Table of Contents
In the previous article, we had discussed how evolution of CAD brought about the changes in Product Design Technology over a period of time. In this concluding part, we will discuss about the benefits that modern day CAD lends to Product Design Services and the future of CAD in product design.
CAD: Benefits in Product Design Increased design productivity
Engineers and designers involved in the product design process can accomplish their work more efficiently with computer-aided design as it provides more space for being creative. Designers do not have to worry about the laborious work associated with modifying a design on paper and hence, are freer to be creative. Moreover, 3D environment captures all the details minutely and accurately, thereby relieving the designers of the fear of missing out a detail.
Enhanced product quality and design
One of the major advantages of using CAD modeling is its ability to test and analyse a virtual model before actually producing it. CAE software has become technologically advanced by incorporating a wide array of analysis and simulation to enable engineers assess and improvise product design and its functionality by the use of Mechanical Engineering Analysis Services. Moreover, additional features such as animation and walkthrough / flythrough functionalities add more realism and visualisation enabling better product design.
Dynamic documentation and better accessibility
Digital technologies work wonders for teams and collaboration. Designs are easier to create, revise, modify; file-sharing is fast and convenient across different teams, offices, and locations. Moreover, these documents can be archived for future use. This helps in long term product development strategy wherein such references are required for sales and services of the product, or modifying the existing product.
Efficient and faster production
CAD-CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) are often used together for the synchronization that they offer. Designs generated using CAD software can be correctly converted to formats that are recognized by CAM systems and can be integrated seamlessly into CAD systems in order to achieve efficient manufacturing process.
Enhanced profitability
Increased efficiencies at all stages of design and manufacturing translates to increased profitability. Decrease in expenses on reworking, labor, material wastage due to rework, etc. leads to increase in profit margins. Moreover, better products lead to increased customer satisfaction, leading to increase in sales. Thus, a business benefits tremendously because of the use of CAD in Product Design Services.
CAD: Future in Product Design
Even as CAD-CAM already has several implications on product design, there are still many exciting developments that promise to take designing to the next level. With more innovations to come, we anticipate these innovations to bring about major repercussions in designing. Newer technologies such as CAD Cloud, AR and VR, Virtual Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing will have a significant impact on the current design process.