Keywords
lifecycle management
MBSE
PLM
CAD/CAE
Digital Thread
Digital Twin
variant and configuration management
How to Cite
Abstract
The integration of 3D CAD design and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) marks a decisive turning point in modern product development. In view of growing system complexity, shorter development cycles, and globally distributed teams, traditional, separate disciplines are reaching their limits. Although CAD has primarily represented geometric and physical aspects to date, MBSE depicts the functional and logical architecture of a system. The convergence of these two worlds enables, for the first time, a consistent digital product description in which requirements, functions, geometries, and behavior models are linked together. This creates a new development logic: the CAD model is no longer merely a visual artifact, but an integral part of the system architecture. This fusion creates considerable added value: early consistency checks, automatic traceability of requirements, cross-domain simulations, and shortened iteration cycles. At the same time, it requires new ways of thinking, tools, and forms of organization. Research by Stechert, Salehi, Zhang, and others shows that close coupling of MBSE and CAD not only improves technical quality and efficiency, but also measurably increases interdisciplinary communication.
Methods such as the Munich Agile Concept for MBSE (MAGIC) provide a tried-and-tested framework for this, enabling the agile development of complex mechatronic systems based on digital twins. At the same time, new challenges arise: different levels of abstraction, incompatible data formats, and a lack of semantic standards. Approaches such as ontologies, SysML v2 and STEP AP242 are intended to remedy this by making functional and geometric elements describable across the board. All in all, it is clear that the integration of CAD and MBSE is not just a technical advance, but marks the beginning of a new development philosophy one that focuses on transparency, traceability, and agility throughout the entire product lifecycle, thus laying the foundation for a fully digitally networked Industry 4.0.
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