Using PLM in Undergraduate Global Capstone Projects

摘要

Over the past three years, undergraduate mechanical engineering students from Brigham Young University (BYU) have participated in PACE sponsored vehicle collaborative projects. These projects originated as an engineering capstone experience in which students completed a comprehensive engineering based design.These collaboration projects are particularly applicable as they dealt with the new global face of engineering.Beyond learning the available tools and developing engineering skills, to gain experience in global collaboration is the most valuable skill an engineer can develop in preparation for a career in engineering. The purpose of these projects has been to develop collaboration skills while using the widest variety of PACE tools possible in the design of recreational and sports vehicles. The most recent collaboration project involved over one hundred students from twenty universities around the world. The extensive scope of these projects necessitated the use of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software to manage school and student information, part files, analysis files, and all other information associated with the project. The use of PLM in the project, however, has matured greatly from the first collaboration project between Brigham Young University and Virginia Tech three years ago. The PLM software chosen for the collaboration project was UGS'Teamcenter frameworks. Both Teamcenter Community and Teamcenter Engineering were used extensively for these projects. This paper will explore in detail the evolving use of PLM in an educational setting for global collaboration projects as well as its past, present and future potential to enable not only universities but also industries to improve designs and better manage information.