3D CAD Business Benefits:
Concept Design and
Product Development Advantages

CAD Product Development Benefits

CAD product development benefits...



• Greater quality and accuracy during detail design, with fewer errors than 2D drawing. This is achievable because it is possible to see how parts interact and fit together from multiple directions and views. Subsequently, you can avoid common mistakes in 2D CAD, like the misinterpretation of fine details on multiple layers.

• Increased confidence in component and assembly design, as they can be checked, analysed and reviewed thoroughly.

• Rapid modifications and engineering changes with alterations to 3D models automatically updating 2D drawings. Related to this is semi-automatic revision control, which is common to most decent CAD packages. This enables quick customisation of standard products to meet specific customer needs.

• Rapid generation of Bills of Materials (BOMs) and data outsourced to production planning.

• Design integrity is maintained, as the same CAD data can be reused and remains dimensionally accurate, regardless of how often or where it’s utilized.

• 3D CAD reduces the duplication of effort by using common parts stored in a standard part library, as well as downloading bought-out 3D parts. Many suppliers offer 3D parts catalogues alongside their traditional trade publications. All these options raise productivity, whilst dramatically shortening development cycles and time to market.

• Other CAD product development benefits include concepts and design ideas can quickly be mocked up to provide options and inform development decision making. In this way ‘what if’ scenarios can be recreated and reviewed.



• Dramatically improved communication. The ability to conveniently share digital information with other departments within the business, as well as outsource to suppliers and other stakeholders.

• Specialist Design Modules exist to speed up the development of products and systems that may be routine within your business. These include sheet metal design, tube and piping design, also welding and fabrication design, as well as electrical wire, cable and harness design. Other specialist areas include cast and plastic moulded part design, tooling and die design, as well as reverse engineering working with scanned 3D data.

Finally, a hot topic CAD product development benefits theme is...

• 3D printing (additive manufacturing) directly from exported 3D CAD files enables newly designed components to be rapidly prototyped. Physical parts can then be handled and reviewed prior to final production. Ergonomics, together with the product look and feel can be examined and quick modifications made if necessary. There are a range of 3D printed prototype technologies available, offering parts in a variety of materials. 3D printed parts help inform technical decision making, to ensure the product meets its requirements. See our great guide to 3D Printing for SMEs and engineers here...

CAD product development benefits

CAD Product Development Benefits: Functionality, Speed and Productivity (Courtesy of SolidWorks) 

Next... Business Benefits: Specialist Detail Design, Analysis and Simulation

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