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RT:SSPECIALREPTECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCT LIFECYCLESOLID EDGE& ELECTROMECHANICALDESIGNEXPLORING SOLID EDGE ELECTRICAL DESIGNPCB DESIGNWIRING & HARNESS DESIGNECAD/MCAD INTEGRATION

Syncing board and mechanical design

Wrangling order from wire-based chaos

Collaboration across discplines

Special Report: Solid Edge
Sponsored by Siemens PLM Software

ELECTROMECHANICAL:CHALLENGES& SOLUTIONS
The rise of more sophisticated and more intelligent productsmeans efficient electromechanical design has never been morekey. We explore how Solid Edge addresses this new challengecross every industry, today’s
demanding customers expect more“intelligence” and functionality intheir products. Because of this, theuse of electronics in traditional mechanicaldevices is increasing at an unprecedented
rate, and all of these electrical signals must be
physically connected throughout devices.
Alongside traditional electrical andmechanical design and their inherent design
challenges, sensors are being added topractically everything in an effort to connect
devices and create a “smart” world.
Signals from sensors are carried via wires toembedded control boxes, actuated components
and antennas. Then, wires are bundled
into harnesses. As a whole, these electrical
distribution systems create the nervous system
of modern products.
The result is increasingly complex

Aelectromechanical systems, where electronics
and software control the mechanical aspectsof a design. Unfortunately, complexity isrendering previously best practice processes
ineffective and ultimately obsolete , withdesigners having a hard time keeping up withthe fast-changing demand.
The days of throwing designs over the wall
for implementation, and then waiting forphysical prototypes to be built to see if theproduct works as intended, are gone. Engineers
are being asked to work outside their normal
domain with mechanical engineers often
dealing with electrical requirements, and viceversa.
Without a coordinated design flow, integrationmust rely on the availability of physicalprototypes and can occur very late in thedesign cycle. Mistakes made during latephases of development can be costly. When notcaught until the prototyping and testing phaseof design, the result can be significant delays
and additional costs. They can even lead to a
product being introduced too late in the market.
As complexity continues to increase, previous
design processes are no longer viable.
When electrical and mechanical engineers
work in two different environments, it can bedifficult to communicate about the most basicthings. Are the two talking about this wire orthat wire? The electrical engineer is looking at aline on the diagram. The mechanical engineer islooking at a wire, cable or harness routing in the
3D mechanical assembly. This can introduce
significant friction, delays and errors into theprocess.
Perhaps it is time for a new, more
synchronised process in an environment that,instead of hindering communication, enhancesand supports it?

KEY TRENDS IN ELECTROMECHANICAL DESIGNINCREASING DESIGN COMPLEXITY:
Technological advancement, increasing safety
and environmental mandates, and escalating
consumer demand for advanced features andfunctionality is placing tremendous stress on
both design and manufacturing processes.
This is having a detrimental effect on a
manufacturer’s bottom line.
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OPTIMISED PRODUCTS IN SHORTER TIMES:
Achieving first-pass success co-design has
long been recognised as a potential enabler toincreasing productivity and ensuring a robust
design. With modern CAD tools, designers areable to synchronise their data more efficiently
and collaborate more effectively on criticaldesign items between domains.

COLLABORATION BETWEEN DISCIPLINES:
The days of throwing designs ‘over the wall’and then waiting for physical prototypes tosee if the product works are gone. A tightly
integrated electromechanical solution enables
true co-design across disciplines, freeing
engineers to innovate, as the impact of achange can be assessed in both domains.

Special Report: Solid Edge
Sponsored by Siemens PLM Software

WIRING DESIGNCHALLENGE: Without the proper contextual
information, the merging of wiring andmechanical data can be especially problematic.
This causes synchronisation issues, increasing
the risk of error and time to market.

SOLUTION: Integrated design processes
enable data to flow automatically between themechanical and electrical domains, allowing
more parts of the process to be automated andoptimizing the design.

BENEFITS: Solid Edge Wiring Design provides
interactive access to information from eachdomain. With it, both electrical and mechanicalengineers are able to quickly reconcile
incompatibilities as the design proceeds.

SOLUTION: New design and manufacturing
capabilities allow users to produce a wire
harness directly from assembly models,eliminating the need to build a physicalprototype before producing the wire harness.

BENEFITS: Solid Edge Harness Design
automates many harness development tasks
including part selection, decomposition ofharnesses into buildable harnesses and thecreation of manufacturing reports.

SOLUTION: Sharing 3D representations
allows visualisation of a design and detectionof potential problems earlier. This moves
validation of manufacturing and electrical data
earlier into the design cycle.

BENEFITS: Solid Edge PCB Design speeds
development with communication of designchanges and automated review and approval
processes between the electronics andmechanical domains.

HARNESS DESIGNCHALLENGE: Wire harness design is still atime-consuming, error prone, manual process.
Without a coordinated design flow, integration
efforts must rely on access to physicalhardware late in the design cycle.

PCB DESIGNCHALLENGE: PCB designs, mechanicalenclosures, and related components need tofit, and be correctly designed the first time toeliminate re-spins, get designs to market more
quickly and minimise costs.

MCAD-ECAD COLLABORATIONCHALLENGE: Electrical and mechanicaldisciplines have traditionally been separated.
When working in different environments, it
can be difficult to communicate, introducing
significant friction and errors in the process.

SOLUTION: Collaboration is recognised as
an enabler for increasing productivity. With
modern CAD tools and intelligent software,users are able to synchronise data andcollaborate between domains.

BENEFITS: An efficient and effective ECADMCAD collaborative process provides increased
productivity by enabling what-if scenarios andallows engineers to co-design in their nativeenvironments.
solidedge.siemens.com 3

Special Report: Solid Edge
Sponsored by Siemens PLM Software

SOLID
EDGE
A COMPLETE SOLUTION
While Solid Edge is a recognised technology leader in mechanicaldesign, the depth and breadth of its toolset is now much broader,harnessing the strength of the Siemens PLM technology portfolio
Mechanical Design

Electrical & PCB

Simulation & Analysis

Solid Edge has been developed to provide
an environment for experimentation andengineering definition. It runs the gamut of 3Dmodelling of intelligent parts and assemblies,drawing creation and much more.

New tools for developing wiring, harness andprinted circuit board (PCB) components thatbring to bear experience and know-how ofMentor Graphics (now part of Siemens PLM
stable).

It’s one thing to create the 3D form of yourproduct, but how will it perform in thereal world? Solid Edge has a wide range ofsimulation tools available from structural FEA
to fluid flow and thermal cooling with CFD.

Manufacturing

Data Management

Technical Publications

Whether you’re looking to document a partfor production, build a prototype with a 3D
printer or prepare your part for additive
manufacturing, Solid Edge has all of the tools
you’ll need to realise your next product.

As engineering organisations create data, it’s
key that this is tracked and made available
to all who need it. Solid Edge has a range ofoptions to solve the data management needsof all business sizes.

CAD data can be reused in many downstream
applications - technical publications are aperfect example. Create high quality content
such as work instructions, service documents,
synchronised for design updates.

READ MORE
TRYON
SOLID EDGE ECAD-MCAD
FOR FREE COLLABORATION
www.siemens.com/plm/try-solid-edge

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