ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - 78

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The Importance of Quality BIM/CAD
Content for PEX Piping Systems
BIM/CAD software has
armed architectural
engineers with a tool not
only to design a structure
effectively, but to also
predict system performance
prior to construction and
to monitor performance
throughout a structure's life.
For those who design
in BIM/CAD, manufacturerprovided content is widely
viewed as being superior
when planning and
designing a project. The
data embedded within
manufacturer-provided
content is unique to the
characteristics of the
product, providing engineers
with the ability to visualize
a system's installation or
a model's performance
within a building before
construction begins.

Quality PEX content
When designing with PEX
- a relative newcomer to
the commercial engineering world - it's especially
important to have access
to manufacturer-provided
content when designing
these types of plumbing,
hydronic piping or radiant
heating and cooling systems
into a structure.
Manufacturer-provided PEX
content ensures the system
takes advantage of the
unique features of PEX,
such as the flexibility of the
product, and also takes into
consideration the challenges,
such as expansion and
contraction of the pipe.
Manufactured content is
typically obtained in one
78

ASHRAE JOURNAL

of two ways: from the
manufacturer's website
or through third-party
websites and add-ons.
While MEP databases do
exist, such as AutoCAD
MEP, they only provide some
of the content engineers
seek. Engineers are in need
of more high-quality content
provided by manufacturers,
especially when designing
with PEX.
Having this manufacturerprovided content is
particularly valuable with
hybrid PEX and metal
systems. It is vital for
engineers to have the
content from different
manufacturers that can
work cohesively in a
single system.
For example, when transitioning from copper pipe
to PEX pipe, that fitting
must successfully bridge
the metal-to-plastic
connection for the entire
system to work. Along
with a successful, physical
connection between
components, each product's
data must be compatible
and successfully link to
one another.

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When MEP engineers work
with manufacturer-provided
content for PEX piping
systems, they have the
confidence knowing the
data they are receiving is
created and updated by
the experts who know
the product's features,
functions and limitations
the best - the PEX
manufacturer's engineers.
This arrangement ensures
product geometry and
functional attributes are kept
current and that the model's
behavior within the program
will reflect its designed
performance on the jobsite
(in turn, reducing system
conflicts and rework).

The value of current,
high-quality data
One of the leading advantages of using manufacturerprovided content for a PEX
piping system design is that
the data is tied to a central
database, which ensures
the content in the database
is always the most current
information available from
the PEX manufacturer.
Whenever the manufacturer
updates the content, it will

be current for the engineer
to use, eliminating problems
that can happen down the
road when old, outdated
content is used in a design.
In fact, some leading content
providers offer a "call home"
function which notifies the
user of any content updates
since completing a drawing.
These updates can then be
easily incorporated into
the finished drawing with
minimal disruption to
the design while adding
maximum efficiency to
the project down the line.

The future of manufacturer-provided content
To advance the industry,
certain manufacturers are
stepping up to offer their
content to the design world.
This, along with standardization, will ensure systems and
components can function in
an efficient design.
To learn more about
BIM/CAD solutions for
PEX piping systems, visit
uponorengineering.com/bim.
http://www.uponorengineering.com/bim https://www.ashrae.org/
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - July 2019
