Archive for the ‘CAD Conversion’ Category
Friday, December 11th, 2020
Online conferences can be rather tedious affairs. PROSTEP proved that it doesn’t have to be that way with its PROSTEP TECHDAY. The professionally moderated online sessions with short presentations about key new products and interesting presentations by customers offered participants a diverse and entertaining program. “The quality was almost as good as on TV,” said one of the viewers.
With almost 150 participants, this year’s PROSTEP TECHDAY was better “attended” than ever before. The response was extremely positive. Many of those participating congratulated us via e-mail on the “super event”, the great format, the professional support provided by TV and event host Julia Bauer and the informative and professional presentations by the speakers.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s customary meeting of the PROSTEP community took place on screen, to some extent like a TV series with three episodes and different protagonists. Each session kicked off with a brief review of what has been achieved since the previous TECHDAY and how PROSTEP is positioning itself as a partner for the digital transformation. There is no way around the cloud. According to Gartner, 75 percent of companies are navigating their way to the cloud, which is why we, too, have made our software solutions cloud-ready.
In cooperation with the DARZ data center in Darmstadt, we are making our OpenDXM GlobalX data exchange platform available as a SaaS model – an offering that is already in productive use at customers like OSRAM Continental and Valeo Siemens. The cloud offering is soon to be expanded to include additional services such as the data conversion service OpenDESC.com. We also have plans to offer PLM integration to an increasing extent as a service based on our cloud-capable OpenPDM product suite. To facilitate the deployment of applications in different cloud infrastructures, the company is working intensively on integrating technologies like Docker, Kubernetes and OpenShift, said Udo Hering, head of Product Management.
Getting to grips with topics of the future is of strategic importance to PROSTEP, which is why we participate in numerous research projects. They play a key role in the context of developing new software products such as the OpenCLM traceability solution, which product manager Dr. Fabrice Mogo Nem presented to a wider audience for the first time at PROSTEP TECHDAY. As Dr. Mogo Nem pointed out, it is not merely another PDM/PLM system but a layer that makes the relationships between the information distributed across different data silos and domains transparent, thus reducing the amount of time and effort required to find information and ensure requirements regarding traceability are being met. OpenCLM will be available from July next year but can already be put to the test in a proof of concept.
Client for CAD data processing
OpenDXM GlobalX was the protagonist in the first session. In the current version 9.2, PROSTEP has expanded the new web interface to enable administrators to also perform all their essential tasks on the web, as Product Manager Daniel Wiegand explained. A new and powerful CAD client is now available to companies that want to use the data exchange platform without PDM/PLM integration. It analyzes the components stored in a directory and independently puts together the assemblies that are to be sent. The client also offers a convenient 3D preview function that allows the assemblies to be viewed prior to being sent. The OpenDXM Broker can be used to automate processes like data conversion.
We have expanded the range of PDM integrations offered to include a new plug-in for the 3D dashboard that is part of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The plug-in makes it possible for multiple data sets to be sent in a single operation. The roadmap for the next version of OpenDXM GlobalX includes not only improving security functions using two-factor authentication but also another plug-in for the Teamcenter Active Workspace client.
Alexander Meier from the automotive supplier HBPO used the ECTR plug-in as an example to illustrate how quickly OpenDXM GlobalX can be integrated into the SAP landscape and how easy the solution is to use. HBPO develops and manufactures high-quality front-end modules, cockpits and center consoles for the automotive industry. Users at the company can not only create send jobs in their familiar interface but also receive feedback in SAP ECTR as to whether the job has been successfully transferred to the data exchange platform and the data delivered to the recipient.
Function for hollowing assemblies
TECHDAY’s second session focused on the automated provision of product data from PLM and ERP systems to downstream processes in manufacturing, assembly and service. Product Manager Timo Trautmann explained the technological transformation of PDF Generator 3D, which has become a powerful platform for converting 2D and 3D data into a wide variety of formats, to participants.
It not only allows 3D PDF documents to be created automatically but also makes it possible to publish 2D and 3D data in HTML5 format so that it can be displayed in a normal web browser. An agile release process ensures that customers are always able to use the latest CAD formats as input.
The session also provided participants with a brief overview of the standardization activities being conducted by the 3D PDF Consortium, of which PROSTEP is a member. Significant progress has been made, particularly with regard to ISO standardization of the PDF/ A-4e format as a standard for the long-term archiving of engineering data. The committee is also working on new topics such as the ability to embed native STEP data in 3D PDF documents so that it can be viewed directly with Adobe Reader. As Trautmann said, our roadmap includes support for this option as from version 10.1 of PDF Generator 3D.
One of the highlights of the current version is the new “hollowing” function, which makes it possible to automatically hollow out assemblies and remove components that cannot be seen when preparing them for spare parts catalogs. As Trautmann pointed out, this provides better protection for the know-how inherent in the assemblies. But PDF Generator 3D offers more than just the ability to generate product-specific spare parts catalogs at the touch of a button. The solution also supports change reporting when releasing new data sets by displaying changes made to the geometry or associated PMI information, e.g. tolerance specifications.
The presentation by André Hieke from Siemens Large Drives Applications (LDA) demonstrated just how versatile PDF Generator 3D is. The manufacturer of customized high-voltage motors and converters initially used our software to automate the creation of offer documents in the pre-sales phase. It is now also being used productively in housing manufacture. Siemens LDA thus provides both its own workers and external partners with manufacturing documents without any need for drawings. Unlike the JT technology, which was originally used for this purpose, the 3D PDF-based solution enjoys a high level of acceptance among users. It is therefore planned that it also be implemented in shaft manufacture and at other locations, as Hieke said.
OpenPDM with cloud-capable architecture
The highlight of the third session was the customer presentation given by Clifton Davies from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. The manufacturer of military aircraft uses our PLM integration platform OpenPDM in combination with Red Hat’s service bus architecture Fuse to export part information, manufacturing BOMs and work schedules from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform or DELMIA to the SAP ERP system and the MES system Solumina from iBASEt. The timeframe for the integration project was very tight and was complicated by a changeover to a different version of 3DEXPERIENCE, which PROSTEP carried out in less than 24 hours, as Davies said in praise. Lockheed Martin wants to use the solution to integrate other PLM systems such as Teamcenter and enable bidirectional data exchange.
As of version 9, PROSTEP has placed the architecture of the PLM integration platform on a new technological footing to facilitate cloud deployment, as Product Manager Mirko Theiß explained. The new process engine is based on the open source software Camunda and makes the graphic modeling of integration processes possible. The connectors can be used independently of the platform and communicate with it via REST APIs. Even though the OpenPDM 8.x versions will to continue to be supported, in the future we intend to place primary focus on the cloud version and also want to develop additional connectors for integrating production planning processes, software development and application lifecycle management (ALM).
We consider our first online TECHDAY a resounding success, even though we sorely missed face-to-face contact with our customers and interested parties.
If you did not have the opportunity to participate online and would like to know more about our solutions, the three sessions are available for viewing.
You can find the records here.
By Peter Pfalzgraf
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Sunday, November 15th, 2020
The digital representation of production plants is a prerequisite for material flow simulations and the analysis of bottlenecks when planning or making changes to the plants. PROSTEP now offers its customers a new service for this purpose: The automated analysis of 3D scan data and conversion of this data into digital twins that can be used to simulate production processes.
Up until now, a considerable amount of effort was needed to create digital twins for existing plants, which made their use difficult for small and medium-sized companies in particular. As part of the DigiTwin research project, the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at the Leibniz University of Hanover, together with PROSTEP, isb – innovative software businesses and Bornemann Gewindetechnik, has developed a service concept for deriving simulation models from scans of the factory floors largely automatically. The project, which is being funded by the “SME innovation: Service research” initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is nearing successful completion.
The aim of the research project was to use object recognition to convert, with a maximum of automation, the 3D scan data from production into digital models that can be used to perform simulations. Both standard scanners and stereo image cameras were tested for use as devices for scanning the systems. The experts from PROSTEP’s data management team transformed the “dumb” point clouds of machines, robots and transport equipment into “intelligent” CAD models that can then be used to simulate the manufacturing processes.
Strictly speaking, the scan data, or the network geometry derived from it, was not converted directly into CAD models, but was first analyzed using artificial intelligence methods and machine learning to identify plant components for which simulation-capable CAD models already exist. Setting up the corresponding library was a key part of the project. Only if there were no equivalent in the library was the scan data converted into CAD models, parameterized using feature recognition methods and prepared for simulation kinematically. The experts from PROSTEP use SolidWorks to develop the CAD models; they can however be output in any CAD system.
The objects on the factory floor were divided into seven categories to make classifying them easier. A so-called bounding box for each object was used to accurately determine the position and orientation of the objects in space and to check the results of object recognition. Depending on the category, 80 percent of the objects could be identified automatically and stored with the corresponding CAD models, which dramatically reduced the effort needed to create the digital twins for material flow simulations.
The sustainability of the innovative service concept from the DigiTwin project is guaranteed: PROSTEP has now expanded the range of services offered by its OpenDESC.com data transfer and conversion service to include the automated analysis of 3D scan data.
By Josip Stjepandic
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Monday, April 13th, 2020
The impact of COVID-19 has left much of the manufacturing and supply chain industry at a standstill. Stock markets have fallen to record lows, unemployment is at an all-time high, entire industries such as the airlines are asking for bailouts, retail shops have closed, and most states have imposed stay-at-home orders.
Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus in the US, CEOs, CIO/CTO’s and upper leadership sought to drive digital transformation and push towards efficiency and optimization in the workplace. IoT, blockchain and 3D printing were just some of the cutting-edge technologies our leaders focused on with a vision of the ‘factory of the future”.
Perhaps the biggest driving factor now spearheading change isn’t the C-level executive, but rather a global pandemic. The coronavirus has challenged us to quickly adapt to an ever-changing workplace. From remote working and collaboration to staying in touch and keeping a sense of ‘normality’, all aspects of our daily work routines have been affected.
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Tuesday, December 10th, 2019
The future of PLM is characterized by smart networked products and new, data-driven business models that extend the product life cycle into the operating phase. For us, this future has already begun with important decisions such as our acquisition of Bartscher & Hasenäcker Consulting and our planned participation in groundbreaking research projects for the validation of autonomous driving functions.
“PLM is back in,” my fellow board member Karsten Theis wrote correctly in the editorial of the last newsletter. But a different kind of PLM that takes into account the challenges of interdisciplinary, model-based system development and the integration of E/E (electrical/electronic) and software development into classical, mechanics-oriented PLM processes. For us as one hundred percent PLM specialists, this means that we have to deal intensively with these challenges and build up additional know-how for E/E and software development.
A few months ago, we took an important step in this direction by acquiring a majority stake in Bartscher & Hasenäcker Consulting. Our new PROSTEP Company specializes in PLM consulting for electrical/electronic and software development and currently supports companies in the automotive and mechanical engineering industries in the design and implementation of corresponding solutions for mechatronic and E/E-dominant products. This will enable us to significantly expand our know-how in an area that is of central importance for the automotive industry, especially with regard to e-mobility and autonomous driving.
Bartscher & Hasenäcker Consulting was founded three years ago and will continue to operate as an independent brand on the market. Together we offer our customers a more comprehensive range of consulting and solutions and address demanding topics such as conception, requirements engineering, software quality assurance or application lifecycle management. We have already proven in joint projects that we can optimally support customers in their daily work with these topics.
We expect the new PROSTEP Company to strengthen our market position as a vendor-neutral PLM consulting and software house. Without know-how in the areas of E/E and software, we will not be able to maintain our claim to be the leading PLM think tank in the long term. The combination of our 25 years of experience in PLM consulting, system integration, migration and collaboration with the special know-how of Bartscher & Hasenäcker Consulting in E/E and software development enables us to support our customers even more comprehensively in digitizing their PLM processes.
In addition, the acquisition of Bartscher & Hasenäcker Consulting strengthens our position in pioneering research projects in Advanced Systems Engineering and in the verification and validation of autonomous driving, in which we intend to participate. We see these fields as a promising market for our PLM consulting and solutions offering, which we intend to develop into a strategic business area, not least with the support of our new colleagues. We will consistently expand our know-how in the areas of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), E/E and software development, but also by hiring additional employees. In keeping with our guiding principle “How Integrate the Future”, they can actively shape the future of PLM at PROSTEP.
By Bernd Pätzold, PROSTEP AG
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Tuesday, November 19th, 2019
With the appointment of Dr. Karsten Theis as a new member of the Executive Board, PROSTEP has initiated a generational change in management just in time for the company’s 25th anniversary. In an interview with the PROSTEP Newsletter, Theis explains how the PLM consulting and software company will position itself to be prepared for the challenges of the digital future. “We Integrate the Future” remains the company’s DNA.
An Interview with Karsten Theis
Question: PROSTEP sees itself as a 100-percent PLM specialist. Is this the right way to prepare for the future?
Theis: What we mean by 100% PLM is the digitalization of the entire product lifecycle from development to production and operation through to service. This vision is exactly what the market is demanding and what we – and only we – are able to deliver in this form. Our core focus lies in the integration of complex processes and systems – including at a cross-enterprise level. The market for such solutions is growing strongly because the topic of integration is becoming ever more important. Digitalization, Industry 4.0 and IoT are bringing new players whose systems have to be integrated into the existing processes and IT landscapes. I therefore think that we are very well positioned for the future.
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Monday, October 21st, 2019
Exporting and converting CAD data has always been a complex and expensive process… but is there an easier way to share data? These days, if you know where to look, CAD conversion can be both efficient and economical. Of the available conversion software on the market today, PROSTEP’s conversion solutions are the least expensive and most advantageous. PROSTEP software converts CAD data from any authoring system (AutoCAD, Creo Parametric, CATIA, Solidworks, etc.) into a lightweight, shareable 3D PDF file.
CAD conversion to a lightweight, portable format is an important part of the product lifecycle management process, as it is the method by which you render your data shareable downstream.
The purpose of CAD conversion is to translate your data into a more readily readable format, and you want to keep things simple for the recipients of your data. You want said recipients to access your data files without having to purchase, install and learn to use an entirely new program. You want to convert your data into the most versatile, lightweight, accessible file format available… a 3D PDF file.
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