Design automation is a process that uses programming technology and computational tools to automate repetitive, rule-based design tasks. It enables engineers, architects, and designers to create complex models, drawings, and systems more efficiently. By programming certain rules, parameters, or workflows, design automation can streamline tasks like generating CAD (computer-aided design) drawings, optimizing layouts, or customizing products.

You might need design automation when you want to handle complex, repetitive tasks more efficiently, save time, reduce errors, or in your design process. Here are some scenarios where design automation can be especially helpful:

• Repetitive Tasks: If you're performing the same design steps repeatedly, like creating variations of a product or updating standard layouts.
• Customization: When you need to quickly produce tailored designs based on client-specific requirements or parameters.
• Optimization: If you need to analyze multiple design options to find the most efficient solution, such as optimizing material usage or performance.
• Scalability: When you're working on large-scale projects or managing numerous design components that would be too time-consuming to handle manually.
• Consistency: To ensure uniform quality and adherence to design standards or guidelines across multiple projects.

Design automation software can be classified based on their application, functionality, or the industry they serve. Here are some common classifications:

• CAD-Based Automation Software: These tools focus on automating tasks in computer-aided design (CAD), such as creating 2D/3D models, drafting, and rendering. Examples include Catia, SolidWorks and AutoCAD.
• Generative Design Tools: These use algorithms to generate optimized designs based on specific constraints and goals. They are often used in architecture, engineering, and product design.
• Workflow Automation Platforms: These streamline entire design processes by automating repetitive tasks and integrating various tools. Examples include platforms like Revit for building information modeling (BIM).
• AI-Powered Design Tools: These leverage artificial intelligence to enhance creativity, optimize designs, and predict outcomes. They are increasingly used in industries like fashion, architecture, and software development.
• Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Tools: These are specialized for designing electronic systems, such as integrated circuits and printed circuit boards (PCBs). Examples include tools like Cadence and Synopsys.
• Industry-Specific Tools: Some design automation software is tailored for specific industries, such as automotive, aerospace, or construction, to meet unique requirements.

RATA is mainly focused on developing industry specific tools like BiW Assembly planner and CAD based automation software.

BIW-AP is a CAD based, industry specific design automation software based on Catia, aimed to assist in planning the assembly process in Body-in-White (BiW) production lines. It helps to visualize the product family tree and parts assembly sequence, modify assembly sequence, automatically create assembly Catia® product files, plan production processes, add defined processes to Catia® files, and automatically generates workshop drawings.

Creation of process sheet drawings in Excel® is a common practice for BiW lines. So the project enjoys the advantages of publishing drawings in MS-Excel® format:

• Availability to Robot Teachers and Maintenance Staff: MS-Excel program is available to BiW line technicians that allows them to open and edit drawings without need to expensive CAD software.
• Editable Without CAD Knowledge: The drawings in Excel can be editted by project executing technicians without knowledge of special CAD software. So As Built drawings are easily created in workshop level.
• Cost-Effective: Excel is a cost-effective alternative to specialized drawing software, reducing the need for additional investments.
• Easy Access and Familiarity: Most users are already familiar with Excel, making it easier to create and share drawings without needing specialized software.
• Customizability: The drawing sheet formats are easily customizable by the user.

The BiW AP program continuously whatches the consistency of the drawings with plant BOM and process definitions and warns of any changes that invalidate a drawing. The user can decide to eliminate the invalidated drawing, make it obsolete or regenerate it. This ensures that your drawings remain consistent and up-to-date.

The BiW-AP is a specialized software that cares about process definitions in the drawings and assembly sequence. PLM systems do not care about such content validations.

The main focus of the BiW-AP is on automatic creation of the process sheet drawings and sequence charts and validation of them. This job is not done in Delmia® or similar software.

PLM systems usually mange the design BOM (DBOM), engineering BOM (EBOM), manufacturing BOM (MBOM), sales BOM (SBOM). The assembly sequence of a BiW plant or plant BOM is usually not created automatically by PLM systems. Nevertheless, if the plant BOM is already created in the PLM system, BiW-AP can read the plant BOM from the existing CAD files, and if not, BiW-AP creates the corresponding CAD files automatically.