Integrating Simulation and Design in PLM

Designing multidisciplinary systems relies on the ability of product development processes to integrate requirements management, systems specification and simulation using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), and detailed simulation and testing of rapidly-evolving digital product definitions from the earliest concept stages through maintenance in the field.

A constant, iterative spiral of changing requirements, designs, and results from digital analysis and physical testing, is critical to engineering complex products. But existing organizational silos of data, processes, tools and experts are a major obstacle.

Making product development seamless and efficient across disciplinary boundaries requires blurring the lines between systems modeling, design, and analysis, while capturing a complete, accurate, traceable, and configuration-managed digital record of the product’s definition as it evolves—a complete Digital Thread of product data.

Manufacturers need to manage systems design, analysis, and simulation processes in the Digital Thread in order to realize the benefits of simulation across the lifecycle, accelerate the use of innovative technologies, and scale up design, production and maintenance of tomorrow’s products to realize radically different business models. Simulation is central to developing so many of tomorrow’s innovations, but seldom, if ever, have simulation inputs, data, and processes been managed in the Digital Thread—until now.

Simulation Management with Aras introduces a new approach to Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) that connects simulation inputs, processes, and results; ensures accuracy, repeatability, and access to simulation processes for teams throughout the lifecycle; and enables multi-physics, multi-fidelity simulations.

Aras Innovator, an open PLM platform, creates a tool- and vendor-neutral Digital Thread and data model that maintains the consistency, continuity, and traceability of product data across the global enterprise.

This paper describes two case studies that leverage Aras technology to realize the value that integrated SPDM and product development can bring to the cross-disciplinary design of highly complex systems.