CAD automation is an essential tool for manufacturers to overcome sluggish CAD processes. It also helps them scale their engineering services to meet customer demand.
CAD automation takes over repetitive, manual tasks that bottleneck productivity and prevent skilled engineers from working on high-value projects.
Automate drafting
Many engineering tasks that involve a series of calculations or measurements require a significant amount of time to complete. CAD automation can save engineers hours by automating these tasks and eliminating human error.
It ensures that design measurements and dimensions are correct, which helps reduce rework during construction and instills a sense of confidence in the quality of their work.
Manufacturers must be able to deliver quotes and drawings to their customers as fast as possible. Inefficient processes can result in missed sales opportunities and frustrated clients unsure why their project takes so long. CAD automation can help manufacturers increase efficiency by automatically generating production quoting documents, 3D models, and drawing files.
CAD automation can also simplify complex supply chain processes. For instance, a company that creates automated conveyor systems can specify in their CPQ software that a support leg must be added every meter, and that frames must be reinforced if transporting more than 50 kilograms per meter.
These specifications can then be retrieved from the CAD model during configuration and displayed to the customer so they know what they’re getting.
Automate surfacing
CAD systems have helped engineers model geometric shapes and create complex designs that would be impossible to make by hand. It includes incorporating elements like electricity plumbing and more efficiency.
It enables the designers to consider all of these components in their design and plan for any issues that might arise during construction, leading to fewer work changes on site and more efficient planning.
Aside from facilitating the design of physical objects, many CAD applications can be used to analyze the performance of existing or new products. CAD software integrated with CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) is especially true in this context.
Integrating these programs helps streamline the manufacturing process by eliminating the need to transfer data between machines manually. It allows engineers to customize the functions on their devices, increasing efficiency and productivity.
Surface modeling is a vital part of CAD that requires specialized tools and techniques. The surfacing tools are an excellent example of this. While these tools can be intimidating initially, they become second nature as you use them.
Automate drawing layout
Accurate designs are a crucial component of connecting with customers and building relationships as a manufacturer. Inaccurate designs can derail projects, delay sales quotes, and send engineers scrambling to compensate for lost time.
With CAD automation, it’s possible to set up templates that automatically populate standard views (front view, side view, isometric view) with display styles, view orientations, and design annotations. These settings can then be applied to all future drawings to save time and effort.
CAD is a significant improvement over drawing with pencil and paper, but the design process still needs to be smoother with tedious manual translation and repair tasks. Using CAD automation to streamline the process can free up more time for engineers and designers to focus on innovative ideas that improve manufacturing processes and products.
Manufacturers can gain a competitive advantage by reducing time-to-market and manufacturing costs. It can also reduce the risk of mistakes when transferring data between CAD and production. High-risk manufacturing industries, such as aerospace and automotive, can significantly benefit from this approach.
Automate CAD data management
CAD automation is critical for making your sales and engineering teams more productive. By automating the transactional work engineers hate, they can focus on the projects that make a difference in their jobs and for your business. Then, they can help you deliver a remarkable customer experience.
Using automated CAD data management tools, engineers can capture and apply their expertise to new products by creating rules that automatically update CAD models with the correct information. These rules can be based on equations, sums, business logic, legislation, or product requirements.
The result of CAD automation is that your sales team can easily specify new configurations, and your engineers will know the exact manufacturing requirements for these products. It helps prevent misunderstandings between customers and the supply chain, reducing delays, returns, and discounts.
Using a CPQ system and CAD automation can also improve collaboration between engineering and sales, allowing the sales team to get accurate drawings and information to customers faster and more efficiently. It enables you to speed up the sales process, reduce time to market, and increase revenue potential.
Automate CAD documentation
Manufacturers are constantly trying to stay ahead of customer demand, increase sales, and make their products more innovative. However, many of these efforts must be revised by manual, repetitive, and time-consuming work.
The back-and-forth process of configuring a product and getting CAD models from the engineer to the sales team can be frustrating for both parties, especially with the lack of qualified engineering talent in today’s job market.
CAD automation can help break through CAD data bottlenecks and provide more value to your team. Whether it’s error-checking, batch processing, or organizing electronic documentation in an intuitive and easy-to-find way, automation can save your engineers time and improve communications throughout the team.
Implementing a CAD automation strategy takes an initial investment in time, but it pays off in increased productivity and the potential to increase sales. By identifying the most critical tasks to automate, manufacturers can focus on growing their business and building better products faster. It’s time to automate the transactional work engineers hate and give them room to do what they do best-create and innovate.
