For teams assessing how to deploy AI across global product development organizations.
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Capture and scale engineering knowledge
Just in time lessons learned
See how CoLab captures expert knowledge via virtual design reviews, then activates that expertise with AI agents.
We're helping the world's leading manufacturers accelerate product development with AI.
CoLab + Windchill
CoLab’s out-of-the-box integration with Windchill lets you have design conversations with your team and supply chain, while maintaining the structure and organization of your PLM.
30% shorter lead times
8 figures annual cost savings
15% COPQ improvement
4X faster supplier reviews
$3M savings in one VA event
How does the integration work?
Windchill for organization, CoLab for collaboration and decision making
It should be easy to share design files with the people you need feedback from—without compromising your IP security or downloading half a dozen CAD viewers. And with CoLab, it is easy. Securely push drawings or models to CoLab and set the appropriate permissions. Then use a simple link that lets anyone open and view files, right in their web browser.
Quick and simple sharing for all your design info
With CoLab’s Windchill integration, you can share design and manufacturing data, such as 3D CAD models, drawings, BOMs and product manufacturing information, with individuals outside your Windchill system in a secure manner. This eliminates the need for sending attachments in emails or worrying about expired links. Just simple, secure file sharing in the browser.
3D CAD without compromising IP
With CoLab, you can avoid giving sensitive CAD files to your suppliers every time you require a quote. Your suppliers can review Windchill files, including 3D CAD models, and navigate freely within the models, all without access to your Windchill environment. Permissions are fully under your control, and you will always know how and where data is being transferred.
Automatic revision integration that can keep up with you
Eliminate the frustration of searching for the correct file or accidentally sending outdated versions by directly sharing files from Windchill to CoLab in the cloud. Your team can be confident that everyone is reviewing the right files and the latest versions, even when making changes, ensuring that quality and accuracy are maintained throughout the process and preventing mistakes from reaching production.
FAQs
What does the integration installation process entail?
A typical integration follows the following structure:
- Provide CoLab with the necessary information regarding your Windchill setup, including your Windchill version, server type, and database type.
- Our team will use this information to create the appropriate installer files for you.
- Install the integration on a test or development Windchill server to verify that data sharing is successful.
- After successful validation, install the integration on your production server.
What dependencies are required for the integration to work?
- Windchill 11, 12 or 13.
- Creo, if Creo drawings and representations are required to be shared from Windchill to CoLab.
- Installation requires Java 1.8 or above.
- SSO: Need an identity provider that supports SAML 2.0 authentication.
How long does it take to integrate CoLab with Windchill?
The installation itself takes 15-30 minutes.
Do you offer automatic and custom installation options?
Yes, we offer automatic installation as well as custom installation options.
The CoLab integration is a stand-alone integration with PDMLink only, and separate from the other products in your ecosystem (e.g., ProjectLink, PartsLink, MPMLink, CreoView Client). The integration simply creates the ability to share a file to CoLab using the action context menu and right-click context menu in PDMLink. Many of our customers using the integration have customizations in their Windchill and our integration does not affect these customizations. We give you the ability to manually manage the context menu modification if necessary.
What data can be transferred between the two systems?
You can share 3D models, drawings, Bills of Materials including metadata, and product manufacturing information.
Do I need to change my Windchill setup to integrate CoLab?
Standard Windchill utilities are used to accommodate the CoLab integration. This requires minimal adjustment to your existing Windchill setup.
Most teams spend 30 minutes preparing setup information for CoLab, 30 minutes installing the integration on a test Windchill server, and 30 minutes installing the integration on their production server. The amount of time spent on testing and validation is up to you. Maintenance requires minimal effort. Minor updates to Windchill are tested by CoLab and should require no update to the CoLab integration. Major Windchill upgrades will require a reinstallation of the CoLab integration.
Yes, it can be installed on both at the same time.
What security measures are in place to protect my data when sharing from Windchill to CoLab?
In order to share information from Windchill to CoLab:
- The user must be authenticated within Windchill.
- The user must have permissions to download files from Windchill.
- The user must have a CoLab license.
To learn more about how we keep your data secure, visit our security page.
What is the architecture of the integration?
The CoLab Windchill integration is installed on your Windchill server. Users must authenticate with CoLab in order to use the integration. The integration shares file data and metadata (CAD Documents, PDFs, WTPart Attributes, etc.) with the CoLab application via a secure REST API. Data shared from Windchill is securely saved in CoLab’s AWS cloud environment.
What is the process for removing the CoLab integration from our Windchill Ecosystem?
An administrator would simply need to run the installer again and select the Uninstall option, then restart the Windchill server. This should only take about 15-30 minutes.
Ready for smoother collaboration?
If you’re ready to see how CoLab can transform the way you work with suppliers, here’s how the process works.
- Simple external sharing with comprehensive access control
- Enterprise-grade IP security
- Automatically capture a more complete digital thread