How will CAD software continue to evolve?

CAD stands for computer aided design and has become an integral part of the metal industry. After all, it contributes to the design, development and production of a whole range of products with extremely precise dimensions. It also allows the process to be documented. We discuss the main trends in CAD software today.

CAD can be used to create detailed 2D or 3D designs of physical components. But it also goes a step further. It can already examine what the impact on the environment will be. This links to the CAM package that will then translate the design into machine language and ensure that no collisions happen during the manufacturing process. CAD software today has become an integral part of how metalworkers work. With CAD and CAM software, programming no longer has to be done at the machine, but work preparation can be done separately offline. And that has created considerable gains in time and design capabilities.

Technology from start-ups

Like all technology, CAD is adapting to the ever-changing world of digital technology at an accelerating pace. Several companies have launched collaborative and cloud-based solutions at the technological cutting edge with a whole new range of functionalities. Of these, companies of all sizes can take advantage to learn to design products, machine parts, components ... better. Many of these new trends are sprouting from start-ups. The goal is to upgrade CAD software to provide more services. The technology is expected to undergo a true transformation in the coming years.

The goal is to upgrade CAD software to provide more services.

IoT

According to Cisco, by 2020, more than 50 billion devices worldwide will be connected and part of an IoT network. This will drastically impact how we work and accomplish our tasks today. That goes double for engineers. Once production units and factories are fully connected, efficiency will go crescendo. Within this context, CAD will evolve as the way par excellence to design new machines or components that can interact and deliver outstanding performance. By the way, CAD also lends itself very well to creating designs for 3D printing. A technology that is expected to make its way into the manufacturing industry in the coming years.

Mobile access to CAD

For each technology choice, users look at the factors mobile access and mobility. It is estimated that about 30% of CAD-signers is currently working on a way to have its data available on mobile platforms as well. This number would grow by 8 to 10% annually. With that mobile access, users will have tools, apps and other relevant data available anytime, anywhere. This should lead to increased productivity.

CAD and the cloud

CAD is increasingly happening in the cloud. With the rapid advances in cloud technology, organizations around the world now have access to vital information wherever they are, while also making data and tools more accessible to other users. Today, this power is also driving CAD software. Developers and designers store their work on cloud platforms that can be accessed from anywhere. The benefits with such software are: increased mobility, easy updates of software, increased storagecapacity and perhaps more importantly, relevant reductions in costs.