盡情享受戶外生活，探訪鮮為人知的秘境，卻無需捨棄日常生活的舒適愜意——這就是「車露生活」的精髓，在社群媒體上更以 #vanlife 為人熟知。 對部分人而言，這是一種休閒方式，對另一些人來說，它則是一種由極簡主義及行動工作趨勢所驅動的生活型態。
Hymer 專為各種使用需求設計與製造露營廂車及房車。在其全新旗艦車款 Venture S 露營廂車的開發上，Hymer 全面運用了 Siemens Xcelerator 軟體組合的多項工具，包括 Solid Edge 與 NX。
在車室內部，Hymer 的 Venture S 已在同級車款中樹立新標竿：內建工作站，可供辦公及進行虛擬會議；寬敞的雨淋式淋浴間；從鍋具、餐具到鞋履、外套皆能井然歸位的巧思收納空間；以及可收納式投影機，能將您喜愛的電影投放至下拉式螢幕。
Venture S 的外觀同樣不負期待，配備如露台般開闊的尾門，以及具溫控與節能效能的車體結構，有效降低車身表面溫度。
憑藉太陽能板，以及使用毛氈、竹材等永續材質打造車室內裝，Venture S 在趨勢與靈活度上全面到位，以多種面向滿足消費者對移動住家的多元想像。
在電腦輔助設計 (CAD) 方面，Hymer 遍佈歐洲各地的工程團隊皆採用 Solid Edge 軟體。「Solid Edge 的使用者介面十分友善，學習門檻低；新進同事只需接受極少的訓練就能上手。」Hymer 工業化研發部 (R&D) 負責人 Stefan Ziegler 如此表示。
這套 3D CAD 軟體具備打造車輛完整數位孿生所需的一切功能。對於在極為狹窄空間內配置管路與管線——無論是燃氣、給水或污水管線——這類複雜任務而言，尤其能發揮價值。在此階段，工程師會使用 Solid Edge XpresRoute 3D。到了後續的量產階段，這些 3D 模型也能讓作業人員更清楚地掌握管線與管材的安裝位置。
設計工程師透過 Solid Edge 內建的有限元素建模 (FEM) 分析來驗證其設計的結構完整性。這些日常的基本驗證易於執行，並能快速提供第一手的結構資料參考。
更為深入的應力分析，則委由 Erwin Hymer Group 旗下的內部汽車輕量化部門 The Team Technology (TTT) 負責。他們使用 Simcenter 3D 軟體進行 FEM 分析。
這套兩階段驗證流程能在產品設計初期就累積知識資產，有效減少所需的物理原型數量。
Simcenter 的能力不止於此。作為一套模組化軟體解決方案，Simcenter 為各類工程與設計任務提供了相對應的功能模組。Erwin Hymer Group 的 TTT 輕量化設計與新材料部門主管 Ria Kaiser，目前正在探索以 Simcenter FLOEFD 測試不同部件空氣動力外形的可能性。
「一大優勢是我們的工程師不需要重新適應新的操作介面，」她表示，「這讓學習曲線降到最低，也讓他們能更快得出結果。」
Hymer uses Siemens software also to build and evaluate prototypes of their vehicles in virtual reality (VR). To do so, the camper van experts import the digital twin created with Solid Edge and build digital mockups of the entire vehicle or a part of it. Virtual prototyping helps Hymer reduce physical mockups and prototypes significantly.
"Our products like Venture S have become so complex that traditional 2D models just aren't enough. The 3D models made possible with Siemens software are vital for detecting and resolving issues in our designs before they become costly problems," says Stefan Ziegler. An essential tool to create the most realistic 3D models possible is NX, which is particularly adept at defining complex surfaces.
Examples here include ergonomic design verification using VR gear to reveal if the solutions are practical, and augmented reality (AR) to check the correctness of data as early as the prototype construction stage.
In the future, AR capabilities can be also used to support maintenance or improve customer usability. In a recent Hackathon with Technical University of Munich (TUM), students developed a first app prototype with the help of the Siemens low code platform Mendix to create an interactive user manual that could also benefit from AR features.
With the help of VR technologies, not only can onsite staff in production better visualize technical instructions but customers' or vendors' interiors can be experienced vividly, even when geographically dispersed.
"A digital prototype also brings decisive advantages for marketing," says Frank Heinrichsen, head of Marketing at Hymer GmbH & Co. KG.
The detailed digital twin of the Venture S allowed the marketing team at Hymer to create communications materials complete with photos and videos – even before the first physical prototype was built.
Similarly, Hymer also used the digital twin to initiate training for its production and retail operations – again, without a physical vehicle.
After the design for Venture S was set, Hymer's engineers used RapidAuthor for Teamcenter to create all documentation for manufacturing. In particular, the system creates electronic instructions for the shopfloor staff at the company’s assembly lines in Bad Waldsee, Germany.
"Workers are enthusiastic about the dynamic assembly notifications being used in the 3D models," says Stefan Ziegler. "They particularly like the ability to turn models to better see things that are often hidden in the drawings."
Having a single master digital twin is also particularly helpful when a product comes in different configurations as Hymer camper vans and motorhomes often do. That’s why the basic design prototype contains all possible variations, the so-called 150% model.
When a customer places an order, the respective configuration can be selected with just a few clicks. Hymer engineers have also recently started enriching their models with product and manufacturing information (PMI).
"Using PMI has turned deriving individual variants into configuration," Stefan Ziegler confirms. "It has reduced the time required significantly."
Using the digital twin created in Solid Edge as the single source of truth for all these purposes enables all data to be both ubiquitous and associative. This has allowed Hymer to eliminate distributed information silos and some notorious sources of error associated with data separation.
Additionally, after modifications, everyone involved can immediately resume work on the basis of valid, up-to-date information. The Venture S defines a completely new category of vehicle. With the Venture S camper van,
Hymer is showing how the company imagines and defines mobile travel, van life and flexible working today. From solar panels, over sun deck, expandable shower, removable lamps, cloud-enabled heating control and a foldable desk, users are gaining the benefits of the digital strategy that had brought the Venture S to life.
June 2023
Contact: Susann Kunz
Editorial team: Industry Stories
Located in Bad Waldsee, Germany, Hymer GmbH & Co KG, is a recreational vehicle pioneer, producing its first caravan trailer in 1957 and the first German motorhome in 1961.
Part of the Erwin Hymer Group, Hymer also designs and manufactures trailers under the Eriba brand. The Erwin Hymer Group belongs to the Thor Industries family of companies, uniting a majority of European and North American RV manufacturers.