Today, there are hardly any products without mechatronic assemblies that control and regulate certain processes. The fact that users expect ever more extensive innovations in ever shorter cycles requires interdisciplinary, iterative development processes from the manufacturers.
The exchange of data is important because mechanical and electronic designers have different priorities when developing a common product. For mechanical engineers, the PCB is one of many components that must be accommodated in the best possible way in the existing installation space. Here, weight, dimensions and assembly are the most important factors. However, electronic engineers cannot place the components randomly on the PCB so that it fits optimally into the housing. In order to ensure the desired functionality, they must exclude physical interactions due to heat or electromagnetic incompatibilities between individual components.
In principle, CAD systems allow direct data exchange via neutral format. IDF or STEP is suitable for the coordinated development of housings and PCBs. The problem is that the data exchange is not controlled, so that versions can be overwritten, for example, in the iterative process. The incremental development process remains untraceable and individual versions cannot be recovered.
In contrast, the exchange of IDF or STEP data is regulated if controlled via a PLM system into which both CAD systems are integrated. Unlike with direct data exchange, the MCAD and ECAD connectors store the exchange data in the (common) data model and connect it to the associated product data versions of the two domains. Previous IDF or STEP versions cannot be overwritten, so that individual versions remain traceable and recoverable.
In this webinar, we will show what these coordination procedures look like.
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