Welcome to the May edition of our Ask an Applied Engineer series! Each month, our engineers answer your most pressing questions. Whether you have a technical question about Siemens software, a licensing question, or are just looking for industry advice, we’re here to help.
Submit your questions here and get a response from an Applied CAx engineer.
This month, we’re answering questions about Teamcenter, the aerospace industry, and customer success.
Question #1
Q: How does Teamcenter help meet ISO requirements, and what makes it stand out in this regard?
A: Teamcenter supports ISO compliance (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 13485) by enforcing process control, traceability, and documentation practices through:
- Workflow automation and audit trails for design control and change management.
- Document and training management to ensure controlled release and access.
- Risk and quality management modules are aligned with regulatory needs.
What sets Teamcenter apart is its flexibility to configure compliant processes across industries without custom code, ensuring repeatability and audit readiness.
Answered by Jamie Griffis, Executive Director, Partner | Digital Innovation Services at Applied CAx
Question #2
Q: I’m just starting out in the aerospace industry. What advice would you give me?
A: Several things come to mind:
- You’ll never be done learning, and that’s a great thing! This industry is too complex to know everything, but that keeps it interesting! Lean into that and adopt a mindset of continuous learning.
- Technical skills will come with time, and, to a certain extent, “for free” by doing the job at hand. The people skills, ability to communicate, influence, negotiate…those are the high-value skills that will take you further.
- Volunteer for stretch assignments—it’s the best way to grow. I have been uncomfortable many times in my career, but those times were when I was growing the most.
- Try to decide whether you want to be a technical specialist or a generalist. There is no “right path,” it’s whatever is best for you. You can become a world-class expert in a subset of aerospace design or manufacturing, or you can be broader and lead large teams on complex problems. The choice is yours, but it might direct what you choose to work on to get you to where you want to be.
- If the opportunity arises, support flight testing. That’s where I learned the most in a compressed period. You’re surrounded by all the disciplines: pilots, mechanics, instrumentation, systems, structures, aerodynamics—it’s like a concentrated university.
- Get a mentor—someone who can sponsor you and invest time in helping you network or acquire skills. They’re force multipliers if you get the right person.
- Take your opportunities. Invite yourself to the party. Be endlessly curious.
Answered by Dale Goulding, Executive Director, Aerospace & Defense at Applied CAx
Questions for our customer success team
Q: Can I change my CID/MAC address information myself?
A: No. You need to contact Applied CAx Customer Success or submit a support ticket. We will get you started on the process. You should get your new updated license file in less than two days.
Q: Do you have training for Femap and NX?
A: For Femap, we hold live training about once a quarter. For NX, we have on-demand, self-paced training available on our website.
Q: Is it possible to turn off the “software expiring” notifications on Femap software?
A: Nope! At 30 days to expiration, the countdown starts.
Q: Do you do any work with design for manufacturing (DFM) on your platform?
A: It is CAD but with manufacturing design in mind. We are very strong at supporting that.