Vault
In the context of product development, a vault is a purpose-built CAD file management system that handles versioning, check-in/check-out, access control, and basic assembly structure for mechanical CAD geometry. Autodesk Vault and SolidWorks PDM are the two most widely deployed standalone vaults in discrete manufacturing.
Why it matters
Vaults solve the most immediate data management pain for CAD-centric engineering teams: preventing file overwrites, establishing a revision baseline, and giving multiple engineers access to a shared assembly structure. They are the starting point for structured engineering data before a full PDM platform is justified.
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External References
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Cite this definition
Finocchiaro, Michael. “Vault.” DemystifyingPLM PLM Glossary, 2026, https://www.demystifyingplm.com/glossary/vault