When I talk to engineering leaders at discrete manufacturers across the globe, I always ask the same question: “What matters most right now—speed, quality, or innovation?”
It’s not an easy one. Every project has different pressures, and success is usually about finding the right balance. But when I press for a single priority, the answer is almost always the same: time to market.
In other words, efficiency. Getting great products out the door faster is the name of the game in this post-pandemic world. That’s why our latest Creo release, Creo 12, is focused on helping engineers work smarter and faster, with hundreds of improvements built directly around design efficiency. In this blog, I’ll review my favorite ones and, of course, link you to where you can learn more.
Feature Presets: A Simple Upgrade with Big Impact
One of my favorite components in Creo 12 is feature presets. They may sound simple—saving your last-used settings—but they go well beyond that.
Here’s what makes them powerful:
- Catalog your favorite configurations directly in Creo
- Apply full options with one click and move on with confidence
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Share presets across teams for consistent workflows
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Easily create workflow best practices
Think of them not just as convenience tools, but as a high-speed design reuse engine, letting you apply complex feature patterns quickly and consistently.
Creo 12 also includes feature enhancements across multi-body capabilities, sheet metal design, surfacing, spot welding, and more. But the most significant leap forward in design efficiency is what’s happening in the expanding field of composites.
Composites: Built for Quality, Engineered for Speed
We set the foundation for composites in Creo 10. From the start, our goal was ambitious: bring Creo’s high-quality geometry and associativity to composites design and manufacturing. With Creo 12, we’re delivering on that promise. Engineers are now enabled to design advanced composite structures with precision.
But today, that’s not enough. Composites had to meet a new bar, not only in precision, but in speed. Creo 12 sets a new benchmark for how fast teams can build and iterate on composite designs without compromising the quality Creo users expect.
Electrification: Complex Systems, Simplified Design
Efficiently managing digital information and electrical power is a key challenge for our customers today. Cable harnesses—spanning miles to transmit signals and power between dozens of endpoints—are critical components requiring careful planning and execution.
Creo 12 applies Creo’s strength in assembly design to cable harnesses. Harnesses are now assemblies in Creo, enabling teams to use the same collaborative workflows that power Creo’s assembly tools.
Sustainability: Starts in Design
Electrification supports a broader goal: reducing lifetime carbon footprint. And that effort must start at the beginning design stages.
To support that, the Creo and Windchill teams have worked together to:
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Allow Creo models to link material properties from a purpose-built engineering material object in Windchill
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Facilitate bill of material integration with Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) tools to evaluate environmental impact
Keep an eye out for more from the Windchill team later this year!
Model-Based Definition: One Model, One Source of Truth
Just as sustainability starts with better visibility into material impact, efficient product definition starts with the model itself. That’s where Model-Based Definition (MBD) plays a key role.
Creo 12 makes it easier than ever to define and communicate critical design intent directly within the 3D model. With enhanced 3D PDF and STEP AP242 (edition 3) export, improved annotation reuse, and support for Datum Reference Features and intent surfaces in GD&T Advisor, teams can trust that the model is the single source of truth.
Whether it’s internal teams or downstream manufacturing, Creo 12 helps ensure the right information gets to the right person at the right time.
Beyond the Highlights
If you think the key areas I’ve covered—design efficiency, composites, electrification, and model-based definition—are impressive, there’s even more behind the curtain.
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Continued advances in Simulation through our partnership with Ansys
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New physics added to our award-winning Generative Design capabilities
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Expanded support for both additive and subtractive manufacturing workflows
This release really has something for every engineer who needs to get their best designs done faster than ever.
So, if speed to market is your top priority, now’s the time to take another look at Creo. You’ll find capabilities designed to make a real impact and help your teams stay ahead.
You can review everything new on PTC.com/creo. If you’re curious about how these enhancements can fit into your team’s workflows, reach out or connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d also love to hear what you’re working on and how Creo is helping you get there faster.
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