2026 Presenters
The 3D CIC agenda is carefully curated by industry experts to present highly innovative ideas and real-world examples – lessons learned, setbacks faced, and challenges overcome – in a single-track format.
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Capvidia
MBE Subject Matter Expert
Larry Bergquist
Larry Berquist is the MBE Subject Matter Expert at Capvidia. A senior GD&T authority with over 30 years of experience in heavy-equipment product design, Larry has spent his career translating robust tolerance standards into real-world manufacturing successes.
He is actively involved in ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and DMSC (Digital Metrology Standards Consortium), shaping MBE standards and GD&T standards.
Larry now educates and guides OEMs and their supply chains in model-based transformation from drawings to fully digital workflows via MBD and QIF.
Capvidia
MBE Subject Matter Expert
Alex Kulyk
MBD Ready: What It Looks Like for OEMs vs. Suppliers
MBD Ready is more than adopting 3D models, it’s the ability to publish, consume, and validate machine-readable engineering intent across the supply chain without introducing translation errors, ambiguity, or rework.
In this session, we break down what MBD readiness looks like from both sides of the digital thread: OEMs, who must generate and distribute validated MBD data, and suppliers, who must reliably consume that data and produce inspection-ready, traceable results.
Attendees will learn how QIF-based workflows support faster First Article Inspection (FAI), stronger revision control, improved data integrity, and a more scalable path toward automation. Whether you’re just starting with drawing-based processes or already deep into model-based manufacturing, this session provides a clear roadmap to become MBD Ready today and for the future.
CAD & Cocktails Sponsor
CAD & Cocktails Sponsor
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Tech Area Lead, Digital Materials and Manufacturing
Bill Bernstein
Dr. William Z. Bernstein leads the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) ManTech product portfolio, which comprises of the Additive Manufacturing, Digital Enterprise, and Future Factory programs. He is also a part of the RX Digital Manufacturing Research Team, which internally addresses challenges faced by the Air Force and Space Force services. His research interests are information modeling, system interoperability, and human-centered interfaces. He works on applications related to Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing, Industrial Augmented Reality, Digital Manufacturing, and Sustainable Design and Manufacturing. He has published more than sixty technical articles in journals and refereed conference proceedings and has been awarded two US patents. He serves on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Design for Manufacturing and the Life Cycle (DFMLC) Technical Committee and on the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP) Advanced Manufacturing Enterprise (AME) Subpanel. He serves as an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering. He has received multiple honors and awards. Representative examples include the 2019 ASME Computers in Engineering (CIE) Young Engineer Award and a 2020 Department of Commerce (DOC) Bronze Medal Award for his contributions to ASTM Sustainable Manufacturing (E60) standards.
From MBD to Manufacturing: A Standards-Based Approach to Digital Traceability and Validation
Geometric deviations between as-designed and as-manufactured parts significantly impact cost, quality, and delivery timelines across aerospace, automotive, medical device, and industrial manufacturing sectors. The digital quantification and modeling of these deviations in an interoperable, scalable, and repeatable manner remains a critical barrier to achieving robust Digital Thread capabilities.
This presentation details the development of a CAD-agnostic software platform that bridges the gap between nominal as-designed Model-Based Definition (MBD) and actual as-manufactured product through digital twin models constructed using as-inspected data. The platform leverages industry-standard neutral file formats—including STEP AP242 for product design representation, QIF for quality data exchange, and MTConnect for as-executed manufacturing collection—to create a unified Digital Thread connecting design intent through production validation.
By linking digital twin models and their associated Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) metadata to model-based systems engineering frameworks, the platform enables complete traceability and validation between high-level requirements and low-level detailed manufacturing information models. Built leveraging existing commercial software and established industry standards, this platform eliminates proprietary format dependencies while enabling cross-platform workflows previously impossible in heterogeneous manufacturing environments.
The technology demonstrates practical MBE implementation across diverse industrial contexts, providing actionable insights for organizations of all sizes seeking to strengthen their Digital Thread capabilities through improved model-based processes and standards adoption.
HII-Newport News Shipbuilding
Engineering Designer
Ryan Bounds
Ryan Bounds is a senior engineering designer and subject-matter expert specializing in Model-Based Definition (MBD) transformation at Newport News Shipbuilding. With a 12-year tenure in shipbuilding, his expertise encompasses manufacturing, design engineering, manufacturing engineering, and digital engineering.
In his current role, Ryan utilizes his expertise to foster innovation, optimize processes, and maintain high standards throughout shipbuilding lifecycles. He focuses on both company and industry standards, training, and processes to help the shipbuilding industry achieve the Department of the Navy’s and HII-NNS’s digital engineering goals.
Ryan has contributed to various ASME and DMSC standards, including ASME Y14, ASME MBE, and DMSC MBC. He holds multiple degrees and is a senior-level certified professional in accordance with the ASME Y14.5-2009 standard.
Action Engineering
Digital Engineering MBD Interoperability Implementation Consultant
Melissa Harvey
Melissa specializes in CAD to neutral data formats, enabling factory and supply chain interoperability and automation. She develops and teaches courses on MBD best practices to achieve lossless data exchange. Melissa is a self-avowed data nerd and loves in-depth problem-solving. Her career has spanned both small and large engineering and manufacturing companies, where she has led with curiosity in implementing process and design improvements to advance product manufacturability. She is currently the incumbent Deputy Convenor of ISO TC 184 SC 4 WG 12, which is responsible for the development and publication of ISO 10303 (STEP AP 242).
Melissa holds a Master’s degree in Information Systems, a B.S. in Business Administration, and an A.S. in Computer Drafting and Design. Additionally, she holds certificates in Model-Based Systems Engineering, Additive Manufacturing, and Product Lifecycle Management.
When not working, Melissa enjoys creative pursuits, including watercolor painting and teaching, photography, and finding beauty in the world.
The Role of Pilot Use-Cases in Model-Based Definition (MBD) Adoption
This presentation will illustrate the process on how HII-Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) has approached applying Model-Based Definition (MBD); the process of defining product & engineering data within a 3D CAD model which creates a single source of truth that is used in downstream manufacturing, inspection, and assembly processes, on a digitally designed shipbuilding program.
We will discuss the use-cases and pilot work we have performed in order to demonstrate the application of MBD and standards for adoption on a digital ship design. We will provide the results of our MBD modeling activities related to the application, testing, and validation of standards for component and assembly based products and how they impacted program adoption. We will present how MBD based pilot models support NNS’s primary MBD goal to develop a well-defined framework with a set of model-based standards for application on a new shipbuilding program. Our expected results from implementing a strong program wide MBD policy/framework will be to:
- Alleviate risks of chaotic data, product rework, and underutilization of advanced technology.
- Enable efficient product assembly, universal data exchange, integration, automation, simulation, and long-term data storage & retrieval.
Our presentation describes how well defined use-cases and 3D pilot models are able to demonstrate the application and value of MBD standards. The MBD piloting process ensures we meet programs goals for efficient data development, management, and exchange of engineering, planning, manufacturing, and operational activities for a new digitally-designed program.
We will to speak on how NNS is continuing leading the U.S. Naval shipbuilding industry by:
- Supporting, harmonizing and developing Model-Based Definition standards that support complex, assembly-based products
- Collaborating with partner shipyards, academic laboratories, and consultants to form an overarching governance council for new shipbuilding programs
NNS’s goal is to socialize our framework for the application of Model-Based Definition standards, solicit industry expert opinion, and continue to support the industry standards community as we progress toward our goal of enabling a digitally superior product for U.S. Naval warships.
Presenting Sponsor
KCNSC / Honeywell FM&T
Principal Engineer, Mechanical
Curtis Brown
Curtis Brown is a long-time champion for digital product realization, from model-based definition to production process planning to product acceptance. He is a Principal Engineer and MBE Focus Lead at the Department of Energy’s Kansas City Security Campus (KCNSC), managed by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technology, LLC.
Curtis is a major contributor to the NSE’s MBE Maturity Index, and president of the Digital Metrology Standards Committee (DMSC) which fosters and produces ANSI approved digital interoperability standards such as the Quality Information Framework (QIF) and the digital Model-Based Characteristics (MBC).
His most recent attention is towards transforming product realization organizations from a document-centric, 2D drawing-based business to a part-centric model-based digital enterprise.
The xBOX Framework: A Winning Strategy for Unifying Digital Information Across the Product Realization Lifecycle
Achieving true digital continuity across the product realization lifecycle remains one of the industry’s most persistent challenges. Design, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, quality, and service organizations often manage product-related information in disconnected silos, limiting collaboration and creating barriers to efficiency.
The xBOX Framework introduces a structured strategy to unify digital information through two complementary dimensions. In this model, the lowercase “x” represents product lifecycle views—such as engineering, manufacturing, procurement, quality, or service—while the uppercase “X” represents information types, including materials, characteristics, processes, resources, and information items. By explicitly linking these views and types, the framework creates a systematic “x-view of a Bill of X” model that maps, manages, and connects product information across the product realization lifecycle.
This approach provides organizations with a common language for digital communication, ensuring stakeholders can access, interpret, and apply product data in context. The result is improved data integrity, seamless cross-discipline collaboration, and more informed decision-making throughout the lifecycle.
At 3DCIC 2026, this session will introduce how the xBOX Framework equips enterprises to harness their digital assets more effectively in support of digital transformation, advanced analytics, automation, and model-based strategies. Attendees will see how the framework strengthens interoperability and digital continuity, while also driving human collaboration with precision and ease—enabling organizations to be more agile, innovative, and competitive in this digital era.
Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC operates the Kansas City National Security Campus for the United States Department of Energy / National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract Number DE-NA0002839
NSC-614-7490 09/2025 Unclassified Unlimited Release
Ford Motor Company
Manufacturing Engineer
Dave Doody
Experienced Manufacturing Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the automotive industry. Skilled in Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing, Product Lifecycle Management, Computer-Aided Design (CAD), and Automotive Engineering. Strong engineering professional with a Bachelor’s degree focused in Mechanical Engineering from Technical University of Nova Scotia.
Navigating the Labyrinth – Challenges of 3D PMI Implementation for Powertrain Manufacturing in a Large Organization with Dual CAD Systems
This presentation will highlight the technical, process, and cultural hurdles that we face in the implementation of a robust 3D PMI workflow for powertrain manufacturing at Ford.
The current PLM state requires the management of data using intermediate formats such as JT, STEP242 and QIF. The procedure for design changes requires robust validation and a knowledge of the distinctions of each system to avoid translation faults.
In-process tolerances are separate from design tolerances and represent intermediate dimensional requirements relative to manufacturing datums. Design level PMI are allocated into manufacturing tolerances through a reverse stack-up procedure. Most CAD systems are designed for component level PMI authoring and manufacturing process-specific PMI is an emerging specialty that requires substantial workflow development.
The PMI transition requires a fundamental shift in how we all think and work. Manufacturing engineers require significant training in software usage and best practices to become “PMI Authors”.
Despite the difficulties, 3D PMI is a strategic business transformation that offers significant long-term benefits in efficiency, quality, and communication in a connected enterprise.
Rubypoint
President
Daniel Campbell
Daniel Campbell is President of Rubypoint, a company focused on advancing model-based definition (MBD), characteristic management, and QIF-enabled digital manufacturing solutions. With more than 20 years of experience in model-based and data-driven manufacturing, Daniel has been deeply involved in the evolution of digital product definition and quality interoperability since the early 2000s.
He has contributed to the Quality Information Framework (QIF) standard since its inception and currently serves as Chair of the QIF Working Group, leading the ongoing technical development of the standard and helping drive industry adoption. Daniel is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) and serves on the Technical Advisory Committee for MxD.
Throughout his career, Daniel has combined deep technical expertise with industry leadership, previously serving as lead software developer for Metrosage’s Pundit tool and as Vice President of Model-Based Definition at Capvidia. He is committed to advancing interoperable, standards-based digital manufacturing and enabling organizations to fully realize the promise of model-based enterprise.
Product Characteristics as Business Objects
This presentation explores how treating product characteristics as structured business objects can serve as the semantic backbone of the digital thread, closing the persistent gap between product engineering and manufacturing and quality operations. Despite advanced point technologies, organizations still face a “valley of death” marked by manual data handling, inconsistent interpretation of characteristics, and static documentation. Building on DMSC’s Model-Based Characteristics (MBC) framework, this presentation demonstrates how characteristics can move beyond simple balloon identifiers to include product requirement associations, criticality classifications, and verification plan requirements, enabling traceability from systems requirements through design, inspection, and production. QIF can provide the standards-based infrastructure to link characteristics semantically to functional features rather than raw CAD geometry, ensuring consistent interpretation across coordinate metrology, smart CNC, virtual assembly, and connected MES workflows. By elevating characteristics to governed, interoperable enterprise objects, organizations can unlock automation, improve process repeatability, and achieve end-to-end visibility and control across the product lifecycle.
ASME MBE & Y14 Harmonization Standards Committee
Dan Feighery
Dan works with organizations to enable their digital transformation into a Model-Based Enterprise.
His career began as a tooling engineer for a Fortune 500 company’s aerospace group where he was exposed to design for manufacturability/assembly and quality control. Prior to coming to Action Engineering, he worked for an emerging leader in impact mitigation and cushioning solutions and served as a change agent and champion of business process improvements.
Dan holds a B.S. in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science & Technology with a Management of Technology emphasis. Growing up in a bilingual home, Dan speaks Brazilian Portuguese. When not working, he can be found climbing and volunteering as an instructor with the Colorado Mountain Club.
Evan Kessick
Evan Kessick is the Director of Model-Based Initiatives at Elysium, specializing in 3D MBD CAD data interoperability. Evan has over 18+ years of experience in engineering and design with experience leading and advising MBD and MBE implementations. Evan is also actively involved in ASME committees, including chairing the MBE Committee and co-chairing the Y14/MBE Harmonization Committee.
Patterns in MBD: Closing the Gaps in Standards and Interoperability
The shift from drawing-centric workflows to model-based definition (MBD) is not just a change in format, it represents a fundamental transformation in how product definition is created, communicated, and consumed across the enterprise. MBD offers the promise of persistent, machine-readable engineering requirements seamlessly connected across the digital thread. However, achieving this vision is not without challenges. While standards organizations such as ASME, ISO, DMSC, and PDES continue to evolve to support MBD and the broader model-based enterprise (MBE), critical gaps remain that impact interoperability, trust in data, and the ability to automate downstream processes.
One of the most visible areas of challenge lies in the use of patterns. Patterns are essential constructs within ASME Y14.5, but they can be authored in multiple syntactically valid ways. This flexibility, while valuable, introduces complexity when ensuring consistent interpretation across both humans and software systems. In practice, these inconsistencies create downstream issues, including difficulties in decomposing patterns into instances, assigning characteristics and persistent IDs, translating to neutral CAD formats, importing into downstream tools, and reporting inspection results in a reliable and consistent manner.
Standards are intended to provide a common framework for communication and interpretation. Yet when too many options, or ambiguities, exist, that framework of consistency begins to break down. This session will explore the role of patterns in MBD, highlight the risks and challenges tied to their current treatment in standards, and discuss how industry can work together to close the gaps needed to achieve seamless interoperability.
Key Takeaways
Presenting Sponsor
Signature Sponsor
Moog
Model-Based Engineering – Digital Transformation
Max Gravel
With over 25 years in the aerospace industry, Max Gravel brings a practical, hands‑on perspective to digital transformation.
As a Model‑Based Engineering Manager, he has spent the last four years leading Moog’s shift from traditional, document‑based engineering to a more connected, digital way of designing and building hardware—working closely with teams across IT, Design, Quality, Manufacturing, and the Supply Chain.
Max holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aerospace engineering.
Moog’s Journey Towards Model-Based Definition Value Realization
Moog is on an ambitious journey to modernize how products are developed and manufactured by embracing model‑based processes and introducing new digital factories around the world.
In this presentation, Max will share Moog’s experiences moving toward Model‑Based Definition (MBD) and explain why it plays a critical role in the company’s broader digital engineering strategy. He’ll walk through the scope and goals for the initial rollout and present Moog’s design modeling approach to hardware components.
The talk will also explore Moog’s aspiration for a connected “digital thread” and data flow from design to manufacturing and quality. Attendees will gain insight into ongoing activities, challenges, and opportunities that arise from pilot projects.
This session is designed for anyone curious about how digital engineering transformations unfold in practice—and what it takes to move from promise to payoff.
Honeywell Aerospace
Technical Fellow
Mario Hidalgo
Mario Hidalgo is an experienced Lead Designer of gas turbine engines, with over 29 years at Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Arizona in roles of increasing responsibility where he is currently a Technical Fellow in the Engines & Power Systems division. He has led teams of domestic and global Designers on two large auxiliary power unit engine core designs, and prior to that was design module lead for several advanced technology engines. He is the team leader for the Mechanical Design Model Based Enterprise team, tasked with innovating and advancing model based design efforts on the mechanical side of Honeywell Aerospace. He currently leads the Siemens Aerospace Working Group’s MBD/PMI Subgroup, is a member of the ASME Model Based Enterprise Committee’s Subject Matter Expert Support Group, and is involved with ASME’s MBE & Y14 Joint Harmonization Committee. Mario is ASME Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Senior Level certified, an ASME member, and a Lifetime Member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. He is Greenbelt certified in Six Sigma, Velocity Product Development, and Design for Six Sigma.
A Different Approach to Characteristic Accountability
Honeywell Aerospace was facing a familiar challenge within the CAD model based design community: it had the tools and knowledge to create annotated solid models, but its supplier base was struggling to consume them, particularly in the Quality function. As the team evaluated different approaches and new industry software offerings available to consume its models downstream of Design, it found a solution in an unexpected piece of software it already had: DISCUS. Although for many years it was only used internally to balloon 2D PDF drawings, in recent years DISCUS has invested in and made significant progress towards developing its 3D model and PMI processing capabilities. This presentation will showcase how Honeywell Aerospace grew its model based capabilities downstream of Design and solved critical supplier adoption challenges by incorporating the latest model based capabilities offered by DISCUS 3D.
Rolls-Royce PLC
Senior Specialist Digital Design & Industrialisation
David Hook
He has spent his career working across Design, Manufacturing & Service departments on everything from legacy products to cutting edge technologies. Having graduated from the drawing board he is now industrialising a Model Based Enterprise with CAD & PLM at its heart.
David has combined his passion for aviation and integrating digital solutions to improve product safety and quality. He regularly coaches and collaborates with other industry leaders in the fields of Model Based Design, APQP & Design for X and mentors the development of tomorrows Engineers.
Transformation Across the Supply Chain
Our organisation exists in an exciting digital time of change and aerospace is at the forefront of this transformation. Having a method that connects data across the product life cycle is key to unlocking the efficiency potential that can come with the digital thread. Yet organisations do not exist in isolation, they are built upon ever evolving technical systems and reliant on integrated global supply chains of varying levels of digital capability. Behind all of this are systems and processes that are managed and driven by human operators.
We develop and deliver complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. These products are innovative and reliant on a model based systems approach. Rolls-Royce is leading the way to a true digital thread.
To meet tomorrows needs we are transforming and evolving our digital tool sets both internally and externally. Digital transformation effects our people and processes to enable the vision to be tomorrows reality, they are as much part of the system as the tools.
Aiding the delivery of a model based approach, our research into enablers led to the development of digital minimums standards. These are foundational to extending our thread into the supply chain to ensure it is sustainable. These have been initiated with internal and external supply chains and now revised for an ambitious plan to reach across our digitally consumed data.
Action Engineering
Director of Programs & Strategy
Philip Jennings
As the Director of Programs & Strategy, Philip’s responsible for strategically ensuring the execution of contracts across the Action Engineering consulting services portfolio while also architecting scalable and adoptable solutions for our customers.
Philip’s key responsibilities include managing Action Engineering’s project portfolio, leading business development and capture, and streamlining internal proposal and project management systems & processes.
Philip began his career at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), where he engineered various structures for both aircraft carrier and submarine programs. While at NNS, Philip served in various positions of increasing responsibility within Engineering & Design, Manufacturing & Quality Control, and Nuclear Propulsion divisions. Throughout his tenure at NNS, he has gained experience in digital transformation and process improvement across all areas of the product lifecycle, from early ship concept development to in-service maintenance & modernization. Philip leads by forming talented teams capable of understanding and solving the multi-dimensional challenges of the modern industrial complex.
Presenting Sponsor
Elysium
Director of Model-Based Initiatives
Evan Kessick
Evan Kessick is the Director of Model-Based Initiatives at Elysium, specializing in 3D MBD CAD data interoperability. Evan has over 18+ years of experience in engineering and design with experience leading and advising MBD and MBE implementations. Evan is also actively involved in ASME committees, including chairing the MBE Committee and co-chairing the Y14/MBE Harmonization Committee.
“Trusted” and “Traceable” Model-Based Product Data
This presentation introduces how trust and traceability form the foundation of model‑based product definition. It begins with trust, showing how model‑based quality checking is used to validate MBD quality and standards compliance, ensuring the model can be confidently consumed downstream. It then moves to traceability, explaining how QIF and characteristic support enable product definition data to remain connected and interpretable across engineering, manufacturing, and quality domains. Together, these capabilities demonstrate how model‑based definition can instill trust and establish traceability of persistent and compliant product definition.
Signature Sponsor
WMG, the University of Warwick
Lead Engineer
Ercihan Kiraci
Dr. Ercihan Kiraci, Lead Engineer at WMG’s CIMAT Lab, combines 20 years of experience in metrology and digital transformation with emerging work on enhancing cybersecurity resilience in manufacturing through an MBE Approach. He is part of the UK’s Catapult High Value Manufacturing Centre (one of six nationwide) and leads all metrology and Model-Based Enterprise activities at WMG, focusing on smart metrology, standards development, and Digital Twin applications.
Beyond Interoperability: Leveraging QIF for Automated Metrology Planning
The Quality Information Framework (QIF) is often positioned as an interoperability standard connecting semantic product specification data (via PMI) with downstream quality processes. However, its greatest opportunity lies in bridging the gap between design intent and measurement execution. Current implementations focus on standardization of GD&T and data exchange (i.e. using MBCs), but the real challenge is converting functional tolerances into executable, optimized measurement instructions. In the quality domain in any business, the selection of accurate and cost-effective measurement strategies for verification is vital. The MBE workflow for quality provides the required data traceability to enable a rule-based approach to measurement planning. At the same time, many new measurement technologies have recently been introduced, yet they lack international standards for data traceability and calibration, while existing standards often address only specific domains, such as contact-based standard only covers touch-trigger systems. Without a unifying approach, this fragmentation leads to gaps in trust, repeatability, and adoption. QIF offers the opportunity to close this gap by providing a consistent framework to integrate diverse technologies into traceable, rule-based planning.
This presentation reframes QIF as more than a data exchange standard: it is a planning enabler with tangible business impact. By leveraging QIF-driven semantic PMI to generate dynamic inspection plans, manufacturers can reduce programming effort, improve traceability, and minimize costly errors. Work instructions and technical documentation can be automatically updated as designs evolve, ensuring alignment across design, quality, and production.
By addressing this missing link, manufacturers that address this planning gap unlock faster time-to-market, lower rework costs, and stronger supply chain readiness. QIF delivers ROI not only through interoperability, but by enabling a practical, scalable digital thread that turns design intent into reliable execution.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Operations Data Scientist Project Lead
Stephanie Locks-Hartle
Stephanie Locks-Hartle is a seasoned data scientist and manufacturing expert with a strong background in leading cross-functional teams and driving digital transformation in the aerospace and defense industry. Currently, she serves as a Data Analytics & Data Science Project Lead at Lockheed Martin Corporation (LM), where she has successfully led the development of analytics solutions that have generated significant returns on investment.
With a proven track record of driving innovation and process improvement, Stephanie has established herself as a subject matter expert in data analytics, data science, and digital manufacturing. She has led the development of Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) to enable causal analytics and has collaborated with industry partners, including Northrop Grumman Corporation, to implement standards-based PIDs.
In addition to her technical expertise, Stephanie is passionate about developing the next generation of data analytics professionals. She is the instructor for the LM Data Analytics Apprentice Program, where she teaches and mentors apprentices in data analytics and data science for manufacturing. She has also designed the syllabus and courses for the program, demonstrating her commitment to knowledge sharing and talent development.
Stephanie holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University. She is a recipient of several awards, including the 2021 STEP Ahead Award from the National Association of Manufacturers and the 2019 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Enabling Digital Manufacturing with Persistent IDs: A Standards-Driven Approach
The integration of data across the design-to-sustainment lifecycle remains a significant hurdle in the manufacturing industry. To overcome this challenge, a collaborative effort between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, and Georgia Tech and Purdue has yielded a standards-based framework that facilitates seamless data exchange. At the core of this framework is the utilization of Persistent IDs (PIDs), which serve as unique digital identifiers for part geometry and product manufacturing information (PMI). By leveraging open standards such as STEP AP242, MTConnect, and QIF, PIDs can establish a digital thread that bridges the gaps between design, manufacturing, inspection, and sustainment ecosystems. Recent research, conducted in partnership with Georgia Tech and Purdue, has successfully demonstrated the application of PIDs in creating a digital thread across the lifecycle, linking data from CAD systems, CAM systems, CNC controllers, and CMM inspection systems to QIF reports. This proof-of-concept project produced 25 assemblies, showcasing a genuine standards-based digital thread across design, manufacturing, and test data for all machined parts. Furthermore, the project explored the potential of PIDs with automated part matching algorithms to enhance assembly efficiency and reduce scrap. This presentation aims to spark a discussion on the development, adoption, and industry-wide implementation of PIDs, featuring an anonymized evaluation of major CAx vendors’ capabilities in supporting standards-based P-IDs to inform the conversation and drive future advancements.
Kubotek Kosmos
General Manager Marketing
John McCullough
John has over 30 years of experience in product development and marketing of mechanical CAD software. After a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1993 his career has included roles across several small companies as a software developer, quality assurance engineer, product manager, partner sales channel manager, and currently marketing general manger.
Supplier-Side MBD: Enabling Digital Thread Connectivity to Independent Shop Processes
Kubotek Kosmos supports suppliers who rely on MBD data across inspection, CNC machining, and process‑planning/tool‑design teams—each transforming CAD models in different ways. Our vantage point, serving manufacturing shops directly, reveals how these downstream edits complicate digital‑thread continuity. This brief session highlights real translation‑validation challenges and opportunities we see every day, and how both end‑user tools and embeddable geometry components can strengthen MBD adoption across the supply chain.
CAD & Cocktails Sponsor
Woodward Inc.
Senior Designer
Ashley Schmidt
Ashley Schmidt started with Woodward Inc. in engineering, moving through drafting, design, GD&T checking and standards work over the course of 10 years. During her time with Woodward Inc, she joined ASME and has since been elected to chair and be a member of multiple ASME committees. Ashley left Woodward Inc. for 4 years, working through TechSource Inc. to do design work for Sandia National Labs and Los Alamos National Labs on the Scorpius project. Ashley has returned to drive Woodward’s Model Based Definition (MBD) and Model Based Enterprise (MBE) initiatives.
“Checker” Evolution: Drawings to MBD
As an engineering checker, there are a plethora of things we look for and we do not all check for the same things, our priorities may differ, our understanding of certain concepts and conditions may differ. When reviewing all the different approaches I’ve seen through engineering checking, none are the same, and none are complete.
I’ve seen multitudes of different methods: some use checklists, some review CAD imbedded modelcheck functions, some prioritize model structural relationships, some prioritize GD&T, some scrutinize model parameter-driven data.
As a checker of engineering data, your goal is to find any/all errors. The question is: when do you stop looking? Do you stop when you’ve found an error? Do you stop when the GD&T is functional? Do you stop when the model structure is accurate and free of circular references? Do you stop now that there is no drawing and only a model?
Takeaways: The importance of checking in an MBD world, where to draw the line to ‘end’ a check, how to create that line, and what to do with it.
Dirac
Partnerships
Trevor Smith
Trevor Smith leads Partnerships at Dirac with a background from Collins Aerospace and a strong foundation in Aerospace & Defense, manufacturing, and the advanced technologies that power these industries. Holding a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Connecticut, Trevor combines engineering precision with business acumen to help manufacturing businesses modernize and excel.
From CAD to the Shop Floor: How AI-Driven Production Orchestration Turns Engineering Data into Scalable Execution
Across industries, CAD systems contain the richest representation of a product, but most manufacturers still rely on manual processes to translate that data into production-ready instructions. This handoff between CAD and the factory floor introduces delay, inconsistency, and rework, thus turning engineering velocity into a manufacturing constraint.
In this talk, Trevor Smith will explore how leading manufacturers are addressing this problem with AI-driven production orchestration, using CAD data as the foundation for execution. Rather than converting CAD into static documents, this approach maintains a dynamic, model-based representation of the product and the factory—where geometry, structure, assembly logic, sequencing, and constraints remain continuously connected through AI.
By allowing work instructions to derive directly from CAD and update automatically as designs change, manufacturers can propagate engineering changes in minutes instead of days, eliminate document drift, and scale production without scaling coordination overhead. Drawing from real enterprise deployments, this session shows how model-based AI enables manufacturing to operate at software speed, thus turning CAD from a design artifact into a system of record for execution.
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of why the digital thread often breaks between CAD and the factory floor, and how AI-driven production orchestration enables more adaptive, resilient manufacturing operations.
CAD & Cocktails Sponsor
Auburn University
Graduate Research Assistant
Caitlin Tran
Caitlin Tran is a Graduate Research Assistant working under the direction of Dr. Allison Ledford at Auburn University. She is also a DoD SMART Scholar sponsored by the Missile Defense Agency. Her research interests include operational excellence, digital twin frameworks, and systems engineering applications in manufacturing and defense.
Digital Twin Analytical Framework (DTAF): A Strategic Roadmap for Digital Twin Adoption
The integration of cyber-physical systems and the advent of concepts like the Digital Thread and Digital Twin (DT) are reshaping how organizations approach design, production, and lifecycle management. While DT shows promise in enabling real-time monitoring, performance evaluation, and decision support, its adoption is hindered by challenges in quantifying the return on investment and implementation time. Specifically, small to medium-sized enterprises face barriers to adopting the Model-Based Enterprise while facing increasing pressure to connect their physical operations with a virtual synchronized representation of their operations. With limited financial backing, these organizations have been slow to implement DTs due to having to justify the uncertain payback and long adoption time. To address this gap, Auburn University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, in partnership with MxD, are developing the “Digital Twin Analytical Framework (DTAF).” DTAF offers a strategic roadmap for DT adoption and serves as a means of integrating three digitalization efforts- the Digital Thread, DTs, and advanced simulation. The framework responds to early-stage DT development by identifying minimum viable datasets and establishing validation procedures. To accomplish this, the following four methodologies will be incorporated into DTAF: Data Element Mapping and Analysis (DEMA) to identify essential data flows, the 4R Maturity Model to benchmark DT capability, the 4S Simulation Framework to align simulation with DT development, and the Digital Twin V process to embed verification and validation. Open-source DT resources from the Digital Twin Consortium are also incorporated. This presentation provides organizations with a repeatable roadmap to confidently design and implement DT technologies and support continuous improvement, while simultaneously establishing the Model-Based Enterprise and the Digital Thread.
Bell Textron Inc.
Sr Staff Engineer and Associate Technical Fellow (Engineering Standards)
Phillip Vaughan
A drafter at heart, has spent 40 plus years in the Design and Engineering world, including architectural systems, oilfield drilling and service equipment, offshore oil technology, heavy construction vehicles, military trucks, and vertical flight. Associate Degree in Engineering Design at Odessa College and dual degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University. ASME Certified Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing Professional – Sr (GDTP-Sr) since 2011. Voting member of 6 ASME Y14 Committees, including Y14.41 – Digital Product Definition Data Practices. Also, the Vice Chair of the ASME AED, Aerospace and Advanced Engineering Product Definition, and member of the AED-Assembly Level Tolerancing project team.
At Bell Textron Inc. (Bell), is a Senior Staff Engineer and Associate Technical Fellow for the ASME Y14 standards, specifically GD&T and MBD. In that role, provide GD&T and MBD training, mentoring, guidance, and engineering policy management. Started drafting on the board in High School, moved to 2D CAD (AutoCAD and CivilSoft), then 3D Wireframe (CADKEY and ANVIL5000), then Solid modeling (Solid Works, Unigraphics, Pro/E-Wildfire-CREO, Inventor, and CATIA V6-3DX).
When not working, spends time camping and fishing. Hobbies include scale model building, woodworking, and 3D printing.
The Nominally BASIC Model
This presentation identifies the 3D solid model as the engineering authority for an item and explains what that means. The model is the basis for the definition to control the item variation. This expands by the application of dimensional limits for the item. After the tolerancing has been applied, the interpretation must be semantic for both “machine and human” for a viable MBD. There are different types of tolerances that can be applied to the model, and this presentation dissects the tolerance types applied to the model and the different tolerance syntax. Some of these tolerances are viable and some are not. In the end, the annotated model is the engineering authority, providing the data for the item. The model is both Nominal and BASIC.
Outline
Objectives
Action Engineering
Digital Engineering MBD Consultant & Instructional Designer
Karen Wylie
Karen Wylie is responsible for creating 3D data sets and supporting training. She brings classroom experience teaching SOLIDWORKS, applying instructional design practices in multiple settings, and teaching technical skills to a variety of learners.
Prior to joining the Action team, Karen served as Lead Faculty over the Alternative Energy Technology program at Northwest State Community College. There, she developed and implemented certificates and associate degrees designed for both engineering students and workforce development students. After relocating to Colorado, Karen served as teaching faculty at the Colorado School of Mines and Red Rocks Community College. She mentored traditional and non-traditional students in multi-disciplinary teams to solve real-world problems with creativity, technical and communication skills, and teamwork. She also taught SOLIDWORKS to fulfill one required component of students’ proof of concept. Most recently, Karen served as the Adolescent Program Director at a local start-up public charter school, where she focused on developing a program that married specific pedagogical needs with Colorado Essential Skills for 21st century workforce readiness.
When she is not working, Karen is an avid trail runner and enjoys going on adventures with her husband and two teenagers.
Action Engineering
Digital Engineering MBD Consultant
Will Smith
Will Smith is an experienced mechanical engineer with over 20 years of expertise in the aerospace industry. His main focus is on CATIA best practices for MBD but is also well versed in other CAD systems.
Will’s career started at Cessna but spanned across many aspects of the Aerospace Industry including Boeing, Airbus, and Honeywell. He is experienced in designing for many different manufacturing methods including machining, sheet metal, composites, and additive manufacturing.
When not working, he can be found in his workshop making chips on his lathe or feeding plastic to his printer. He also tries to keep up with his three kids and all their various activities.
The Long & Winding Road to a Standards-Aligned Benchmark Dataset
Model-Based Definition (MBD) examples are everywhere, but truly useful ones are not, especially when interoperability and downstream use are part of the equation. This session tells the story of an open, standards-driven MBD reference project that started with a simple goal and quickly ran into the messy realities of real-world implementation across tools, roles, and workflows.
What started as a seemingly modest effort, to build a small, well-defined MBD assembly for tool, workflow , and data-exchange testing, quickly exposed deeper challenges. Assumptions about scale, standards compliance, interoperability, and representativeness vary widely, and those differences matter when validating real-world MBD implementations. A floating ball valve assembly, loosely based on petroleum-industry designs, was used as a shared reference point. Importantly, this is not a functional, to-scale valve design; it is an MBD example intentionally scoped to support testing, discussion, and learning.
This session walks through the project’s evolution, beginning with the structure and characteristics of the MBD model, which was developed using ASME standards and best practices. Concrete examples of GD&T applied per ASME Y14.5-2018 (with one legacy 2009 variant), along with ASME Y14.41 and Y14.47, are used to illustrate where standards intent, tooling behavior, and real-world implementation intersect. The model includes structured source data authored to support both human interpretation and machine readability: geometric definition, semantic annotations, presentation states, and attributes (metadata). These are extended to the assembly level to include a well-defined Bill of Materials (BOM) aligned with product structure to support downstream use and interoperability. Participants will see how standards interpretation varies by use case and downstream needs, why declaring something “standards-compliant” without context can be misleading, and how these challenges play out in practice through 3D model development in Creo, including derivative generation and semantic PMI authoring.
After a focused walkthrough of the project context and constraints, participants will break into discussion groups to review the models and derivatives through the lens of interoperability, job roles, and standards applicability.
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Benefits
What You’ll Learn
This session is for MBD implementors, standards practitioners, interoperability enthusiasts and practitioners, tool developers, and anyone tired of examples that aren’t realistic.
Presenting Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
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