For many mechanical engineers, the question is no longer whether to embrace automation but instead how to make it work best for them. Brad Freeman, MEP solutions specialist at Trimble, breaks down some of the digital tools and features available, and explores how they can help engineers design faster, eliminate manual errors and improve efficiency
Even today, a significant portion of a mechanical engineer’s working week can be taken up by repetitive and manual tasks, whether that’s cross-referencing calculations, updating drawings or correcting clashes.
Combine this with the challenges of tighter project timelines, increasingly complex building systems and a persistent squeeze on margins and it’s clear that working smarter is essential. For many engineering firms, this begins with automation.
Digital tools and platforms are increasingly offering a variety of intelligent built-in features and functionalities that allow mechanical engineers to work smarter and design faster.
Tasks that once consumed hours of manual effort, whether that’s pipework routing, equipment selection, calculations or drawing production, can now be completed in a fraction of the time, with the added benefits of greater consistency and fewer errors. In turn, these productivity gains free up time for engineers to spend on more complex or creative design work, as well as improving quality.
What’s more, with buildings and their service systems becoming larger and more complex,
traditional CAD drafting in isolation increasingly falls short. Designing and considering complex interfaces between pipework, ductwork and steel pillars (among others) can be incredibly challenging on just a 2D plan.
Combine this with frequent client changes, contractor-driven requests and timeconsuming
redesigns and it’s no surprise that rework continues to be a costly and ever-present problem. In fact, avoidable errors are reported to cost around £5bn per year in the UK. The closer a project gets to site, the more costly and time-consuming drawing errors can be to rectify, making it critical that any mistakes or clashes are caught early.
Design automation
This is precisely where design automation can deliver real, quantifiable value. Some MEP design software solutions (such as Trimble’s Stabicad for IntelliCAD) contain intelligent, parametric components that automatically adjust when changes are made to the wider scheme design, helping drawing errors to become a thing of the past.
Of course, it’s not just the model that needs to be considered when drawing changes
occur. Fortunately, automation tools can also automatically update all associated documentation (such as tags and schedules) too, ensuring that everything is current and
up to date.
Automatic clash detection can further support early-stage problem solving, flagging issues such as pipes clashing with beams, making it easier for teams to collaborate and resolve the conflicts before they become costly problems further down the line.
While built-in manufacturer content libraries also offer additional benefits, not only providing up-to-date manufacturer data with ease – enabling more accurate and detailed models to be built – but also reducing the time-consuming and monotonous back and forth of sourcing product specs and technical information from websites or datasheets.
Users of Stabicad for IntelliCAD have access to this extensive library of real-world manufacturer components and systems embedded in the software, allowing for the easy and seamless incorporation of current products.
Connection design
Moving from clash detection to connection design and this too can present its own set
of challenges – as well as its opportunity for automation.
The Nodesolver tool (available within all Trimble Stabicad offerings) delivers rapid, accurate solutions to complex connection nodes. During drawing and clash detection, various options for connecting pipes and ductwork are automatically shown, with oneclick routing and connections, saving the designer valuable time.
Built-in compliance
Another challenge for mechanical engineers is keeping up with ever-changing industry
standards, including CIBSE, British Standards and CIPHE, adding additional compliance
pressures. Carrying out manual calculations, corrections and compliance checks can all
be incredibly time-consuming, especially on the larger and more complex projects.
Here again automated tools can deliver. Look for digital platforms that contain built-in,
code-compliant, CIBSE-verified calculations, providing mechanical engineers with the
peace of mind that designs are precise, meet the required specifications and remain
compliant with industry requirements. As well as enhancing design quality, this also
reduces the need for manual corrections.
With Trimble’s Stabicad for IntelliCAD, users can go beyond the standard Autodesk calculations, with a full suite of standard and regulation compliant calculations for ventilation ducts, tap water, central heating, cooling pipes and wastewater systems. This
ensures all designs consistently meet local regulations, while eliminating the risk of
human error from manual calculations that take place outside of the model.
Stabicad for IntelliCAD
Stabicad for IntelliCAD is a comprehensive mechanical design solution that eliminates
the need for additional software purchases. Featuring both a built-in CAD platform and
specialised BIM module, it allows mechanical designers and engineers to effortlessly move
between traditional drafting and modern BIM projects.
With a combination of intelligent design tools, parametric components and integrated
calculations, it delivers the perfect balance of precision and speed to boost productivity
and accuracy in building services projects.
Supported by manufacturer-specific content and detailed system schematics, Stabicad
empowers teams to deliver constructible designs from initial concept through to final installation. By bridging the gap between collaboration and compliance, Stabicad provides a streamlined path to more accurate designs and more profitable project outcomes.
Built-in CIBSE verified calculations ensure that designs are precise and meet required UK specifications, while access to extensive libraries enables users to seamlessly incorporate accurate, up-to-date manufacturer components and systems.
By automating time-consuming tasks, such as modelling complex connections, users can drastically reduce drawing errors, free up time and enhance overall design quality.
Taking advantage of digital tools and platforms like these can represent a meaningful shift in how mechanical engineers approach their work. Automation can help them to reduce error, improve productivity and deliver greater quality out on site. In today’s industry, that’s not just an efficiency gain; it’s a competitive advantage.
To learn more about Stabicad for IntelliCAD, or to request a demo, click here.
**Please note, this is a commercial profile
The post Work smarter, build better: How automation is transforming mechanical engineering appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
