1. Context

1.1 Platform presentation

CATIA V5 is a computer-aided design (CAD) platform designed to assist engineers in the design of products and associated processes (production, assembly, maintenance, etc.). It's much more than just a software package for the geometric definition of a mechanical assembly. It is a truly multi-disciplinary platform for modeling and optimizing the product/process pair. Figure 1 shows a first example of a digital model: that of the CFM56-7 engine developed by SNECMA (SAFRAN Group) using CATIA, in collaboration with General Electric.