The Digital Battle — Engineering Design Tools

How many engineering design tools do we really need to get the job done?  Craig Brown says fewer, Mark Pendergast says more, and with that the latest Digital Battle is underway.  Innovation is often driven by new tools, and innovation drives the need for new tools.    In this uncharacteristically amicable digital battle, Craig and Mark examine both sides of the same coin and share the drivers, challenges and benefits of utilizing the new tools that are continually appearing in today’s engineering toolbox.    On today’s podcast, you will learn:   Why do engineers need so many tools?  People use the tools they are used to, whether they actually need them or not.  There are three areas of digitization- author tools, the database behind it, and the model libraries of knowledge- that Craig argues need to be minimized.  Engineering products have become very specialized, and often push the frontier of the possible. Core tools and fringe tools need to be managed differently, according to Mark.  Specialization requires more tools than was once the standard.    Should access to design tools be limited or uncontrolled?  Computer-based tools present a higher cyber threat and bring in unknown risks.  There needs to be a compelling reason to introduce additional tools.  Craig favors limits on tools while also allowing the options for better tools when they are presented.  Budgets create a practical limit on tool usage, and there are also abuses on the limited side.  Many tools don’t have different physics but different application domains.  Tools are about more than managing a design, it’s about managing the environment the tool works in and its behavior.    Will there always be a rapid pace of introduction of new tools?  Mark would argue that there will always be new tools, and those tools are driving amazing new products.  AI, big data and other solutions to problems are constantly and continually being invented.  It is essential to properly manage the transition from one core tool set to the next.  Innovation needs to be fostered in a controlled way.  According to Craig, energy efficiency will continue to drive innovation, and that drive of innovation requires new tools to help manage it.  Changes to manufacturing with 3D printing and additive manufacturing will also require new tools.    Final thoughts on the tool set The tool set is like a garden that needs to grow and be pruned as necessary.  The process of renewal and finding new tools is controlled while also encouraging innovation.  Tools that are not within your discipline deserve the same benchmarking as the tools you already use.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.   Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series