PDES, Inc. puts forward AP209/AP210 into production

STEP for Electronics & Electromechanical Design

Who is doing what?

The ISO/IEC DIS AP210 has been developed by an industry-led consortium under the auspices of PDES, Inc. This development and that of AP212 are sponsored by JWG9, a joint working group of IEC/TC3 and ISO TC184/SC4. A number of pilot implementations have validated the concepts and matured the standard. Commercial translators are in development.

The Standard for the Exchange of Product model Data (STEP) is an internationally developed series of standards that has capability for electronics and electro-mechanical industry product data exchange. STEP Application Protocols (AP) 210, 212 and others of the ISO 10303 family of standards provide a neutral data format representation in intelligent models.

AP210 Attributes

• The domain is the design of electronic assemblies, their interconnection, their packaging, and associated library data.
• The scope is the "As-Required" and "As Designed" product information.
• Robust 3D representation to support manufacturing and design analysis.
• Extensive configuration and product data management capability.

Summary of AP210 Functionality

• Facilitates electrical and mechanical collaborative design of complex products with detailed associatively between views.
• Hierarchical models that include product requirements, product structure, functional (netlist) model, assembly design, substrate and inter-connect design, parts, and materials,
• Enables engineering and manufacturing interaction with detailed change request / tracking capability,
• Supports thermal, structural and other physical analytical methods that require a 3D model and explicit material information.
• Provides parts modelling capability to extend the Pinnacles-based component data sheets with totally digital data sets to provide integrated parts libraries,
• Facilitates requirements capture, tracking and allocation,
• Provides a separate, con- trolled, interface view without design details to provide intellectual property protec- tion. (i.e., Archive a 'single-chip-package' design as an assembly, but provide a controlled interface view as a packaged part.),
• Helps to implement an 'engineering notebook' by providing data retention from concept to release: including requirements, design defini- tions, planned characteristics, and experimental results.
• Technology independent, e.g., a broad range of substrates and assemblies can be modelled, pcb, MCM, MIM, hybrids, single chip package, black boxes.
• Works in file exchange or data sharing information system architectures,
• Advanced features enhance system performance in data sharing architecture,
• Provides a separate product model for the assembly and for the interconnect substrate, allowing complex configur-ations, including programmable assemblies.
• EXPRESS and STEP provide long term data archival support independent of implementation methods.

Where to find more?

Check http://ap210.aticorp.org/ for a tutorial on the capabilities of AP210 or address inquiries to eeteam@scra.org

STEP for Engineering analysis data

Who is doing what?

ISO 10303-209 has been developed by the industry-led PDES, Inc. consortium, with participation from organiz-ations such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Electric Boat, MacNeal-Schwendler, Ford, and NASA. The capability of AP-209 has been piloted in structural analysis of:

• an automotive crankshaft
• a composite armored vehicle hull
• a metallic aircraft horizontal stabilizer skin
• ship metallic structures

Coupled structural and aerodynamic analysis has been performed using ISO 10303-209 on a composite aircraft wing. Commercial translators will be available in 1999.

Business Use

The ability to design and collaborate on a product model in an extended enterprise of many companies requires a standard for describing analysis data. AP-209 provides a neutral data format representation of intelligent models needed to conduct engineering analysis within an iterative Design-Analysis environment. It is not just Finite Element Analysis - it enables version control of design/analysis information linked to a product structure. AP-209 enables product function information to be exchanged among companies such that the desired function will determine the product geometry. Archiving product data in ISO 10303-209 captures not only the analysis data but also the rationale behind product design through analysis reports.

Summary of AP209 Functionality

• combines geometry and configuration controlled design data with information needed for analysis and composites. Analysis product definitions focus on:
• finite element models
• analysis controls
• analysis outputs
• supports linear statics, modes, and frequency analysis that address 60 to 90 percent of the analysis needs of an enterprise. It is being enhanced to support nonlinear analysis.

Where to find more?

Contact Dr. Gerry Graves, PDES, Inc. Development Group Leader, Phone +1 (843) 760-3793, E-mail graves@aticorp.org, or see the PDES, Inc. Website at http://pdesinc.aticorp.org/