On the way to development 4.0

Enter the race with Knowledge Based Engineering

You might think the industry is in an eternal race. In a race in which the time to market of a product embodies the lap time and product quality is the decisive factor in staying in the race - in competition. The company that develops, produces and launches the best product the fastest is ahead.

As in motor sports, there are also innovation thrusts around product development. Digitalization is one of the most important developments and is in full swing. In this context, Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) plays a key role in product development. Some introductory and reflective thoughts on this topic have already been highlighted. Now the focus is on approaches and possible applications of the KBE and how these can be implemented.

SWMS is an experienced and reliable partner at your side. We make a pit stop and prepare your car for the coming race laps. 

Start your Engines

The knowledge of a company represents a high value. Used correctly, it can make the difference between success and failure in the market.

KBE, or knowledge-based development, is a branch of Knowledge Management. This pursues the strategy of capturing, structuring and formalising existing and newly emerging knowledge, making it available in a targeted manner and applying it automatically as required. In the KBE this principle is applied to the development process of technical products. The implementation is essentially carried out by software modules and extensions in the CAD and PLM environment, which take over informative, assisting and automating tasks.

Select a racing route

Anyone who decides to want to be at the forefront of the competition will find it difficult to avoid the introduction of KBE in product development. Particularly in the case of repetitive design steps or variant design, KBE enables significant time savings, error reduction and an increase in product quality.

But where to begin?

Which KBE approaches and which applications are the right ones? Which processes should you start with first and how?

We at SWMS have a wide range of experience and knowledge related to the individualized planning, development, implementation, integration and support of KBE software. We can support you competently and solution-oriented. In the next section follows an example for an easy and flexible entry into the world of KBE, which promises quick success and savings.

The first rounds - Easy to do

Technical knowledge can be stored in a company in various forms and places - in digital and printed documents, in design models and drawings, as internal standards and guidelines, as tables or as knowledge and experience of individual employees. Capturing this is an important, though time-consuming and on-going process. In order to meet the associated time and financial challenges, it is helpful to divide the process of knowledge acquisition and preparation into manageable phases and steps.

One way to convert small and smallest "knowledge packages" directly into usable KBE applications is to develop design tests. Such "checks" can be easily integrated into current CAD programs and make it possible to verify compliance with any design rules on a product.

This approach offers numerous advantages, especially for the initial implementation of KBE. Formulating and formalizing individual design rules is already the first step in the knowledge preparation process. The individual rules themselves represent small, bundled knowledge packages. They can be created in any order and according to urgency or relevance.

The checks enable the knowledge packages to be used directly by end users in CAD. Errors are detected at an early stage and production delays avoided. Each individual inspection results in clearly measurable improvements after only a short time.

At the same time, the development of design rules results in a constantly growing pool of knowledge on the basis of which further KBE applications can be introduced, e.g:

• the integration of automatic repair and correction mechanisms,
• the introduction of construction templates,
• the automation of individual design steps
• to a knowledge-based design assistant for the semi-automated and assisted design of entire assemblies.

Checks integrated in CAD represent an uncomplicated and flexible way of entering the world of KBE. They promise immediate and clear effects as well as fast amortisation.

The way is the goal

KBE helps to be at the top in the race of the competition. The technical possibilities are constantly evolving. We at SWMS support you in the introduction, individualization and maintenance of KBE applications in your company.

In this way, we prepare you in the best possible way for the future race laps - with KBE and beyond.