Keep the skid 4 m long.
Carry this fixed input into the proposal. Confirm the equipment envelope against the source file.
Input retained in the local demoHow a design change moves through Nordform
PRODUCT / INSIDE A CHANGE
One requirement changes.
Follow the engineering.
For an OEM, a changed dimension can send an order back through design, checking and documentation. The aim is engineering that recalculates like a spreadsheet: connected inputs, visible dependencies and a result a person can review.
THE CUSTOMER REQUEST
“The equipment is 800 mm longer. Keep the four-metre skid.”
1,200→2,000 mm
FROM REQUEST TO REVIEW05 STEPS
What happens to the change?
This example describes the intended connected workflow. Available operations depend on the design family, implemented checks and configured connections.
- 01
Capture the request.
The customer asks for 800 mm more equipment length. Keep the email, the equipment envelope, the meeting decision and the Slack clarification with reference revision A.
SOURCE → REQUIREMENT + REVISION - 02
Find the relevant context.
Retain the 4 m skid, 1.6 m runner spacing and 1.2 m equipment width. Separate the family’s cross-member spacing assumption from regulations whose applicability the engineer must establish.
CONTEXT → INPUTS + DEPENDENCIES TO REVIEW - 03
Prepare a proposal.
A connected AI client can request a skid equipment-length change through MCP. Preview returns the changed inputs, diff and kernel checks without saving; explicit adoption creates a new revision after review. The linked demo calculates directly from selected inputs.
AI CLIENT → TYPED CHANGE → REVIEW - 04
Recalculate supported dependencies.
The existing skid kernel repositions the four mounting datums and changes cross-members from 5 to 6. Total member cut length changes from 15.965 to 17.558 m; assumed-section frame mass changes from 653.2 to 718.4 kg.
DETERMINISTIC OPERATIONS → UPDATED OUTPUTS - 05
Review and adopt.
The reviewer compares A with proposed B, confirms the source inputs and addresses the open engineering scope. An adopted change becomes a new saved revision; source A remains the reference. This public walkthrough saves nothing.
HUMAN DECISION → ACCEPTED REVISION OR REWORK
For an OEM product family, the supported inputs, dependencies, checks and professional review responsibilities are agreed as part of the engagement.
NORDFORM CONNECT / FOLLOW THE HANDOFFSINTERACTIVE EXAMPLE
From a customer message
to a reviewed change.
One request, four supporting records. Choose a record, then follow the same equipment-length change. This diagram explains the intended workflow; it does not run a design change. Connections and operations depend on setup and design family.
PROJECT RECORDS
Customer email · requested change“The equipment is 800 mm longer. Keep the four-metre skid.”
PROJECT ACCESS & REVISION CONTEXT
Four records. One change to revision A.
The project record serves as the customer’s data room: original files, messages, decisions and their sources. This synthetic example shows how each record contributes to the same request.
EMAIL / CUSTOMER REQUEST
Increase equipment length to 2,000 mm.
The customer asks for 800 mm more length. The existing equipment footprint is 1,200 × 1,200 mm; the skid must remain 4,000 mm long.
REFERENCE A → PROPOSED B · SYNTHETIC PROJECT RECORD
- Traceability
- Retain the original source and its design reference. A later clarification supplements the request rather than silently replacing it.
- Private access
- Each entry point has its own access and setup. This example does not connect to a mailbox, meeting account or Slack workspace.
Separate fixed inputs, design rules and regulations.
For this change, equipment length varies while the skid length, runner spacing and equipment width stay fixed. Context must say where each requirement came from and whether it is actually checked.
Cross-member gaps up to 1.2 m.
The existing geometry kernel inserts cross-members around the mounting positions and fills wider gaps. This is a stated modeling assumption, not a regulation.
Implemented geometry rule · 5 → 6 cross-membersConfirm the applicable lifting and machinery requirements.
Record the intended use, destination, applicable source and edition with the engineer. The geometry example does not assess lifting hardware, welds or regulatory compliance.
Applicability and supporting evidence still requiredPublished regulations inform the review scope. They become executable checks only where a specific rule, required facts and implementation have been established; attaching a document does not create a compliance result.
Turn the request into one typed change.
A connected AI client submits a set-skid-dimension operation for equipLengthM through MCP. Nordform validates the operation and returns a preview for review. The proposed equipment length changes; the fixed dimensions remain available for validation and review.
- Proposed change
equipLengthM: 1.2 → 2- Retained inputs
- Skid length 4 m · runner spacing 1.6 m · equipment width 1.2 m.
- Provider boundary
- Only the selected material for the operation is described here. Provider handling depends on the feature and configuration; see the privacy notice.
- Control
- Typed input validation and permitted operations precede deterministic calculation. A model response is a proposal, not permission to adopt it.
Inspect the same change in the working demo.
The machinery-skid example runs the existing geometry kernel locally. Both alternatives use the same assumed 200 mm I-section and 4 m skid.
| Output | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-members | 5 | 6 |
| Total member cut length | 15.965 m | 17.558 m |
| Frame mass, assumed section | 653.2 kg | 718.4 kg |
| Mounting datums | 4 original | 4 repositioned |
Geometry fit is checked against the stated inputs. These quantities do not establish member strength, lifting suitability or production release.
Try this exact equipment change ↗Keep the decision with the change.
A reviewer inspects the source request, fixed inputs, calculation results and unresolved engineering questions before adopting a proposal. The sample record below shows what that decision needs to distinguish.
- Reference
- A · 1.2 m equipment length, retained as the source revision.
- Proposal
- B · 2 m equipment length on the same 4 m skid.
- Evidence to review
- Customer request, envelope file, meeting decision, Slack clarification and recalculated geometry and quantities.
- Open scope
- Applicable regulations, member checks, welds, lifting hardware and production detailing need the responsible engineer’s review.
- Decision
- Adopt as a new revision for further work, request changes or decline. Adoption alone does not approve fabrication or lifting.
Sample record for explaining the workflow. No revision is saved and no approval is granted from this page.
THE ARCHITECTURE BEHIND THE WORKCONTEXT / OPERATIONS / CONTROL
Different roles.
One connected process.
Try the machinery-skid recalculation example ↗ These are cooperating parts of the system. Context informs the work, connections move information, the project record retains it, and people control the decisions.
Project record and conversation
Keep the source material, conversations and decisions connected to the work. Private originals, design messages and imported meeting notes have different entry points and access rules.
- Inputs
- Uploaded files, email received by a design hub, connected Slack messages and imported meeting notes.
- Where LLMs participate
- Selected document text, requests and meeting minutes can be sent to an AI provider for interpretation or summarisation.
- Access boundary
- A connected channel or meeting provider needs its own setup. Signing in does not grant access to your mailbox or calendar.
The engineering context
Regulations, standards, manufacturer information and company rules give a design its context. Versioned sources retain the recorded source information and evidence used by a run, including jurisdiction and edition where established.
- Source material
- Published reference documents, selected context packs, kit contracts and accepted company library entries.
- Where LLMs participate
- Selected context can inform a proposal. An implemented check is a separate, defined calculation or rule.
- Verification boundary
- Including a regulation as context does not establish compliance. Check coverage, applicability and professional acceptance must be assessed.
Nordform Connect
Nordform Connect brings together the design hub’s message history and the interfaces recorded between designs. These functions make proposals, dependencies and handoffs visible.
- Connections
- Email, a configured Slack app, webhooks, API and MCP clients. Meeting notes enter through supported imports.
- Where LLMs participate
- A request can be interpreted into a proposed change. The connection itself does not grant the model authority to adopt it.
- Access boundary
- Tokens, project access and shared interfaces determine what a caller can reach. Connection support depends on configuration and project type.
AI and deterministic operations
Agentic workflows combine non-deterministic reasoning with deterministic operations. The AI proposes a structured change; the supported design system owns geometry, calculations and exports.
- LLM work
- Interpret a brief, read selected context, propose a change and explain findings. These answers need validation and review.
- Deterministic work
- Validate typed inputs, generate supported geometry, run implemented checks and create revision-bound files.
- Control boundary
- Permitted operations, run budgets and explicit adoption bound the work. A context document cannot supply arbitrary executable code.
Human review
Review the proposal and its evidence before adopting a change. Findings, decisions and sign-offs belong to a stated revision and scope.
- Human work
- Resolve missing information, assess the engineering, adopt a proposal and decide the release scope.
- Where LLMs participate
- AI can prepare material for review. It does not supply the responsible engineer’s professional judgement.
- Access boundary
- Reviews and shared revisions use explicit grants. A message arriving from another channel is not permission to adopt a design change.
INFORMATION FLOW / TWO DIFFERENT BOUNDARIESACCESS ≠ PROCESSING
What stays with the project.
What reaches a model.
Sources and revisions
Files, messages, selected context and saved revisions are governed by the project's access rules.
Selected information → LLM
Depending on the operation, the request, parameters, selected document text, images or meeting notes are sent to a model provider. Retention and processing terms vary by provider and feature.
Structured response returns to the workflow ↓Validate and calculate
Validate the proposal, run permitted operations and attach available results to the proposed revision.
Decide what to adopt
Review the evidence and unresolved issues. A connection or model response does not grant adoption authority.
Project access and external processing are separate boundaries. This diagram describes information handling, not a claim that all computation happens inside a private customer environment.
INSIDE NORDFORMPRODUCT SCREENS
The work and its evidence,
in the same workspace.
Actual interface captures from a synthetic steel-access-platform demonstration. These separate interface captures show the wider industrial workspace and its open engineering checks. Follow the equipment-length example above for the connected change story.
Start with your product family.
Choose a recurring engineering change. Define the inputs, the checks and the decisions that should stay with your team.
Discuss your workflow ↗