Transitioning from technical 2D drawings to 3D models: a case study at defense systems

Abstract

Companies in the defense and aerospace industry are experiencing long time‐to‐market and high costs related to the development of new systems. Companies use traditional design elements such as technical 2D drawings and manual work along the development chain. Owing to today's software capabilities, a change to more automated processes is possible, where the use of 3D models as governing documents through the entire development process holds a natural part.

This paper studies a 3D model‐based definition (MBD) approach to the design development work at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. Using a pilot project, we researched the current design processes and the effect an MBD approach would have. We found that an MBD approach would reduce the time‐to‐market and cost, since it eliminates the need for a technical 2D drawing and streamlines the development work. In addition, it reduces project risk by enabling early validation of the design.