Product Lifecycle Management software is helping to pull all test and development data together to shorten design cycles at BMW
BMW has taken further steps in maintaining a digital thread through its design, prototyping, test and manufacturing processes through the use of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software in the shape of 3DExperience from Dassault Systèmes.
The two companies have recently embarked on a long-term strategic partnership to develop the car manufacturerâs future engineering platform, which will feature the Dassault Systèmes platform at its core. As a result of the partnership, itâs expected that more than 17,000 employees across multiple engineering disciplines at BMW will rely on the software to accelerate the development of all vehicles, from their first appearance on the drawing board through to their production.
The incentive to improve process turnaround using PLM tools is based on the industry trends towards quicker times to market for sustainable mobility products with advanced technology. The lifecycle from design to manufacturing follows this trend closely and can be a major competitive differentiator, according to Dassault Systèmes. They say that the platformâs virtual twin experiences streamline enterprise-wide collaboration and deliver data-driven approaches to manage the exponential complexity that car makers are facing in connected, autonomous vehicle engineering.
According to Julien Hohenstein, a Vice President in the BMW Groupâs research and development team, these engineering processes can only be optimised if the team thinks in digital terms, works in a connected way and relies on the reliable availability of integrated data. âFor the BMW Group the 3DExperience platform will support this approach and help to reach a higher level of quality in our processes,â he says.
Digital Twins
With the use of the DS 3DExperience PLM platform at the centre of BMW Groupâs future product development environment, all of the companyâs engineering disciplines will be working on a virtual twin of a vehicle that can be configured for the variants of each model with real-time, integrated data.
Teams can reuse components more easily, master the complexity of car variability, and improve the engineering to manufacturing cycle time. In addition, BMW Group can seamlessly migrate data from its existing IT systems and extend its engineering platform to other disciplines that are essential to the development, prototyping and testing of its new vehicles. These disciplines include such areas as modelling and simulation.
The move into the use of 3DExperience isnât the first time the two companies have collaborated and the latest move marks the next phase in their long-term partnership on design and manufacturing software platforms. For decades, the two companies have pooled their knowledge and know-how to advance technological innovation in areas including production planning and scheduling, part design and production efficiency.
According to Laurence Montanari, Vice President, Transportation & Mobility Industry, Dassault Systèmes, BMW Group and Dassault Systèmes are technology-driven companies that are entering a new era of shared innovation to deliver the latest generation of automotive products.
âWith the 3DExperience platform, BMW Group can rethink its engineering development process to deliver the most personalised and sustainable products to its customers,â he concludes.
Testing at Miramas
The revelation that BMW is working with the French software company on its future designs comes just as the car manufacturer is completing the testing phase of the fourth generation of the BMW X3 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).
For the latest iteration of the long-standing popular model, BMW has been performing some fine tuning of all the chassis control and driver assistance systems to ensure the model conforms to the latest safety standards and consumer expectations of the current generation of vehicles.
Prior to the latest set of tests performed at the companyâs proving grounds, the BMW X3 had already undergone extensive testing on snow and ice, in extremely hot regions and off-road on its way to reaching production readiness. It was during these trials, that the SUV’s suitability for everyday use and travelling was tested and refined in urban stop-and-go traffic as well as on winding country roads, highways and selected race tracks.
From there, the prototype models were moved to the BMW Groupâs own proprietary test centre and proving grounds at Miramas in southern France to undergo final tuning of all chassis control and driver assistance systems.
The vehicle will be available with different drive trains and the development and test engineers were there to ensure that all model variants, regardless of drive concept and weight, demonstrate the required level of handling in every situation during the intensive tuning programme. This included autonomous driving controls and parking systems.
Miramas Proving Ground
The versatility of the proving grounds at Miramas enable the development engineers to test all aspects of the driveability of the new model. In addition to an asphalt oval and a highway ring, there are also slalom, serpentine and circular tracks as well as off-road courses and handling courses with different road surfaces. This allows the longitudinal and lateral acceleration, suspension and damping, steering precision and braking behaviour to be analysed and optimised down to the last detail. It also enables real track data to be compared to simulation results and the performance of digital twins as a means of verifying and modifying simulation parameters to match real prototype performance characteristics.
The latest X3 has a wider track and reduced lift at the rear axle than its predecessors. In addition, the rigidity of the body and the chassis connection has been increased. Targeted improvements to the kinematics and elastokinematics of both axles, combined with a 19 per cent increase in the caster of the front wheels, ensure noticeably improved directional stability, as confirmed by the test results seen at Miramas.
ADAS and Safety Testing
The test track was also able to be used for verification of adaptive safety systems on the car and Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) such as collision avoidance, automatic braking and vulnerable road user protection.
The use of collapsible and programmable âtargetsâ ensures that the carâs active safety systems can be tested in situations that are as near to real as possible without introducing hazards.
A more digital future for BMW
Now that BMW has introduced its collaborative digital twinning and product lifecycle management approach with Dassault Systèmes, the company can look forward to more accuracy of modelling and prototyping earlier in the product life cycle and more predictable outcomes in full prototype testing and tuning at Miramas for future models.
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