From concept in mind to product in hand

Compatibility between tools for design and manufacturing engineers is improving, though it is still fraught with potential pitfalls.

Toolmakers are striving to make it easier to move from design into manufacturing, enabling engineers to transfer native files as they move from one environment to another.

Some vendors are offering the simplest pathway to compatibility. When Gulfstream established its plans for the G650, set to ship in 2012, the business jet supplier decided to use tools from Dassault Systèmes from start to finish.