What’s in the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection

If you’re invested in the Product Design & Manufacturing Collection, you’re already ahead of the curve. Packed with powerful tools for product design, manufacturing and data management, the collection is designed to optimise workflows and boost team productivity. But are you truly leveraging everything it has to offer? In this blog, we’ll explore the core tools in your PDMC and show you how to get the most out of them.

The Product Design & Manufacturing Collection includes a range of Autodesk tools that work together to streamline design, improve collaboration and optimise manufacturing processes. Whether you’re designing a product, managing data or planning factory layouts, these tools cover all bases.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD remains a cornerstone of the design world for both 2D and 3D drafting. Whether you’re working on architectural plans, electrical schematics or mechanical designs, AutoCAD’s versatility is unmatched.
Tip: Use AutoCAD’s DWG Compare feature to quickly spot design changes and take advantage of cloud storage for real-time collaboration with your team.

Autodesk Fusion

Fusion is a cloud-based tool for 3D design, engineering and collaboration. It allows you to model, simulate and visualise designs in real-time, perfect for product development teams working in a collaborative environment.
Tip: Use Fusion for early-stage design and prototyping. You can connect Fusion with Vault to track revisions and manage data seamlessly across your team.

Autodesk Inventor

Inventor is your go-to tool for 3D mechanical design and product simulation. It’s built to handle everything from product design to analysis, and it integrates with other tools in the collection to manage data and streamline processes.
Tip: Take advantage of Inventor’s parametric design features and automate complex tasks using iLogic for custom design automation. This can save significant time in repetitive tasks, ensuring your designs are more efficient.

Inventor Nastran

Inventor Nastran is a powerful engineering simulation tool used to analyse the structural performance of your designs. With capabilities like linear and non-linear analysis, Nastran helps engineers test how products will behave under various conditions, before manufacturing begins.
Tip: Use Nastran to perform advanced stress and thermal simulations to ensure your designs are structurally sound and can withstand real-world conditions.

Vault Basic

Vault Basic is your central hub for managing design data. It provides version control, secure file storage, and allows for seamless collaboration between different teams working on the same project.
Tip: Store all your design files securely in Vault Basic, ensuring that everyone is working with the most up to date versions. Vault’s built-in data management tool keeps everything organised and easy to find.

Factory Design Utilities

Factory Design Utilities helps you plan and optimise factory layouts for better efficiency. Whether you’re laying out assembly lines or optimising material flow, this tool makes sure your factory space works for you.
Tip: Use Factory Design to create a 3D layout of your factory. This helps with everything from equipment placement to traffic flow optimisation, making sure your production floor is as efficient as possible.

Inventor iLogic

Inventor iLogic takes automation to the next level by letting you create custom rules to automate your designs. This means you can apply logic to your models and generate complex designs without manual input, saving you time and reducing errors.
Tip: Start with simple iLogic rules to automate common tasks like dimension changes or part substitutions. Over time, you can create more complex automation routines tailored to your needs.

How to Maximise your Product Design & Manufacturing Collection

• Integrate your Tools: These tools work best when they’re connected. Integrate AutoCAD, Fusion, Inventor and Vault Basic to streamline workflows, improve collaboration and ensure data consistency across all stages of your project.
• Leverage Cloud Collaboration: Use Fusion’s cloud-based capabilities to collaborate with team members in real-time and connect it to Vault to keep your project’s data secure and organised.
• Automate and Optimise your Workflows: With Inventor iLogic, automate repetitive design tasks, reducing manual errors and speeding up the design process. Use Factory Design Utilities to optimise your factory layouts for smoother workflows and better operational efficiency.
• Manage Data Efficiently: Use Vault Basic to store and manage your design files, ensuring all team members have access to the most up to date versions. This centralised approach makes collaboration easy and reduces the risk of errors.
• Stay Current: Autodesk regularly releases updates and new features. Make sure you’re using the latest versions of your tools to take full advantage of new features and improvements.

You’re invested! Let’s make it work better for you!
The Product Design & Manufacturing Collection is more than just a set of tools, it’s a complete system designed to help you manage product data, design efficiently and streamline workflows. Whether you’re working on mechanical designs, plant layouts or factory optimisations, the Collection’s core tools offer everything you need to improve productivity and deliver better results.