Example 1: Part Rationalisation/Sheet Metal

Problem

• Duplication of parts
• Duplication of part numbers
• names are useless “Bracket”
• Increased overhead administration costs
• Duplicate tooling
• Lower productivity
• Repeat mistakes and regenerate quality problems

CADFind System Requirements

• CATIA integration (Example)
• Graphical searching essential – part numbers are misleading
• Rationalisation of part profiles (not actual parts)
• Duplicate part detection required
• Need fewer part numbers - possible to stock or Kanban

CADFind Solution

• CADFind standalone version with API capabilities

Example 2: Company/Job Takeover

Problem

• Unfamiliar with part numbering/naming systems
• Past knowledge of part creation not known (if you designed the parts you may remember if similar part exists from memory)
• Multiple CAD formats – 2D and 3D
• Acquiring the knowledge is expensive and time consuming

CADFind System Requirements

• Must be able to search mixed (2D and 3D) part repositories and find similar parts
• Must be able to add new 2D and 3D parts to the repository
• Graphical searching essential – part numbers are misleading
• Searching using a sketch

CADFind Solution

• CADFind 2D (and 3D if the CAD system is not SolidWorks) Bureau
• CADFind with API capabilities (Standalone if not one of the supported CAD systems)
• CADFind Master System – to maintain repository

Example 3: Legacy and new CAD parts – How to search all types?

Problem

• A company may have switched to using a 3D CAD system and have 1000’s of 2D legacy CAD drawings or paper drawings that they have no way of searching
• Past knowledge of legacy drawings are not known (if you designed the parts you may remember if similar part exists from memory)

CADFind System Requirements

• Must be able to search mixed 2D legacy and 3D part repositories and find similar parts
• Must be able to search paper drawings using graphical searches
• Must be able to maintain the repository as new parts are created
• Searching using a sketch

CADFind Solution

• CADFind 2D (and 3D if the CAD system is not SolidWorks) Bureau
• CADFind Bureau for scanned drawings – need to scan the drawings and use software such as ‘scantocad’ to convert raster to vector and then use 2D Bureau systems to clean up the drawings and add them to a repository
• CADFind with API capabilities (Standalone if not one of the supported CAD systems)
• CADFind Master System – to maintain repository