Sharing Design Data Gets Easier

Autodesk Inc. has unveiled the second version of its Productstream software, which automates the design-release process by managing engineering changes and bills of materials. Companies can more easily share design data with partners by giving them access to Productstream to view designs and electronically provide feedback, additional requirements, and supporting data.

Ultrafab Inc., which produces weather, bulb, and fin seals, as well as general weather-stripping equipment, is implementing the most recent version. The tool is the latest in a string of Autodesk implementations that help Ultrafab better manage product documentation and data and design products more conceptually, says Rich Arvidson, chief engineer at the $26 million-a-year company. It also uses Autodesk's 3-D mechanical-design software Inventor and Inventor Professional and the Autodesk Vault data-management system. Ultrafab has expanded globally, and Productstream helps it share design information with its entire supply chain, as well as reduce the number of errors in bills of materials that list components necessary to build machinery.

Productstream 2 ranges in price from $500 to $1,800, depending on the version.