How 3D CAD modeling is benefitting building product manufacturers
Building product manufacturing industry where consumers demand personalized products. And these customers tend to back off with the slightest misunderstanding or gaps in communication during sales. Additionally, building product design needs close coordination with the building structure to fit in perfectly. As a result, building product manufacturers have adopted 3D CAD modeling as a way of communicating with other stakeholders and customers.
3D CAD modeling removes uncertainty and miscommunication in product design and ensures seamless fabrication. It helps streamline the design cycle from concept ideation to final manufacturing of the physical product through comprehensive information in one single file.
The primary needs of building product manufacturers
Cost control
Delays in the design or manufacturing process increase the project cost. Projects that are unable to deliver the required functionality create delays due to the efforts needed to fix them.
Meeting delivery deadlines
As every product is bespoke, developing drawings is a time taking process. Also, the customers are always in a hurry resulting in under-quality drawings and flawed decision-making during fabrication.
How is 3D CAD modeling helping meet these needs?
As these are the two most obvious needs of product manufacturers, let us see how 3D CAD modeling is empowering businesses to meet these needs.
3D helps create virtual prototypes
3D CAD models with rendered properties display solid models of actual products with colors, surface finish, form, and all the physical properties. These can also be changed to communicate and check variations in designs. For example, a metal staircase CAD model can be changed to see how it would look like with varying riser gaps or designs on treads, etc.
Easier for design communication among team members
Building product manufacturers communicate largely through 2D drawings and 3D models that define the level of confidence they have in the product they are developing. Discrepancies or misinterpretations during design handoff between architects and manufacturers could lead to drastic design deviations.
3D models remove these gaps with comprehensive modeling. Feature-Based Parametric Modeling (FBPM) in CAD eliminates these gaps. It takes care of all corresponding changes when you alter a feature in the model and each change can be tracked. This way, all the stakeholders have updated information all the time for informed decision-making.
Accounting for the physical properties of products to be used
Today, there are approximately 80,000 products available. These are all described by multiple characteristics.
The design engineer has the responsibility to perform several tests and product analyses. CAD modeling and simulation (using 3D solids) are used for both physical and virtual testing. This helps determine the best product. By designing a virtual prototype of the product, designers can conduct a virtual test to determine if the products are suitable. It can also evaluate desired features based on the future operating conditions of a product.
360-degree visualization
You can view and navigate a design in 3D, set up a POV, and share animations of your design with others to demonstrate its intent. CAD 3D viewing and navigation tools allow you and your customers to swivel, zoom, and rotate 3D models. As a building product manufacturer, you gain more credibility when you use a 3D representation instead of a 2D wireframe.
This feature is particularly useful in ornamental products to see how the complete product would look like before manufacturing begins. It helps the manufacturer to save costs of errors and changes in the designs can be made early before releasing the drawings for manufacturing.
Opportunities to automate models
3D modeling forms the foundation to implement design automation by capturing design intelligence. Master CAD models can be made in 3D once and can be reused over and over to save time, cost and spare your design team from unproductive tasks.
Especially for building products where sales reps are a remote team, 3D model and design automation through configurator ease design communication. It can help you establish a robust channel with quick responses to customers resulting in higher sales.
CAD files give a clear picture of the product to both internal and external teams, as well as the manufacturing units. As a result, it improves the production, installation, and delivery of the products. As you can auto-generate CAD files early in the sales funnel, you eliminate miscommunications, expensive mistakes and ensure trustworthiness.
Conclusion
CAD 3D features and tools empower engineers to innovate more and iterate less. Automated models save your design team from supporting the sales team with engineering inputs and administering every manufacturing step. Besides shop drawings, quotes, several other options make their life easier. You'll be able to find new ways to sell to customers, whether they are new or existing. Customers today want to see how their products will look and perform in their real environments. The combination of 3D visualizations and CAD ensures an unparalleled client satisfaction rate.
About the Author:
Usha B. Trivedi is an engineer and she contributes in-depth articles for mechanical and industrial equipment designs, furniture designs, and the fabrication sector. Her contributions are primarily focused on enabling engineering professionals, furniture manufacturers, and fabricators to optimize design outcomes through CAD and CAE tools.