Managing Design Data and Documents
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Managing Design Data and Documents
The management of engineering data by reusing existing and accurate information to avoid duplication of effort, quality implications and inefficient data maintenance is a widespread practice
The Engineering Desk is the core top module of Zuken’s DS-2 PLMready solution that manages all design data, related documents, simulation data, enclosures, Parts Lists, CAM data, wiring data wire harness data and drawings etc. It provides the central source to support multiple locations, sites, and any variation and destination type by unifying all the engineering data into one single source environment and controlling synchronization to the complete local or even international development team. The built-in change management process provides a detailed description of each design data or document object change, such as modifications to the specification, customer change, and obsolescence etc.
Highlights below:
- Registers projects and project templates for standardization
- Registers projects for reuse and sharing
- Creates Classification Trees for projects
- Defines deliverables within projects to ensure standardization
- Defines Engineering Shared Objects
- Registers member of projects, sub projects and project entities
- Provides ECN / ECR / ECO on all project entity levels
- Searches project / task / deliverables / member
- Shows project Classification Tree
- Progresses events / tasks / deliverables
- Notifies user of shared / reused objects
- Objects to be approved by user
- Objects requested to be approved by other users
- Objects being checked-out by user
- Modifies project model according to the project specification
- Diverts any existing projects as specified
- Provides an Engineering Change approach for projects
- Verifies approval status before release to product
- Provides collaboration with MRP / PDM systems
Benefits
- Outputs project progress status at any time
- Provides full access control
- Offers complete version and revision control
- Provides Electronic Engineering Change operations ECN /ECR / ECO
- Delivers where-used information on all project / data levels
- Is a single source environment for any type of product development data
- Enables integration into PDM processes on demand
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Hierarchical Design support
In today’s designs it is common to generate schematic files that include hierarchies, this is largely to enable sub blocks / sub circuits to be developed and maintained individually while being able to effectively manage changes. Such blocks can be developed in a way that enables easy design reuse. This highly sophisticated development approach is particularly recommended for experienced users designing large projects with “reused parts” of the circuitry.
To enable a high rate of reuse for hierarchical blocks, a tight and in-depth version and revision, access control and traceability approach is necessary to achieve the highest end product quality and in order to follow Design to Quality (DTQ).
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Platform Design support
Whether volumes of products are high or low, many companies experience a massive amount of variation, and with that comes design complexity. As component article numbers rise, this gets scaled up accordingly to each variant’s individual parts and assemblies – increasing the web of complexity.
One approach that is gaining much respect in the industry as ‘the way forward’ for overcoming such complexity issues is the ‘platform strategy’. This method deals in identical part / module / block / sub-block concepts, which cross model ranges and allow identical parts, components and modules to be used. This results in a significant reduction of variants and associated complexity.
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