Manufacturers that are viewed as best-in-class are repurposing 3D design data to produce deliverables in manufacturing and quality, documentation, training, and marketing and sales departments. According to Beyond Engineering: New Applications of 3D Drive Top Line Growth, an independently produced white paper by analyst firm, The Aberdeen Group, manufacturers are leveraging 3D design data to save on costs, as well as to accelerate time-to-market with new products and drive top-line growth.
The distribution of 3D design data is facilitating rapid design changes and reducing production times and costs. Top manufacturers use 3D design data to map the fabrication sequence of individual products. This eliminates the need for text-based plans and increases the accuracy of virtual prototypes.
At Dell, 3D data in the mechanical engineering organization lets the company’s design for manufacturability, usability, and technical writing teams engage in the process much earlier. “In the past, they had to wait for first or second prototypes to start their work. Now, they access the assemblies via a (CAD) application and begin their work. So far, this has led to better first prototypes and fewer late in development snafu’s.” said Voll Corn, Project Manager, Dell.
What’s more, the Best-in-Class also use the 3D design data as a more efficient and error-free way to validate with the customer that product development is progressing as planned.
Additionally, manufacturers must extend access to 3D design data to non-engineering organizations and departments by transforming it into numerous formats so that multiple departments can use it for collaboration and communication applications. This is the key factor to greater productivity and reduced costs to manufacturers.
Anark Corp.
www.anark.com
The Aberdeen Group
www.aberdeen.com
: Design World :
Filed Under: Software • 3D CAD, TEST & MEASUREMENT