CAD Data Management Services
Cre8tive Technology & Design can help you seamlessly manage your CAD data, with PRO.FILE CAD data management software that connects 30+ CAD systems, your documents and your Epicor ERP in one secure, searchable vault.
CAD Data Management
Many CAD systems come with more or less rudimentary features that allow us to store and retrieve CAD data. The drawing numbers, part descriptions, change status, or material ID that CAD designers need are stored in a database and made available for research and change process.
Mechanical drawings, however, are nowhere near enough to describe a product: mechatronic components, software (whose share in products is ever increasing), instruction manuals, and other accompanying documents serve as additional information carriers. Making this knowledge readily available across the enterprise is one of the key pillars of CAD data management, which in turn requires integrated item and parts management to really make a difference.
CAD data management concerns itself with structured storage, not just using a file system, but in an organized and structured fashion. There simply is no other way to efficiently handle technically sophisticated products and ensure a short time to market. CAD models and any related data and documents encapsulate a company’s complete product knowledge, its design and engineering expertise and it needs to be made available and operable across the enterprise.
At a glance
- What it manages
- CAD models, drawings, documents, item masters and Bills of Materials
- CAD systems
- 30+ integrations, including AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Creo, Solid Edge, NX and SolidWorks
- Platform
- PRO.FILE PLM by Revalize
- ERP
- Bi-directional integration with Epicor ERP through Cre8 Hub
- Delivered by
- Cre8tive Technology & Design: PRO.FILE sales, services and support for North America
CAD Data Management: How It Should Be
Four things every engineering team should be able to count on.
Know where every part is used
Knowing at any given time where a part belongs and how it is used.
Designers always in the loop
Always keeping designers in the loop and enabling them to access the data they need within mere seconds.
No accidental overwrites
Preventing CAD data from being accidentally overwritten.
Complete visibility
Having complete visibility into who works with which data.
Multi-CAD Data Management
Today, many design departments rely on more than one CAD system and have their designers work with products from multiple vendors. This means that a CAD data management system must be able to integrate with multiple CAD systems both on the MCAD and the ECAD level. PRO.FILE, for example, provides integrations with more than 30 CAD systems, such as AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Creo, Solid Edge, NX or Solidworks, in the fields of mechanics, electrical engineering, and electronics. This integration with multiple CAD systems enables companies to store product data consistently across all systems, a vital prerequisite for mechatronics today.
Reasons For Using a PDM System to Manage Multi-CAD Data
A product data management (PDM) system turns scattered CAD files into a single, governed source of product truth.
Secure, protected storage
Product data is stored securely and data access is protected.
Retrieve and reuse
Parts and assemblies can be retrieved and reused.
Always the latest version
Changes can be tracked; users always work with the latest versions.
Shared across departments
CAD data is available across department lines.
BOMs flow to ERP
Bills of Materials and item master data are automatically made available for production scheduling, purchasing, and production purposes (ERP integration).
Simpler product variants
Simplified handling of product variants.
The Advantages of PDM/PLM in CAD Data Management
- Ensure traceability through version and variant management
- Control and monitor information from different CAD systems or NC programs along with routings, and neutral drawings
- Guarantee safety through approval processes and engineering change management
- Assist parallelization and concurrent engineering with the latest versions
The Functional Elements of PLM/CAD Data Management
- A secure vault with check-in and check-out, so no one overwrites a colleague's work
- Version, revision and variant control for models and drawings
- Where-used and part reuse searches across every CAD system
- Bills of Materials extracted straight from CAD assemblies
- Approval workflows and engineering change management
- Neutral formats such as PDF and STEP generated automatically for the shop floor
CAD Data Management Software vs. a Shared Drive
Many teams start with folders on a network drive. It works until two people open the same file.
On a shared drive
- Two designers save the same model and one set of changes is lost
- No one is sure which revision is released
- Part numbers and BOMs are retyped into ERP by hand
- Searching means browsing folders by file name
- No record of who changed what, or when
With PRO.FILE
- Check-in and check-out locks prevent overwrites
- Released revisions are clear and older ones are superseded automatically
- BOMs and item masters sync to Epicor through Cre8 Hub
- Search by part number, metadata or file content
- A full audit history on every document and part
From CAD Data Management to PLM
CAD data management is the first step. Each step builds on the last, on the same PRO.FILE platform.
1 · CAD data management
Store, version and secure CAD models and drawings from every CAD system in one vault.
You are here
2 · Product data management
Connect drawings, documents and Bills of Materials, and synchronize them with your ERP.
Explore PDM →
3 · Product lifecycle management
Add change management, workflows, compliance and portals across the whole product lifecycle.
Explore Pro.File PLM →
CAD Data Management FAQ
Straight answers to the questions we hear most.
What is CAD data management?
What is the difference between CAD data management, PDM and PLM?
Which CAD systems does PRO.FILE support?
Can CAD data management integrate with our ERP?
Can it run on-premise or in the cloud?
How long does it take to get started?
Partner with Cre8tive for All of Your PLM and ERP Needs
Learning about the requirements, objectives, and roadblocks of your operations and industry is the catalyst for every conversation we will have during the PLM integration process. Share your expectations, goals, and timelines with us. We will collaboratively plan with you and your team will have access to an integration partner every step of the way.
Related PLM resources
Watch Pro.File PLM in action and see how it brings your product data, CAD, and ERP together in one place.
The configurable solution for PLM, PDM, and document management: features, benefits, and how it fits your business.
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