CAD – or Computer Aided Design – is a tool used for designing sheet metal fabrication to create a design that fabricators can easily turn into your parts. There are different types of 3D-CAD software available for designing. So, when choosing one, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Product Design
Form, fit, and function are important elements of designing a product. CAD can be used to visualize the final product and test its performance and usability. Software that gives a complete and comprehensive product design draft will include tools to guide the user through the entire design process, reduce the wastage of resources, and minimize the need for physical prototypes. So when choosing CAD software for metal sheet fabrication design, make sure you account for the manufacturing processes, physical materials, form and usability, structure and mechanics, performance analysis, and user safety. Product design will start with a concept to solve a problem and end with a physical product ready to be manufactured. However, other designs may require performance analysis, sketching, prototyping, and rendering. Ensure that your plan includes these phases, especially when developing a product to be ready for manufacturing. The CAD software you choose should be able to take your effect from start to finish without relying on exporting or importing files into other programs.
Designing For Manufacturing Capability
Try to use CAD tools that include the ability to confirm the manufacturability of your design so that you can correct the problems in the early stages. DFM, or Design for Manufacturability, includes evaluating the ability to manufacture a part efficiently during the design stage. This helps you to make the necessary changes in order for the part to be manufacturable. The software may also help in the assembly, identifying ways to minimize processing and the overall manufacture more efficiently. The DFM approach can lower your manufacturing cost and provide a clearer direction for the fabricator.
Product Performance Analysis
Good CAD software will allow for performance analysis so that the designer can assess a product’s safety and physical integrity before it reaches the prototyping or manufacturing stages. The designer will also be able to simulate different stresses on the product, which may include how the product will respond under kinetic, thermodynamic, and static stress. This will help eliminate the need for expensive physical alteration of the product and identify safety concerns early in the process.
Cloud Version
Cloud storage has made data sharing easier than ever before, storing your files safely and securely and reducing the need for redundancies in physical data storage. Some CAD software with cloud capabilities allows for real-time collaboration with your colleagues. So you can use cloud-based design software so that the other designers can bring their work with them to make changes and adjustments directly from the ground level.
Takeaway
These are just a few things to consider when choosing the right CAD software for your product design. This approach will help you to eliminate any changes in the advanced stages and give the fabricator a clear picture of your requirements.