The Capital E/E systems development platform was acquired by Siemens in 2017 and is now part of the Xcelerator portfolio.
Electrical and mechanical CAD systems must be closely integrated for effective digital simulation and physical validation. For instance, ECAD and MCAD alignment is a mandatory requirement towards compliance and to reduce program risk. With the increased use of software to drive product innovation, electronics and electrical (E/E) systems are critical to product development. Capital is a suite of integrated tools for the design, engineering, validation and manufacturing engineering of electrical systems, cabling and harnesses. It joins the dots across 2D and 3D simulations in a model-based systems engineering approach.
Earlier this month, Siemens Digital Industries Software announced that Airbus, a leading aircraft manufacturer, selected Capital E/E systems development software to accelerate the development of its commercial aircraft. Shortening the design process leverages the introduction of new technologies, early design verification through simulation, virtual reality testing, rapid prototyping and robust physical mock-up validation. The Capital platform was acquired by Siemens in 2017 from Mentor Graphics, and it is now part of the Xcelerator portfolio.
Nowadays, closed-loop collaboration powered by end-to-end data continuity is a mandatory commodity to drive open innovation, supply chain integration and effective product configuration management. Modern aircrafts rely on larger and more complex electrical systems, embedding several technologies and capabilities to make products safer, more efficient, greener and more.
According to the release, the ambition of this move is to develop “open IT architecture and multi-domain integrations within Capital [to] enable straightforward deployment into Airbus’ Lean PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) environment and provides the backbone for E/E systems design and electrical harness manufacturing engineering across its multi-country development team.”
Siemens accelerated the consolidation of an integrated E/E development platform under the Capital portfolio, covering both hardware and software scope—now part of the wider Xcelerator portfolio and integrated with Teamcenter. The historical background was concisely explained by Brendan Morris in a Siemens blog posted in June 2020, where he illustrated it in the context of the automotive industry. Similar benefits would apply to the aerospace industry, leveraging a more digitalized work environment to reduce time-to-market, mitigate business risks, increase delivery confidence and compliance (see figure below).
According to a Siemens eBook, “while Capital has always been a model-based approach to electrical distribution system development, with its integration into Xcelerator, it expands to support systems modelling and definition, E/E optimization, as well as software and network development.”
It adds, “developing aerospace electrical platforms has become a challenge due to growing complexity and the increased use of electrical and electronic content. To achieve program profitability, while satisfying demands for efficiency and more mission capabilities, aerospace companies need to modernize their development and manufacturing processes.”
Per the Siemens press release, the expectation is for “E/E groups [to] work in a highly unified design environment that facilitates faster product development, optimized manufacturing of electrical systems, improved first-time-right electrical harness quality and smoother supply chain integration to generate architecturally-optimized design proposals, wiring and service documentation.”
Airbus is known for its advanced multi-platform PLM and ERP landscape, with variations from one program to another, leveraging capabilities from major vendors including:
- PTC (Windchill as core PDM)
- Aras for MBSE collaboration
- Dassault Systèmes (CATIA / 3DEXPERIENCE)
- Siemens (Teamcenter, and now Capital)
- SAP (S/4 HANA)
The introduction of a new E/E platform clearly poses questions of integration across enterprise platforms to deliver the required data continuity:
- How would MCAD and ECAD data be integrated?
- How would CAD data better align to BOM information throughout product configuration and change?
- How would requirements be mapped and managed across the RFLP model-based approach, across disciplines and programs?
- Where would the logical architecture be mastered, and how would it link to other digital artefacts across the existing PLM toolsets?
- What other capabilities of the Xcelerator portfolio would be required to enable wider integrations, including PDM-PLM integrations?
- How would ECAD-based in 3D and 2D be packaged?
- In which platform would digital mock-up verification be performed across and with other MCAD components?
- How would functional design be performed and aligned with logical circuit diagrams, board layout, PCB design, etc.?
- How would hardware be aligned with software lifecycle?
- How would PDM and PLM platforms be connected to ensure integrated change management?
- How would program planning be performed, and how would digital artefacts be interconnected throughout the product development lifecycle to leverage data traceability?
- How would data continuity be maintained across the supply chain?
- How long would the Capital implementation require?
- What would the master management backbone be for ECAD data to ensure continuity?
- Would the Capital deployment focus on a specific aircraft program?
Martin O’Brien, senior vice president of Siemens Integrated Electrical Systems business group, said that, “Capital enables customers to establish digital continuity within the electrical domain to compress development cycle time and deliver significant cost reductions.”
Furthermore, he highlighted that “this is a game-changer in an industry looking to recover quickly from unprecedented challenges. By realizing the benefits of a model-based development process, Capital helps world-class companies like Airbus reduce complexity, lower risk and boost overall productivity.”
What are your thoughts?