We are all in pursuit of the truth, one way or another
Simulation is great. It is fast, inexpensive and it delivers as much insight as you can cope with. It can help you spot issues before they turn into problems, or it can help you uncover new, innovative solutions.
But your colleagues are only going to be interested in your analysis if it is based on the latest design. ‘Hang on a minute,’ they will say, ‘is that the latest engine cowling?’. It’s the inconvenient truth of engineering simulation – your outputs are only as good as your inputs.
Regular readers will know that making sense of the baffling puzzle of design revisions and modifications typical of a complex product in active development is only possible by using a single source of truth. Traceability – or knowing where your data came from and where it is going – is key.
Why use PLM based SPDM?
The only way to manage the complexity here is to connect your simulation processes and data to the same Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) environment as the underlying CAD data. We call it Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM), or Teamcenter Simulation.
Of course, the CAD data needed for simulation is different to that used for design or manufacture. Surfaces are prepared – maybe simplified or defeatured, resulting in a specific CAD file for simulation purposes. But these connections will quickly get lost unless they are tracked and managed by a PLM system.
This way, each item in the CAE analysis bill of materials (BOM) is related to a corresponding item in the original CAD BOM. These relationships are the key to understanding which design revision is captured by a particular CAE analysis.
Post credit : Siemens for image and article
