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The Digital Thread

Connecting the Product Life Cycle Stages
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The Digital Thread for Electrical and Electronic Engineering

The Digital Thread is a foundational element of a successful Digital Engineering implementation.  Digital conversations involving procurement, design, manufacturing and field service replace email and paper documents.  Decisions and rationale are captured and provide traceability.

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Spanning The Extended-Enterprise

A browser-based approach allows for faster deployment and easier adoption lead to productive multi-organization interactions. An activity such as a design review or a part procurement can be broken down into digital conversations across design disciplines or in the case of procurement, across suppliers.  The conversations can start with a technical data package but can be expanded with images or new documents.  The conversations are retained for a historical record of how decisions were ultimately made.

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Decisions and traceability

Decisions and Traceability

The model-based design has verification gates to ensure that the implementation reflects the model definition.  The verification gates are comprised of design reviews, trade-offs, changes and ultimately approval.  The digital conversations behind those activities and approvals become part of the digital thread. If a critical design change is made, a digital record of the concern, options, and decision-makers is available.

Recording Verification Events

A foundational element of model-based systems engineering is the verification gate which is comprised of verification requirements.  Each gate represents a confirmation that the implementation is fulfilling the intent of the model and product.  Another benefit of the verification event is maintaining model relevance through the product life cycle.

Verification and the Digital Thread

Data Driven smart manufacturing

Data Drives Smart Manufacturing

As the manufacturing floor becomes more automated, the information needed to drive the workflows increases dramatically.  Cross-functional teams need to collaborate on digital work instructions utilizing mobile and wearable devices to improve quality and lower waste.  The Digital Thread helps convert design data into manufacturing processes and quality data collection.

Connecting the Digital Thread

Anark is a leading provider of intelligent information management (IIM) software and solutions for the technology industry.  Anark Core transforms technical data into use-case-specific content, offering managed access and visual collaboration from nearly any device, with modern digital workflows—yielding faster iterations, reduced material waste, and higher-quality products and services with substantial cost savings.

Anark is a Zuken Technical Partner for E3.series, CR-8000 and DS-2Anark

Anark digital thread communication

Features and Benefits

The Digital Thread enables cross-functional teams spanning different organizations to easily and reliably communicate. Today’s complex product development processes demand collaboration throughout the product life cycle including procurement, design, manufacturing and field service.

Digital Engineering processes require the elimination of paper with digital conversations. Utilizing a browser-based tool eliminates the needs of multiple departments to learn a new tool. Engineering, manufacturing, and procurement can review a BOM as a digital conversation.

The Digital Thread can offer huge value in the procurement process. An OEM can source a part to multiple suppliers and have private digital conversations with each. A technical data package is part of the conversation.  The activity may be to acquire part ABC-001.  That activity can have 10 concurrent conversations with 10 suppliers. The purchase history of that part in now part of the permanent design record.

The manufacturing floor has become more connected and so does the organization. The Digital Thread can bring workflows using augmented reality to manufacturing with assembly instructions. Data can be collected from those processes to provide insight into work completed and quality.

Field service is an important factor when considering the Digital Transformation. Technical data needs to be available on mobile devices along with work instructions and in some cases the use of Augmented Reality. Repair records need to become part of the Digital Thread to measure product performance and reliability. Field service records can be the foundation for quality improvement leading to customer satisfaction.

The process is based on a model built upon relationships. The model replaces the document-based design. The model is typically created by the Systems Engineering team who converts system purpose into structure, behavior, and requirements.  The model is considered the single source of truth.

Many companies struggle with design reviews which are typically done through emails and meetings. The approval process may be nothing more than an email. The Digital Thread offers the ability to define a Design Review as an activity comprised of multiple conversations on the BOM, SI, Power, manufacturing, etc.  The activity approver has all this information upon which to base their decision.

The model must remain relevant through the product development process. This is accomplished through verification gates which are comprised of a set of verification requirements. The design can not proceed to the next development phase until the gate requirements are satisfied.  This ensures the product is consistent with the model.

Recent Digital Thread Blog Posts

MBSE GENESYS 2021 R2 - Now includes REST API
  • Blog
December 06, 2021
Bonjour GENESYS: Model-Based Systems Engineering in French

In this week’s blog post we’re sharing an exciting sneak peek of the 2021 R2 release of GENESYS, the latest version of our model-based systems engineering development platform, including a new language option and an extended API.

Read now
Graphic of MBSE's impact on digital transformation in electrical engineering, with icons for data, cloud, and circuits.
  • Blog
February 11, 2021
The role of MBSE in the Digital Transformation of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Digital Transformation should go beyond a simple mapping of analog documents and processes into the digital domain. This blog post explores new ways and opportunities to enhance today’s methods and processes for increased efficiency and accelerated innovation.

Read now
Engineering Co-Design
  • Blog
January 07, 2021
Engineering Co-Design Across Domains

As engineers face increasing complexity across electronics and electrical systems, they need a single set of related data to offer insights into the product’s various processes and functions. Simply stated, they need a digital thread for electrical systems.

Read now
digital thread
  • Blog
December 03, 2020
Managing the Digital Thread for Electrical Systems

As engineers face increasing complexity across electronics and electrical systems, they need a single set of related data to offer insights into the product’s various processes and functions. Simply stated, they need a digital thread for electrical systems.

Read now
Is Your Product Development Process Infected?
  • Blog
September 24, 2020
Is Your Product Development Process Infected?

COVID has not only been disruptive to our daily lives but now we’re seeing the effects on our work lives as well. Companies are facing new challenges, from remote tool access to the purchase and distribution of new online tools.

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paperless engineering
  • Blog
June 30, 2020
Paperless Engineering with E3.WiringChecks and E3.WiringCockpit

Communication between disciplines is increasingly critical as complex designs require more and more collaboration. Communication gaps often riddle engineering companies. E3.WiringChecks and E3.WiringCockpit is here to facilitate communication between design, checking, commissioning, technicians, and all parties involved after the initial design.

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