Digital Thread Implementation and Tool Choices

Dr. Michael Ali

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 My Background
Dr. Mike Ali

• PhD in Computer and Systems Engineering

• Deployment of Design For Six Sigma, including MBSE at GE
• Deployment of enterprise software applications:
- CAD/CAM
- PLM
- eCommerce
- ERP
• Currently head of design, analysis, and MBSE resources at Saratech

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Industries We Serve and How We Serve Them

Our Project Support

Project support ranges

from software to 3D
print services to
complex design & build
work package
management for critical
flight hardware.

We Offer a Broad Range

of Technical Services

Engineering
Software
Fabrication
3D Printing
Commercial Aerospace | Space Exploration & Launch | Consumer Products & Retail
Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment | Medical Devices & Pharmaceuticals Digital Twin Enablement
Marine | Defense | Energy & Utilities | Electronics & Semiconductor
 AGENDA
Are you ready to start working with Digital Threads?

STEP ACTIONS

Get Ready • know your definitions

• control your FOMO
• context
Get Set • be conscious about your architecture
Go! • find your starting line, the landscape
• CMM
• landscape, redux

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 AGENDA
Are you ready to start working with Digital Threads?

STEP ACTIONS

Get Ready • know your definitions

• control your FOMO
• context
Get Set • be conscious about your architecture
Go! • find your starting line, the landscape
• CMM
• landscape, redux

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 Get Ready
Know your definitions: History

“Digital thread implies that 3D exact solid models from

engineering design are used directly by manufacturing for NC
programming, coordinate measurement machines (CMM)
inspections, and tooling (which are also 3D solid models).”

Kinard, Don “The Digital Thread - Key to F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Affordability”, Aerospace Manufacturing and Design, Aug/Sep 2010.
6 https://www.aerospacemanufacturinganddesign.com/article/amd-080910-f-35-joint-strike-fighter-digital-thread/
 Get Ready
Know your definitions: too many definitions

There are many, not always consistent, definitions of digital thread. Emphasis varies across models,
data, information, processes, product lifecycle. A recent paper* analyzing the relevant literature
concluded:

‘While these definitions exhibit subtle differences, they share a common theme involving “authoritative
data”, “data linkage”, and “model integration”. These three terms are particularly noteworthy as they
convey the vision of the digital thread, not solely as a model or a set of models, but aspires to be the
definitive repository of authoritative information, encompassing all system knowledge at any given time.’

*“A Literature Review of the Digital Thread: Definition, Key Technologies, and Applications”
Qiang Zhang, Jihong Liu and Xu Chen

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 Get Ready
Know your definitions: AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)

Defines Digital Thread as "a linked set of digital artifacts whose consistency is actively managed
over the life cycle of a product, process, or system".

This definition is consistent with the common themes of “authoritative data”, “data linkage”, and “model integration”
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 Get Ready
Know your definitions: Siemens

A digital thread is a discrete, linked, traceable sequence of activities in the product or production
lifecycle, that is digitized and automated.

Can be interpreted as process focused vs data integration focused (which may be OK for your specific needs)
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 AGENDA
Are you ready to start working with Digital Threads?

STEP ACTIONS

Get Ready • know your definitions

• control your FOMO
• context
Get Set • be conscious about your architecture
Go! • find your starting line, the landscape
• CMM
• landscape, redux

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 Get Ready
Understand Digital Thread Context

What is the relationship between Digital Thread and Digital Twin, MBSE, MBE, PLM, etc?

MBE
Digital Thread
Digital
Digital Twin Twin

MBE Digital MBSE

Thread
MBSE

PLM

PLM

Wish Reality

Academics rule: if you can’t get a degree or license in it, it’s probably ill-defined
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 AGENDA
Are you ready to start working with Digital Threads?

STEP ACTIONS

Get Ready • know your definitions

• control your FOMO
• context
Get Set • be conscious about your architecture
Go! • find your starting line, the landscape
• CMM
• landscape, redux

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 Get Ready
Control your FOMO
Going “all in”

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 Get Ready
Control your FOMO
Going “all in” to “keep up”

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 Get Ready
Control your FOMO
Going “all in” to “keep up”
Hindsight/Foresight uncertainties:
a. unbounded problem
b. capabilities of evolving AI technology
c. capabilities of AI team
d. ancillary technology feasibility (ex: lidar)
e. regulations
f. how to validate the system
g. make vs buy as supply chain learns
h. profitable business model

Making a prediction against this amount of

uncertainty is…ill-advised

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/10/argo-ai-will-cease-operations-as-ford-and-
15 volkswagen-pull-investments/
 Get Ready
Control your FOMO
Going “all in” to “keep up” in Digital Thread

Hindsight/Foresight uncertainties:
a. unbounded problem
b. capabilities of multiple technologies
c. capabilities of internal engineering and IT teams
d. ancillary technology feasibility (ex: graph databases)
e. regulations (ex: DOD SysML requirement)
f. how to validate the system
g. supply chain learning (ex: SysML v2)
h. where’s the value

Do you know enough to commit to a specific

implementation (people, process, tools)?

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 Get Ready
Control your FOMO: with Digital Thread
You don’t need to go “all in” to “keep up” in Digital Thread

Hindsight/Foresight uncertainties: Where uncertainty is high:

a. unbounded problem a. make multiple, smaller investments
b. capabilities across multiple technologies b. keep options open
c. capabilities of internal engineering and IT teams c. experiment before scaling
d. ancillary technology feasibility (ex: graph databases)
e. regulations (ex: DOD SysML specification)
f. how to validate the system
g. supply chain learning (ex: SysML v2) Imagine
h. where’s the value
Transition Experiment

Assess

Stop Scale

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 STEP ACTIONS

Get Ready • know your definitions

• control your FOMO
• context
Get Set • be conscious about your architecture
Go! • find your starting line, the landscape
• CMM
• landscape, redux

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Why?

At Saratech, we’ve run experiments generating

CAD/CAE digital threads using two toolsets:
CAD
• Teamcenter/SolidEdge/FEMAP*
• Teamcenter/NXCAD/Simcenter
PLM CAE

Result: different tools required different approaches

to creating and using the digital threads

*“Teamcenter / Femap Integration”

https://youtu.be/y1udvSx0qro?si=F39t9HlbPVYV69F5

Tool choices matter

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining

CAE-Dynamics Simulation

Electrical Design

Software ALM

Systems Engineering

PLM

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Digital Thread

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining

CAE-Dynamics Simulation

Electrical Design

Software ALM

Systems Engineering

PLM

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Digital Fabric

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining

CAE-Dynamics Simulation

Electrical Design

Software ALM

Systems Engineering

PLM

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining

Vendor A
CAE-Dynamics Simulation

Electrical Design

Software ALM

Systems Engineering

PLM

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining
Vendor A
CAE-Dynamics Simulation
Vendor B
Electrical Design
Vendor C
Software ALM

Systems Engineering

PLM

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining

CAE-Dynamics Simulation Vendor A

Electrical Design Vendor B

Software ALM Vendor C

Systems Engineering Vendor D

Vendor E
PLM
Vendor F
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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Digital Fabric

Engineering Manufacturing Quality

Mechanical Design Planning Inspection

CAE-Stress Scheduling Analysis

CAE-CFD Machining

CAE-Dynamics Simulation Vendor A

Electrical Design Vendor B

Software ALM Vendor C

Systems Engineering Vendor D

Vendor E
PLM
Vendor F
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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Single Vendor Digital Thread/Fabric

Mechanical Design Planning

CAE-Stress Machining

CAE-CFD
Simulation
Hub
CAE-Dynamics (PLM) Scheduling

Electrical Design
Inspection

Software ALM
Analysis
Systems Engineering

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Single Vendor, Siemens Implementation

Capture common Change common parameter Initiate MDAO analysis Review impact of
parameters in Teamcenter (ex: Vehicle Weight) with updated parameter change

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Single Vendor, Siemens Implementation

Data connections created manually via tracelinking

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Single Vendor, Siemens Implementation

Data connections created automatically

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Single Vendor Trade-offs

Trade-off: limited by vendor’s capabilities

If not best-in-class, is their good enough, good
enough?
Vendor-specific integrations
Open vs closed architecture is vendor’s choice
If solution not available, you wait
Integrations may be hidden

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Multi-Vendor Digital Thread/Fabric

Mechanical Design Planning

CAE-Stress Machining

CAE-CFD
Simulation

Hub
CAE-Dynamics Scheduling

Electrical Design
Inspection

Software ALM
Analysis

Systems Engineering
PLM

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Multi-Vendor

Trade-off: limited by the ecosystem

Ecosystem membership
Maturity of the integrations
Capability of the integrations
Levels of integration
- bi-directional vs uni-directional
- seamless vs multiple tool windows
- real-time vs batch
Feature lag: integration upgrades follow version
upgrades

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Multi-Vendor implementation, Intercax Syndeia

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Multi-Vendor implementation, Intercax Syndeia

Data connections created manually

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: Multi-Vendor implementation, Intercax Syndeia

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: data model access

Single-vendor Multi-vendor

Digital Thread = data model traversal (data-centric definition)

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 Get Set
Be conscious about your architecture: reports

Reporting is a key output, need to know how to generate

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 STEP ACTIONS

Get Ready • know your definitions

• control your FOMO
• context
Get Set • be conscious about your architecture
Go! • find your starting line: know the landscape
• honestly evaluate your maturity
• landscape, redux
• ideas on experiments

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 Go!
Find your starting line: know the landscape

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 Go!
Find your starting line: know your maturity

hub hub

S S S
R e R e R e
C C e M r C C e M r C C e M r
A A q f v A A q f v A A q f v
D E m g i D E m g i D E m g i
t c t c t c
e e e

Stage Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Title Siloed Shared Linked

Functional data in distinct Functional data is made available Functional data is made
Description repositories and no links via central hub, but no links between available via central hub, with
between functional elements. functional elements. links between functional
elements.

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Go!
Find your starting line: know your maturity
Stage Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Title Siloed Shared Linked
Since data in one silo is not Cross-discipline data is visible. Traceability is built-in as linkage
visible to another, almost Tracing related data is treated as a between data are required, so
Traceability
impossible to map versions of one-off effort. traceability between all data is
related data across silos. available all the time.
Decision- Decisions that require data Cross-disciplinary teams jointly Data linkages provide guidance to
making from one silo are easy, cross- access related data for decision- cross-disciplinary teams even if the
silo decision making is hard. making. Requires knowledge of data team members didn’t originally
linkages within the team as the create the data or the links.
system doesn’t have that information.

Verification Separate recordkeeping required Separate recordkeeping (within the Links capture relationships between
and validation to capture relationship between PLM system) captures relationship requirements, analyses, and V&V
(V&V) requirements, analyses, and V&V between requirements, analyses, tests and results. No need for a
tests and results. and V&V tests and results. separately maintained record.
Repeatability Within data silos opportunities for Cross-disciplinary process Some level of standardization is
(via standard process standardization exist. standardization is possible. Storing required to maintain consistent
processes) Cross-silo takes more work the data in one location does not linkages between data.
organizationally and tool-wise. . require standardization., however.
Organizational Learning, like the data, is within Cross-disciplinary teams can Organizational knowledge on
learning silos. Cross-disciplinary review results together. Team linkages is retained independent of
learning is difficult because members must include those who the originating personnel.
data is not shared. know the linkages between data..
 Go!
Find your starting line
Enterprise

Projects
Divisions and
Initiatives

Your Digital Thread Use Case Experiments

- Experiment A
- Experiment B
- Experiment C
Processes

Tools

Departments/
Functions

Target: high value, low risk location(s) for your experiment(s)

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 Go!
Ideas on where to start: Stage 1 (siloed functions/data)

• Link Test Plans to System Structure

• Allocate key parameters in a structure model

Status Test Plan

Pass Test 1
Pass Test 2
Pass Test 3
Fail Test 4
Fail Test 5

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 Go!
Ideas on where to start: Stage 2 (hub without data linkages)

• CAE analyses in PLM connected to CAD

• Connect requirements to validation and verification tests

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 Go!
Ideas on where to start: Any stage

• Digital Thread Use Case Sketches

 Go!
Remember your preparations

• Make conscious architecture choices

• Experiment before committing
• “Stay small and stay out”

You deliberately or accidentally committed to an Odex, you needed Spot

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 IS AN IDEAL PARTNER

Questions? We Can Help

• We are a small business We Help Solve
• We have an experienced leadership team Complex Problems
• Experienced engineers with a long track record of program success

• Program management & industry best practices for project control

• Significant product development experience

 THANK YOU

949.481.3267 | [email protected]