SOLIDWORKS PDM

Maintain your data in a single, secure vault. SOLIDWORKS PDM manages file references and automatically updates them if and when you move or rename a file. This type of file management eliminates broken references and the time required to locate and manually fix lost references.

Easily find and reuse existing design data. Locate files quickly with PDM’s tools rather than spending time searching for prior designs on shared drives or local workstations – or recreating designs when you can’t find them.

Avoid errors associated with manual revision control methods by using SOLIDWORKS PDM to track changes and maintain a history of revisions through the design’s lifecycle. 

You can also use custom file naming and revision control schemes to ensure you are working with the correct version of the design.

Check-in and check-out procedures allow for no-risk collaboration when working with large designs (such as industrial equipment) when many users make design changes.

SOLIDWORKS PDM has a secure vault, so you can control access to your proprietary product data. You can assign specific access rights to individuals and groups.

Some industries, such as the medical field, require a complete audit trail of product development and testing.

SOLIDWORKS PDM maintains a complete history of your design, engineering, and product development activities for reporting and auditing as soon as you start using the software. It automatically records every action on a file, including date, time, and user stamps.

Quickly find your data using powerful search tools within SOLIDWORKS PDM. You can search multiple file types, including CAD, Microsoft Word or Excel, and more, and use multiple search criteria, including name, date, metadata, and workflow status.

View eDrawings, SOLIDWORKS, and AutoCAD documents in eDrawings from within SOLIDWORKS PDM.

Handle all your file types with unique workflows. These workflows can help you get all the stakeholders involved in approval processes for your different document types.

Compliance with industry standards and government regulatory requirements, such as FDA, RoHS, ISO 9001 and 140000, and ANSI, for all your document types with unlimited workflows.

SOLIDWORKS PDM will easily reflect all your design data contained within the CAD files you create. You can view BOM files without having to open SOLIDWORKS.

Collaborate throughout your organization while keeping people connected, current, and working on the same data set in the vault, regardless of their location across your entire enterprise.

Secure file vaulting eliminates “silos” of information, duplicate files, and unsynchronized revisions.

Configure your PDM system to notify users automatically when documents progress through various states or stages in your established electronic workflow.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional includes tools that allow you to configure and customize your PDM system to match the specific needs of large and small organizations.

Get instant access to your most popular searches by saving and sharing search criteria as “favorites.”

Preview nearly any file type before ever opening them, such as images, Microsoft Office documents, and email files in the Preview window with PDM Professional.

Save time by configuring the software to create neutral file formats automatically. PDM Standard creates PDFs from SOLIDWORKS drawings. PDM Professional creates DXF, STEP, STL from CAD files and PDFs from Microsoft Office documents.

Map variables to predefined properties, such as Title and Author, and custom named properties in your files. If your SOLIDWORKS file contains configurations, the configuration names appear as tabs in the data card. Configuration-specific values appear in the corresponding tab.

Import variable values from an XML file into a vault database. In the vault, existing files or items that match import criteria acquire the values at specified points in the file workflow. You can also create a rule to export SOLIDWORKS PDM BOM variables that can be read into ERP systems.

Use serial numbers to automatically assign names to files and folders, assign unique IDs to items (part numbering), or add unique running values to card controls. You can set up as many serial numbers as you need in each vault. Generate unique item IDs with “Item Number” serial numbers by default.

Your staff and partners can contribute through web-enabled portals from connected devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Automatically facilitate multiple required approvers with parallel transitions and from different departments for any document type.

PDM Professional can notify individuals via email if they have an action item to follow through on, such as releasing for manufacturing.

PDM Professional has an API to help you customize the functionality of your PDM environment and develop custom add-ins for anything that the system doesn’t currently do out of the box.