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CAD software integration
by Frank Bokulich, Associate Editor
Industry Acronyms
CAE — Computer Aided Engineering
CAD — Computer Aided Design
CAM — Computer Aided Manufacturing
CM — Configuration Management
CMM — Coordinate Measuring Machine
CORBA — Common Object Request Broker Architecture
ECAD — Electronic Computer Aided Design
EDM — Enterprise Document Management
ERP — Enterprise Resource Planning
FEA — Finite Element Analysis
IPD — Integrated Product Development
NC — Numerical Control
OLE — Object Linking and Embedding
PLCs — Programmable Logic Controllers
URL — Uniform Resource Locator
VRML — Virtual Reality Modeling Language
With global competition intensifying, many OEMs and suppliers are looking for ways to reduce development cost, parts count, and time-to-market. Most of them have created integrated teams consisting of marketing, design, manufacturing, and testing personnel. These teams allow timely and informed decisions to be made about product development by bringing all of the expertise to one table. This also prevents miscommunication or misunderstanding by involving the stakeholders in every phase of the product's development, saving time and development cost.

Recently, software companies have been offering new features and capabilities supporting integrated product development (IPD). Some of these enable CAD drawings to be viewed outside of engineering along with the bill of materials, testing results, and product spec-ifications. Other features link CAD models to other areas of product development such as manufacturing (CAM software), testing (simulation software), and assembly. This has prompted some OEMs to go to the next level by developing 'paperless' products. The Boeing Co. moved to paperless development on the 777 program while Chrysler accomplished something similar with its 1998 LH models. This eliminates the time and resources engineers spend on paperwork and allows design changes to be incorporated more quickly during development.

Traditionally, CAD solutions depended on multiple suppliers' software for many of the primary, design-through-production applications. Integrating these approaches provided no certainty that the translation of engineering data would be accurate or up-to-date. Therefore, several software companies have incorporated these approaches into their solution packages.

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