The Basics of CAD Automation & CPQ for Manufacturers
Published: 2024-01-16 18:47:33

CAD automation and CPQ solutions play vital roles in industrial manufacturing. The increasing demand for ongoing product development and customized industrial machinery across the aerospace, automotive, and defense sectors are primary growth drivers of the global CAD market, with a growth forecast of US$ 13.4 billion by 2028. 

Medical device manufacturing also significantly benefits from CAD and CPQ, optimizing various aspects of product development and sales processes. While CAD automation facilitates the design and development of precise, innovative, and compliant medical devices, CPQ streamlines sales by configuring complex medical devices, determining pricing, and generating accurate quotes. 

CAD automation and CPQ enhance efficiency, accuracy, and compliance, allowing manufacturers and production engineers to reduce costs, expedite production, and bring innovative products to market. 

Learn more about CPQ CAD automation and how it benefits manufacturers.

What is CAD Automation?
CAD or computer-aided design automation refers to the automated creation of CAD models through a configuration process, fostering innovation within engineering teams and facilitating sales efforts with precise product drawings. 

What is CAD Automation for Manufacturers?
Manufacturers leverage CAD automation beyond mere digital product modeling. CAD provides a comprehensive understanding of a product’s functions through simulations encompassing dynamics, fluid flow, stress, and vibration analysis. This empowers manufacturers to gain precise insights into a product’s performance and proactively detect and address any issues before the manufacturing phase begins.

The complexity of CAD is mitigated through automation. Engineers initially create the designs, which are then automated, allowing non-engineers to manipulate the product while still adhering to the original design’s standards. 

CAD also interfaces seamlessly with cutting-edge technology like 3D printers, facilitating the generation of miniature versions of products. Although these 3D-printed models may not be fully functional replicas of the original, they prove invaluable in the planning stages and minimize the risk of customer dissatisfaction.

Benefits of CAD Automation for Manufacturers
Let’s look at the significant benefits of CAD automation in manufacturing:

Efficient configuration
One of the key advantages of CAD automation is the swift customization of products in congruence with customer requirements. 

Traditional product configuration processes follow a sequential path involving the customer, salesperson, sales engineer, and engineer, often leading to time-consuming delays and increased error risks. However, CAD automation streamlines this entire procedure into a single, integrated process, enabling customers to view their product drawings in real time during discussions with your sales team.

Cost reduction
CAD automation centralizes product data in a single source and ensures that all teams work from the same data regardless of their roles in the production process. Centralized access to data reduces the cost of errors and returns, thereby minimizing claims expenses.

Accurate designing
The accuracy of CAD drawings is unrivaled, with an almost error-free performance, making it a superior choice for design and drafting. 

CAD creates intricate surfaces and complex shapes with relative ease. Achieving such precision and complexity manually through sketching is challenging, but CAD systems’ tools ensure a flawless outcome, providing manufacturers with a significant advantage.

Sales improvement
One of the notable advantages for manufacturers is that CAD integration can expedite the sales process significantly. 

With CAD models readily accessible, sales associates can swiftly customize products. The implementation of CAD automation empowers sales associates to efficiently craft custom products within hours rather than the days it used to take, streamlining the sales workflow. Read more about **The Basics of CAD Automation & CPQ for Manufacturers**