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Why Automate the Design Process?
With automated design it is possible to automatically scale and
configure complex models to produce any one of millions of possible product
scenarios within seconds. The best part is that once the design
logic system is established anyone you
choose (including your clients) can be
empowered with the capacity to design your products, even if they they
have no engineering or drafting experience.
Who Benefits?
Any company that:
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Designs and manufactures a family of parts
(Parts similar in basic design but that vary in size or
features)
Thrive on providing custom engineered solutions
Need to communicate design rules to the next generation of
engineers
Need to generate accurate sales quotes and proposals for
custom products
Require consistent application of design rules throughout
the company
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How it works:
The conventional method for custom engineering consists of redesigning
a solid model of an existing or similar product, or using a template in
order to create the custom design. This method is time consuming and
often frustrating for the engineer who has to repeat similar tasks for each
custom product. A design package created by EDA eliminates the
inefficiencies of repetitive tasks and calculations by allowing the
engineer to define the design intent and letting the Automated Design software
manipulate the model.
Why it works:
Often custom engineered parts consist of fundamentally
similar geometries that are manipulated in a standard rule based
manner in order to achieve a new configuration or size. Automated Design
systems capture the design intent in such a way that it can be applied to
the models and cause them to react to dimensional changes, or
include or delete certain features.
An Example:
An example is a grain conveyor that can be redesigned
in scale and configuration based on just a few user
inputs such as belt width and housing thickness.
What is Required?
Solid Models need to be created in such a way that design rules can be applied
to them. Then these models in turn can be combined in to an assembly of parts,
where additional design rules can be applied. Sometimes only small
changes need be made to existing models to make them ready for
automation.
Design Rules
Once a model is created design rules must be formulated. A standard
design rule is an instruction or mathematical formula that manipulates
the solid model's features based on certain conditions. A design
rule, for example, would say, "The center of this pin will always be
located 1" away from this edge, but, the diameter of the pin may change,
and if the part is smaller than 1" thick, then the pin is deleted".
Automation and Beyond
Automated Design makes it possible to automatically generate:
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Engineering drawings
Bill of materials (BOM)
Machine files (CNC)
Routing Slips
Sheet Metal Flat Patterns (DXF)
Sales Quotes & Proposals
Shop Assignments
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See demonstration
Related services:
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