Standardized Approach to ECAD/MCAD Collaboration.

Abstract

Adopting the mechatronics as contemporary engineering discipline the integration of mechanical and electrical CAD (MCAD/ECAD) systems is a big challenge in concurrent engineering because their data models and functionality have been developed continuously further apart. Market research confirms that an integrated tool chain for ECAD and MCAD design is prerequisite for a better mechatronic development process. This paper describes the concept of deep integration for mechatronic products conducted by ProSTEP iViP Association which combines existing standards. Version 3 of the current ProSTEP iViP Recommendation PSI 5 entitled ECAD/MCAD-Collaboration provides a comprehensive specification for collaboration between the ECAD and MCAD worlds. A considerable number of vendors have now implemented the underlying data schema and integrated it in the corresponding products. As a result, users can now choose the solutions that best meet their particular needs from an increasingly wide range of efficient systems for collaborative product development within the ECAD and MCAD fields.