Design Automation

Time to Automate the Customization of CAD models

Product customization is necessary but costly. Most manufacturing companies customize their products. The customers are industrial and professional users, who set high demands for products to be adapted to their specific application requirements. In order to maintain efficiency in generating proposals, documentation, and production, the manufacturers must have a high degree of configurability in their products. Still, the process from inquiry to build-to-order production takes a lot of work and lead-time.

Most manufacturers are aware that their work in customizing quotations and bills of materials can be rationalized with the use of a product configurator, or sales configurator as the software is often called when used in the sales process. Still, many design engineers spend a large part of their time on routine customizations of drawings and 3D models.

Configuration technology is now available for CAD use as well. It can generate great savings in productivity and lead times. And it makes the work much more fun. The change is just as big as going from the drawing board to CAD. You get to avoid the boring routines of manually making a lot of changes that require no creativity. Instead, design engineers can spend more time on developing better products.

Design automation is becoming mainstream. (read more about how design automation can improve your sales process)