Why are configurators such an attractive option for specialist mechanical engineering?

Lara Bemetz (Cideon): A product configurator is really useful, especially in sales. It makes it easier to pull together the right components and very quickly calculate the price for the quote. But that’s generally followed by lots of manual steps. Design engineers typically refer back to former projects and copy data, which generally results in lots of duplicates and copies in the system. It would be better if PDM-compliant data could be made available automatically based on the configuration and also be transferred to the ERP system at the time of the handover to production.

How can this kind of system discontinuity be resolved?

Bemetz: We use Cideon Conify to resolve the issue of system discontinuity between the quotation and sales phase and the order processing stage. This software makes it possible to generate design engineering data and parts lists directly from the configurator, on the basis of the native CAD data. Consequently, design engineers no longer have to create each option manually – instead, Cideon Conify gives them the data at the touch of a button. Complex designs can be generated automatically in the MCAD software – Autodesk Inventor or Solidworks, for example – and stored in the PDM system, while the parts lists are made available in the ERP system. In the ECAD world, the same applies to Eplan.

Does that mean Cideon Conify isn’t a configurator, but rather an interface between sales configuration and the world of CAD?

Bemetz: That’s right. We take data from the sales configurators, which can come from various manufacturers. Dimensions, features, characteristics and much more can be incorporated into CAD models directly and automatically – and that applies to both the mechanical and the electrical design. In the case of mechanical design engineering, these are 3D models from which the corresponding drawings can be derived straight away. All data is stored in a PDM-compatible format, just as though the design engineer had prepared it manually. This means the user gets a design that is up to 80 percent complete on average. This can then be used as the basis for the build-to-order or special design.

What about the electrical side of a design – how can that be mapped?

Achim Potthoff (Eplan): With Eplan Engineering Configuration (EEC) and Eplan eBuild, there’s nothing new about wiring schematics at the touch of a button. What is new, however, is the ECAD connection via Cideon Conify to an upstream configurator. This facilitates a customised, automated build-to-order design for both the mechanics and the electrics, and a mechatronics parts list can be created simultaneously. Depending on how detailed the configuration is, we can usually generate the bulk of the production documentation automatically – and even all of it in some cases. What’s important is that we use Cideon Conify to automatically transfer as much information as possible from the upstream configurator to the order system. Thanks to the high level of consistency from the configuration to automated design engineering and all the way through to the production of the machine, a mechanical engineer can make the process much, much shorter, while also enhancing its quality. And, of course, significantly faster delivery times are a powerful sales argument.

Do these benefits also apply on a cross-disciplinary basis?

Potthoff: They certainly do! This interdisciplinary approach is a huge hub. The parts list is a truly me chatronic parts list, so the next steps at both the production and commercial stages are much simpler – or perhaps “clearer” would be a better word. To give you an example, time and again, sensors are ordered in mechanics, but the same sensors are also included in the electrical parts list. In a mechatronic parts list, you can resolve that easily with a locational reference. Once the configuration has been completed at the order processing stage, the production documentation and mechatronic parts list are generated for the machine. The production department can therefore begin planning and the procurement team can start ordering the necessary components. This is advanced engineering automation – it offers process reliability and can handle even challenging design variants automatically.

What are the relevant requirements?

Potthoff: The major, never-ending task involves clearly structuring the machine and specifying options and variants on a functional level. Once that’s been done, mechanical and electrical design engineering tasks can be automated. Admittedly, that’s challenging – but it’s worth it. If my configuration needs various pump units, for example, that needs to be thought through in advance. Do all options have the same power supply, the same sensors, and so on? It’s also important to work out which variants should no longer be sold. It’s a bit like a tidying-up process, and it makes sense to think about the product structure in advance and standardise it. To put it another way, how can you implement a practical reuse concept that can be automated?

Bemetz: It is particularly important that the user has an overview of the entire process and can achieve a shared understanding of the relevant product and its structure and modularisation within their own company. The sales team should only be able to configure solutions that are technically feasible. The key word is standardisation – and it has huge potential.