CAD (Computer Aided Design) has been around for many decades now in some sort of form. This
design technology has changed significantly over the past few years and had a massive impact on
how people design things. Whether it is a small electronic component that is being designed or an
aero-engine, CAD plays its part and is usually the executive design solution. Here are some of the
advantages of CAD software in the design world.
Different Views
With the board view software, you can check the component in many different angles that can
greatly aid the design of the unit. Whether you want to design in 2D or 3D, the option is yours.
Having the 3D capability is clearly extremely helpful to allow the designers to actually move around
their component from different angles and areas to make sure that they haven’t missed anything
and that everything is fit for purpose.
Design Intent
It is absolutely crucial that before a drawing is released from print that the designer is confident it
meets the design intent. If the design has errors then the likelihood is that the component will be
manufactured with the same errors and could potentially be costly to the design company. A good
way to try and error proof this slightly is the simulation option. On CAD, you are able to bring your
sub-assemblies together onto one and into one assembly. Once completed, a simulation can be run
to make sure that everything is in place and working effectively. Now, there is some small print
connected to this – the simulation run is not 100% error proof and there may still be some minor
errors not picked up using this program. Other things that could help ensure that there are no
design errors are tools such as DFMEA. Design, Failure, Mode, Effect, Analysis may be seen as a
time-consuming exercise, however, depending on the criticality (or cost) of what you are designing,
the time may be required upfront to complete this sort of activity to ensure there is a minimum risk
of getting it wrong.
Software Integration
The good things about CAD is that it is generally the primary way that most companies that are
involved in designing actually design items. As this software is so well known and respected it is
generally the one that people use. As a result of this, if a company is to offload some element of
design to another then they can do so with the peace of mind that the software they are using is
completely compatible to those in the supply chain. This also applies when dealing with the
customer. The customer may actually want a copy of the drawings and specifications and if they are talking the same language as you within their computer systems (with CAD) it makes the whole
process a lot simpler and effective for everyone.
Now that you know about the advantages of CAD software, you can go ahead and use it.
