Engineering automation is the use of scripts, macros, APIs, plugins, and custom applications to execute engineering tasks that would otherwise be performed manually by engineers. Automation is applicable to tasks that are repetitive (the same sequence of steps performed frequently with minor variations), rule-based (the correct output can be determined from defined inputs without engineering judgment), time-consuming (the task takes significant time relative to its value), and error-prone (manual execution produces inconsistent results). In engineering and manufacturing environments, this covers CAD modeling tasks (standard part generation, drawing production, BOM export), CAE tasks (model setup, solver submission, results extraction), quality check tasks (geometry validation, standard compliance checking), and data management tasks (report generation, file formatting, system data transfer). EMUG’s DRIVE Framework starts with workflow discovery to identify and prioritize which specific tasks in each client’s environment meet these criteria.
The EMUG DRIVE Framework is EMUG’s five-phase engineering automation delivery methodology, standing for: Discover workflows, Requirements define, Implement and build, Validate performance, and Enable adoption. It structures automation programs from current-state workflow observation through requirements specification, iterative tool development, acceptance testing, and post-deployment adoption monitoring. The framework is specifically designed for engineering automation delivery — where the most common failure mode is building technically functional tools that engineers do not adopt because the tool solves the wrong problem, is too slow for production use, or requires more steps than the manual process it was meant to replace. DRIVE-delivered tools consistently achieve 90 percent or above adoption within 60 days of deployment.
EMUG develops CAD automation tools for NX using NX Open API (C++, .NET, Java), SNAP (Structured NX API), and NXL automation language; for Creo Parametric using Creo Toolkit (C API), J-Link (Java API), Pro/PROGRAM, and Creo EXperience APIs; and for Solid Edge using the Solid Edge .NET SDK and VBA automation interfaces. For CATIA V5 and 3DEXPERIENCE, EMUG uses CAA V5 (Component Application Architecture) and 3DX EKL (Engineering Knowledge Language) automation. For multi-platform environments, EMUG designs automation architectures that work across platforms — using Python or .NET orchestration layers that call platform-specific APIs, enabling workflows that span multiple CAD environments.
EMUG develops CAE automation using the native scripting and API capabilities of each simulation platform. For ANSYS products (Mechanical, Fluent, CFX, LS-DYNA), EMUG uses ANSYS ACT (Application Customization Toolkit) for Workbench integration and Python scripting for batch processing. For Abaqus, automation uses the Abaqus Python scripting interface for model build, job submission, and results extraction. For MSC Nastran, automation uses DMAP (Direct Matrix Abstraction Program) for solver-level customization and Python-based pre and post-processing scripts. For Siemens Simcenter, automation uses NX Open API and Simcenter API for integrated CAD-CAE workflows. All CAE automation tools include data integrity checks that validate model quality before solver submission.
Digital Mock-Up (DMU) automation eliminates the manual effort of setting up, running, and interpreting clash detection, clearance checking, and kinematic motion analysis across large assembly structures. In automotive programs, a full vehicle DMU with 10,000 to 30,000 parts requires hundreds of clearance check configurations covering static, dynamic, and thermal deformation states — a task that takes weeks of manual engineer time per design iteration without automation. EMUG’s DMU automation tools for NX Assembly and 3DEXPERIENCE configure clash and clearance checks automatically from engineering rules, run them in batch, interpret results against defined clearance requirements, and generate structured reports that highlight only the violations requiring engineering attention — reducing DMU cycle time from weeks to days and enabling more frequent design validation iterations within program timing.
Design quality check toolkits are built as plugins or macros that run within the CAD environment — checking the active model or drawing against a defined set of quality rules before the engineer submits it for release. EMUG builds quality check toolkits using NX Check-Mate (NX’s built-in customizable check framework), Creo Model Check, and custom API-based checkers for Solid Edge. Each toolkit is configured to the client’s specific CAD standards — covering geometry quality rules (no open bodies, no duplicate geometry, watertight solids), naming conventions (part number format, revision level, material code), drawing standards (ASME Y14.5 or ISO GPS annotation completeness, title block population, view consistency), and PLM metadata completeness (required attribute population before PLM check-in). Rules are maintained as a configuration file that client CAD administrators can update without software development support.
The client owns the full source code for all automation tools and custom platforms that EMUG builds under its standard engagement terms. Source code handover includes the complete repository with version history, build scripts, deployment documentation, and administrator guide — enabling the client’s internal engineering IT or CAD administration team to maintain, extend, and modify the tools without ongoing EMUG involvement for every change. EMUG provides an optional 12-month support and maintenance agreement for clients who prefer external first-line support during the initial adoption period. For custom platforms with significant ongoing development requirements, EMUG also offers managed development retainer arrangements.
EMUG delivers engineering automation to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers (IATF 16949 traceability requirements), aerospace and defense organizations (AS9100 Rev D, ITAR compliance), industrial machinery and equipment manufacturers, energy, oil, and gas companies (ASME, API standard compliance), and engineering services and EPC firms. Delivery countries include Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.
