TABLE OF CONTENTS
Automated, quick, and accurate data synchronization is crucial for complex hardware engineering. However, engineers often face challenges syncing data between different applications, managing revisions, and ensuring team alignment. Duro is on a mission to make these issues a thing of the past. We know the connection between CAD and PLM is vital for accuracy and ease of communication.
Our new SolidWorks Add-in has been completely redesigned from the ground up to optimize for speed and large, complex assemblies. It lets engineers rapidly sync mechanical CAD files with Duro PLM. Forget the delays, errors, and increased costs from out-of-sync departments. Quickly transfer product metadata, update product status, and link files and components across platforms.
What sets this integration aside? It’s free for all Duro PLM users and comes ready to use out of the box—no need for consultants or integration partners. Get ready to enhance data management, improve communication, and streamline workflows. Read on to learn about all the available features and how to access them.
What makes Duro's add-in different?
Unlike other tools that come with costly and time-consuming integrations, Duro’s SolidWorks Add-in is free and quick to access for all Duro users. It can be set up in minutes, allowing you to sync your data without delay. Additionally, the add-in can handle large volumes of data, ensuring that even the most complex projects are manageable.
Mechanical engineers can share files and revisions with the rest of the team through Duro’s web client PLM application, keeping those without a SolidWorks license up to date.
Best-in-class features. Streamlined release management.
The add-in lets you do more than push information from SolidWorks into your PLM. Duro gives you complete control over component linking, release management, and pulling part numbers. We’ve significantly improved our legacy add-in, focusing on performance and more granular controls. Let’s take a look at what’s new.
BOM Management
Managing your Bill of Materials (BOM) is now a breeze with Duro’s SolidWorks Add-in. Ensure all parts and assemblies are accurately tracked and managed within Duro PLM, reducing errors and boosting efficiency.
With the release management feature, you can finalize and save the state of assemblies along with all associated data and production documents. When a design is ready for production, users can prepare a release with just 2 clicks!
This includes creating a draft Change Order in Duro, automatically pulling in all of the relevant Solidworks files, metadata, and production files. Everyone stays informed about the current state of a project.
Finally, the push feature allows you to instantly create sub-revisions, capturing the current state of your work without requiring the overhead of a full release. This is useful for incremental updates or minor edits, maintaining a detailed history of changes.
BOM Search and Filters
We’ve also completely revamped the user experience with an incredibly fast and responsive interface, making it enjoyable and trivial to navigate complex assembly trees and find the information you’re looking for.
The new BOM Search feature lets you quickly find parts and assemblies by name, part number, or attributes. Use Duro’s predefined filters for the most common search terms, making finding details as simple as a click of a button.
The tree view shows the complete assembly structure while the grid view displays unique instances of each component. It’s now easier than ever to manage and visualize your assembly files.
Advanced Linking Capabilities
This new add-in provides more powerful controls for linking and unlinking Solidworks files with their Duro PLM component counterparts. Our built-in features make it easy to connect and disconnect between parts in Solidworks and Duro PLM.
This ensures all files are correctly linked, reducing the manual effort to recover when your local files get out of sync. The three most important features include:
- Auto Link – Matches local filenames with corresponding Duro components automatically. This reduces manual effort and ensures consistency.
- Manual Link – Search for and select the individual Duro component to link with a SolidWorks file. This provides flexibility and precise control over the linking process.
- Unlink – It’s simple to remove any unwanted connections, ensuring users always have complete control over their Solidworks files.
Pull part number
Manage your part numbers in Duro. PLM-Based part numbers allow you to assign category-driven CPNs to parts and assemblies, enabling easy searches and data validation checks.
This new Solidworks add-in now offers a wider range of part number formats. We offer the flexibility to configure part numbers to your company’s needs.
PDM
While the Duro Solidworks add-in integrates with SolidWorks PDM, those looking for a simpler solution to protect their SolidWorks designs can use Duro’s own PDM One solution. It integrates directly within the SolidWorks add-in so you can remain within your CAD tool to check in and out files.
Check-out files as you work on them to protect them from being unintentionally overwritten. Once you’ve finished working, check the files back in again so they’re available for other team members to edit, making it effortless to collaborate on design files.
Extra Features and Benefits
- Automated Exporting: Automatically export PDF drawings and other production file formats when a release is generated, ensuring all necessary files are instantly available in Duro.
- Update Status: Keep everyone informed about the current state of a project by updating the status of files in the SolidWorks to Duro PLM integration.
- Push (Sub-Revision Release): Create sub-revisions to capture the current state of documents and components without making a full release, maintaining a detailed history of changes.
- Save As: Rename a file within SolidWorks or create a copy, ensuring accurate metadata management and avoiding conflicts.
In summary, Duro’s SolidWorks Add-in is a must-have for any engineering team aiming to improve their design workflows. Integrating SolidWorks CAD with Duro PLM ensures efficient data management, accurate tracking, and seamless collaboration.
