Equipment & Layout Engineer

DELMIA Equipment & Layout Engineer (ETR) Role provides functionality to design manufacturing resources and plant layouts in an immersive 3D environment. Once the resources are defined, users can add kinematics for mechanical simulation.

ETR provides advanced tools to create and optimize all the mechanical devices to be used in a manufacturing simulation, or to populate the plant layout, from simple clamps to NC machine tools and complex tooling. NC programmers can easily model the most complex milling, turning and mill-turn machines. Users can import existing 2D factory drawings and snap 3D devices and other objects into it to realize the 3D layout.

Advanced positioning tools make it easy to move, snap, and align resources. Engineers can simulate forward kinematic mechanical devices ranging from simple clamps to complex lift-assist mechanisms. Users can manage multiple devices, integrate within the 3D workcell layout, and perform feasibility studies. Each device can be individually programmed with tasks that are sequenced and simulated to eliminate interferences and arrive at optimal production performance.

DELMIA Equipment Design

Equipment & Layout Engineer Benefits

Real-time multi-discipline collaboration

Collaborate seamlessly in real time on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. All stakeholders – from process planners to machine programmers and product designers all have access to the most current information.

Capture and reuse of resource IP

Save equipment designs on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform or in a catalog for reuse by other stakeholders across the enterprise. Reduce time and effort by leveraging corporate intellectual property.

Easily create mechanisms and machines

Using the 3D interface, engineers can rapidly create a working kinematic device from an assembly of parts with a limited set of clicks and intuitive commands. The device is validated through joint manipulation, simplifying the creation of NC machines, tooling and custom robots for use by downstream stakeholders. Once a device is validated, it can be saved in a catalog for retrieval and then re-used by other stakeholders.

Fast and efficient layout definition

Equipment & Layout Engineer’s catalog of parametric equipment eases the work of plant designers. Most of the widely used plant equipment is available; no need to design it from scratch for every new layout. Simplified layout tools let users position, align, and snap layout objects quickly. Tools are intuitive and easy to use; non-CAD experts can efficiently define plant layout designs.

Access to manufacturing resource data throughout the extended enterprise

Creates layout data that can be shared across the enterprise as 3DXML or 2D drawings or in other formats for review, feedback, and collaborating with suppliers. This data is used seamlessly for resource planning and 3D validation studies.

DELMIA Layout Engineer

Equipment & Layout Engineer Highlights

Define resource hierarchies

Pre-defined resource types such as conveyors, robots, fixtures, and tool devices can be used to categorize and organize resources. Users can create an organization tree that represents a factory, line, workstation, or other resource type, locate the resources in the 3DEXPERIENCE® catalog, and copy them into the organizational tree. Using patterns make it possible to quickly create a layout with properly aligned resources.

Import and extract 2D drawings

2D drawings can be imported into the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform. The drawings are placed on the layout floor so that resources can be snapped into defined positions. Users can also generate dimensioned, annotated 2D drawings of the 3D layout for use on the factory floor.

Import Point Cloud data (on premise only)

When using a 3D scanner to scan the actual factory equipment, a point cloud is created. PLA has the capability to import point clouds onto the virtual plant layout. This provides an exact replica of the existing facility which can be further enhanced by importing 3D equipment onto the point cloud from an existing resource Catalog. Users can move, manipulate, and measure the point cloud inside of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. A Clean point Cloud function is also provided to eliminate any “noise” contained in the point cloud, while a Mesh function can be used to refine the point cloud into surface data. When importing larger amounts of data, users can import point clouds in the E57 file format.

Ready-to-use parametric resources from a catalog

Equipment & Layout Engineer includes a catalog of parametric resources—conveyors, part bins, tables, chairs, and shelves, to name a few. Users can select a resource and edit its parameters using a dialog box. ETR generates the geometry and the resource is positioned in the 3D layout. All newly created resource instances can be re-edited and parameters changed with a specialized intuitive dialog.

Create 3D parts and assemblies

Provides features combined with Boolean operations. Choose between single-part sketching and working in the assembly context; integrate multiple product views and constraints. Equipment & Layout Engineer allows users to quickly compose assemblies and position parts. Powerful tools pattern and symmetrize parts, and manage the assembly-level impact of functional features such as holes. Clear specification management tools let you make modifications and quickly assess their impact – ideal for multi-user environments and productive iterations.

Assign inverse kinematics to manufacturing devices

Allows devices to be driven by commanding Tool Center Point locations or device joint positions. Equipment & Layout Engineer provides support for automatic inverse kinematics solvers – generic & numeric, as well as device-specific solvers for industrial machines based on manufacturer specifications. It also supports user-defined solvers for custom-made robots.

Program device tasks

Define the tasks of each device in the context of the shop floor. Specific tasks can be defined such as “move home” or material handling tasks. The motion targets can be created both in absolute and relative coordinates. Programmers can then simulate these tasks for validation and task optimization.

Support advance logic in device programs

Supports the advanced logic programming instructions through the easy-to-use interface. Logic commands include conditional statements such as if, then, and else and looping statements within the device task. They support validation through simulation and optimization of complex manufacturing processes.