Shipbuilders have special requirements when it comes to the horizontal integration of heterogeneous CAx process chains and the vertical integration of authoring systems in the overarching data management systems. This is why we developed an extension to the OpenPDM integration platform based on our proven technology and designed specifically for the maritime industry. OpenPDM Ship uses standardized connectors to connect shipbuilding-specific development platforms to all the leading PDM/PLM and ERP systems as well as mechanical CAD applications, thus laying the foundation for end-to-end digital processes in the shipbuilding and shipping industries.
Companies in the maritime industry often use specialized shipbuilding applications for initial, basic and detailed design and for pre-production. Although these applications allow the departments to work extremely efficiently, the different data models make end-to-end use of the digital information in the processes difficult. OpenPDM SHIP solves this dilemma by mapping the different data models to each other when transferring information from mechanical applications to shipbuilding CAD applications and vice versa, so that no information is lost.
This not only applies to the exchange of data between NAPA, AVEVA Marine, CADMATIC or ShipConstructor and mechanical CAD systems such as CATIA or NX, which are often used for to design complex ship interiors. OpenPDM Ship also supports the creation of complex CAx process chains from initial design in NAPA or NAPA Steel to basic and detailed design in AVEVA Marine or CADMATIC through to pre-production, for which a number of shipyards used the software NESTIX. The ship geometry is broken down into production-ready components and transferred together with the production-related information to the downstream processes and systems.
OpenPDM SHIP controls this process and also provides connectors to the leading PDM/PLM and ERP systems, thus making it possible to merge CAx data from different source systems in a digital ship model. Vertical integration of the authoring systems in the data and process management environment ensures the traceability of ship development processes and the consistent management of all the information generated.
Posted with permission from PROSTEP AG.
Original Article by Mirko Theiss