components. Managing design deliverables and ensuring seamless collaboration across engineering disciplines can be a significant challenge.
In many organizations, mechanical and electrical engineering departments are typically disjointed. Having a common tool to bridge that divide and bring all design data together is invaluable – this is where Autodesk Vault excels, providing a powerful solution for centralizing and managing design data to deliver complete electromechanical designs efficiently and accurately.
Managing Comprehensive and Complex Design Deliverables
Fully documenting and delivering an engineering design from start to completion involves creating and managing a wide range of design deliverables. Vault ensures these are organized, accessible, and accurate throughout the entire project lifecycle.
CAD Files:
Wiring diagrams, control system schematics, neutral format CAD files (e.g. DXF for sheet metal fabrication), CAM packages (e.g. NC files and PLC programs), all need to be shared between multiple design teams and across various geographies. Traditional data storage methods like Windows folders, SharePoint, or Dropbox are inadequate for managing CAD data with complex relationships.
Autodesk Vault is purpose-built to streamline the storage and sharing of complex CAD data. Vault addresses challenges like:
- Siloed Engineering Teams: Vault securely stores all design documentation in a single, easily accessible place, and ensures all engineering teams are working from the same data, regardless of location or CAD software.
- Support for Parametric Data: Parametric design data is complex, involving intricate assemblies and multiple BOMs and numerous versions. In parametric design, a single part might be used in multiple assemblies, and Vault keeps track of that data, both at a fundamental file level as well as built material.
- Electrical Design Integration: Autodesk Vault is the best-in-class solution for managing electrical design data from the AutoCAD Electrical Toolset, by maintaining file relationships and ensuring consistency across schematics.
Bill of Materials (BOM):
A cohesive Bill of Materials ensures that both manufactured and purchased parts, as well as additional components, are accounted for. A key challenge of managing BOMs without a product data management solution like Vault is reconciling the CAD BOM with the broader Engineering BOM (eBOM). While CAD BOMs capture visual components, they often omit critical items that don’t show up on drawings like paint, grease, and lubricants. Vault allows manipulation of BOM data directly in Vault, so you can organize all components without the need for external systems like Microsoft Excel.
Supporting Documents:
Supporting documents such as assembly instructions, user manuals, spec sheets, and MSDS documentation are essential documents for sharing design data with stakeholders outside of engineering and are linked directly to relevant projects within Autodesk Vault. Additionally, Vault supports high-quality renderings for design reviews, stakeholder presentations, and marketing purposes.
Simplified Mechanical Design Data Management
Autodesk Vault is essential for Mastering Mechanical Design. It streamlines the process of managing and sharing complex mechanical design data across extended teams with advanced file management and automation capabilities:
Revision Tracking
Vault maintains a detailed history of changes at every level, allowing teams to identify revisions and their impact on assemblies.
File Management
Vault maintains the links between assemblies and components, ensuring that data integrity is preserved even as revisions occur.
Visualization Tools
Vault automatically creates shareable 2D and 3D files, making it easier to collaborate with extended design teams and non-CAD users.
Unified Electrical Design Data Management
Using the Electrical Toolset in AutoCAD with Autodesk Vault significantly improves efficiency, collaboration, and data security. Electrical design projects involve multiple files that must work together, and Vault excels at managing this complexity by:
Consolidating BOM Data
Vault combines BOM data from multiple drawings into a single, accurate list. Electrical designs often include components not present in the Electrical Toolset catalogs, and Vault provides the tools to incorporate these items seamlessly, ensuring complete and accurate BOMs.
Maintaining File Associations
Vault maintains associations between related files, simplifying project management and reducing errors. By centralizing electrical design data, Vault provides a streamlined workflow that accelerates project completion and improves accuracy.
The Full Potential of Electromechanical Design with Vault
Autodesk Vault empowers teams to deliver comprehensive electromechanical designs by centralizing data, streamlining workflows, and fostering collaboration. With its robust tools for managing CAD Files, BOMs, and project revisions, Vault eliminates inefficiencies and ensures design accuracy.
Vault bridges the gap between mechanical and electrical engineers, providing unified design views and integrating seamlessly with enterprise systems. Vault ensures all departments have access to the data they need, fostering better communication and decision-making.
Vault’s capabilities extend beyond CAD and BOM management, and enabling teams to maintain a holistic view of their projects. It serves as a centralized data repository, linking all files, from NC codes to assembly instructions, to the correct part numbers and revisions. This enhances collaboration by making critical data accessible to all stakeholders, regardless of their technical expertise or software usage.
By adopting Vault, teams can overcome the complexities of modern engineering projects and achieve new levels of efficiency and precision. Hagerman & Company specializes in implementing Autodesk Vault, whether you need basic quick-start services to complex workflow integrations. Contact us to get started.
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