The divide between design and manufacturing processes is the norm in companies most of the time. And if the reasons are diverse, they seem less and less legitimate. Indeed, some companies have already taken the step of managing these two stages together and merging the associated software. As such, they put forward the undeniable benefits in terms of competitive advantage, reliability, timesaving, and productivity.

In the era of Industry 4.0, is it still relevant to question the advantages of a single CAD/CAM solution? To understand the stakes and decide to take the plunge, follow us!

1/ Design and Manufacturing: processes are not systematically linked

Organization, work habits, investment, etc. how can you explain this real gap between the two processes?

The historical reason is one of the main answers. Indeed, a company that develops progressively, is not always able to produce its own designs. Therefore, it subcontracts the manufacturing process and limits itself to the role of assembler by habit and comfort for sometimes several years. The possible merger of the company’s design process and the subcontractors’ manufacturing process the remains a non-topic in the Monday morning management committee meetings.

Corporate culture also plays a key role. Some companies have invested in manufacturing tools or have created groups of “preferred partners”. This action is not correlated to associate design and manufacturing. Indeed, it is more a question of not being dependent on defaulting subcontractors (late delivery, penalties charged by the customer, etc.), and on the evolution of the cost of the markets.

Manufacturing, is it putting brakes on design and creativity?

There is an assumption that the Process Planning Department is a subcontractor of the Design Department. The designer, in the creation of his masterpiece, does not seek to know how the product will be manufactured. After all, it is neither his problem nor that of his customer, each to his own trade! However, the brakes originate with this type of thinking… a work based on exchange and collaboration, presenting on the contrary beautiful opportunities of synergy.

Of these three reasons, one thing is clear: the merger process cannot take place without a solid transformation project, supported by the management committee. And it has to happen since rapid increase of advanced technologies, volume of data transiting between the various departments and the outside world, as well as the notion of the digital chain. These variables are undoubtably calling for a merger!

2/ Merging CAD and CAM: what are the good reasons?

Let us be consistent. Insofar as your design department designs parts and your company has its production tool, the question of streamlining flows arises at one point or another. And to do so, the solution is radical!

On the one hand, minimize the use of subcontractors to control the manufacturing process. It is indeed a question of optimizing the purchase costs compared to the manufacturing, the margin on the selling price of the product delivered to the customer as well as the production time for delivery and invoicing in the pre-defined time.

On the other hand, stop designing and developing products that cannot be manufactured within the company. You need to manage the machine resource: by this, we mean the “capacity” to manufacture or not, and the occupancy time (workload compared to the set deadlines). Note also that you pay back your machine investments, your ROI thanking you in the process!

However, do not forget the designers, by offering them a wider range of products adapted to their customers, since they will be able to have them manufactured directly in their company! By taking into account the production requirements, and the elements allowing you to industrialize the products more quickly, they will naturally be part of an increase productivity approach.

In short, be convinced that your company’s know-how is based not only on your design skills but also on your ability to create, manufacture, assemble and deliver products on time. However, be aware that to achieve this, it is essential to master all internal processes.

This is where merging CAD/CAM is essential. End of the demonstration!

3/ How to get started and finally merge design and manufacturing?

The merging of the design and manufacturing processes is the result of will, coupled with a real company strategy. It requires a change in mentality, the implementation of new or better-adapted work methods, and tools allowing good inter-departmental communication, etc., a perilous change of culture, but quite feasible.

Choosing a software to enforce strategy and facilitate communication is one of the best solutions, and as such, you have two options.

• Design department and process planning department work on software from different publishers, not having a direct exchange interface:

Although this configuration is entirely possible, it nevertheless requires additional efforts from the employees and imposes significant constraints. Firstly, the possible loss of geometric data, during the transfer of information between the two solutions, will require a correction in the process planning department, without any guarantee in the long term. The other major disadvantage is the impossibility of automatically retrieving the properties of the parts and the manufacturing characteristics without specific development.

This operation highlights a real lack of reliability and traceability, as well as a proven cumbersome action and waste of time. That is a lot, isn’t it?

• The second option and this is, of course, the one we recommend: you switch to a fully integrated software solution!

In this case, we are talking about the TopSolid tool and its CAM, CAD, PDM, and ERP applications which, on a single user interface, ensure solid and coherent data management between the design department and the process planning department. The native transfer, the CAD/CAM associativity, and the common database have advantages …

• fully recover data concerning the “parts and manufacturing” characteristics;

• automatic transfer of CAD modifications to CAM (with the index management of common modification),
• total traceability of the projects
• deletion of file conversions via interfaces and successive data entry
• deletion of risks related to data loss

In the end, the entire design and manufacturing process is secure and reliable, with phenomenal gains in time and productivity!

With TopSolid, the merger of manufacturing and design is part of a logic of digitalization and continuous digital chain. The unique software and its native integrations allow for a rapid learning curve as well as a reduction in costs and implementation timeline.

Very quickly, you will notice the positive effects. Exchanges within the company, particularly communication between the design and process planning departments, are facilitated, standardized and secured. Better coherence of the projects between design and manufacturing which saves time, optimizes flows and improves quality and efficiency. In an increasingly competitive context, you will appreciate this way of increasing productivity!

The furnishing and design sector present an infinite creative range. In addition, the demand is characterized by needs as varied as they can be complex. An efficient design and manufacturing tool is therefore essential. The question is how to find the rare pearl, adaptable to both customer requirements and project constraints, but also capable of preserving efficiency, reliability, and – the most important – respect delivery deadlines.

With TopSolid’Wood, a solution specialized in furnishings, TopSolid SAS reveals the five features that are necessary for CAD/CAM software to meet the challenges of the sector.

1) Intuitive modeling features

Design and produce, this is the main answer to which a CAD/CAM software worthy of the name must respond. It is therefore important that it offers highly relevant features to cover all the user’s needs. For the woodworking industry, such features include material removal, configuration of assemblies between parts, parametric 3D modeling, as well as advanced software customization to allow for greater benefit and ease of use. And the list goes on.

Imagine a tool that is easy to use, providing you with a range of tools adapted to meet your needs.

The TopSolid’Wood solution includes all those features and more: the application works in real-time and provides results that are as realistic as possible, whether the designs are simple or specific and complex, and all this while saving considerable time!

Slot function

Profiling function

2) Scalable component libraries

Most CAD/CAM software offers “turnkey” component libraries designed to increase productivity. However, there are very few norms or standards for the design industry, as each company has its own specific needs, even for the most obvious components. How then, can you increase productivity by using component libraries that are certainly rich and easy to use, but that do not take into account the unique character of each designer when the point is to bring out the DNA of the designs?

The answer lies in the ability to create your own scalable component library capable of growing daily, by integrating, new methods or different means of production. It is important to understand that it is the company’s practices that enrich the software library, and make it possible to create, capitalize and then factorize know-how. This is not possible with turnkey solutions.

In short, customization and configuration power of a component library are essential criteria for choosing a CAD/CAM software. Think about it when the time comes!

Scalable component libraries

3) Real-time visualization of the changes made

In the vast CAD/CAM software market, keep in mind that most tools use a polyhedral engine to model designs. Can such a process provide an accurate and precise representation of 3D designs? Of course not.

Moreover, these same tools are not advanced enough to design in an associative way. This means that the design department has to anticipate and redesign a potentially large number of elements for each modification request. No need to mention the colossal loss of time and the countless possible sources of error!

In a context where project requirements are as demanding as they are complex, real-time feature is an unequivocal imperative.

Thanks to its accurate 3D modeler, TopSolid’Wood allows you to visualize the modifications made in real time and to make changes to dimensions without having to check each element. Therefore, the operation of the chosen design rules, as well as the conformity of the rendering based on the customer’s wishes, are verified on the spot and with reliability. Not to mention that drawings, bills of materials, and machining programs are also updated automatically: invaluable comfort and time saving for the design department!

Real-time visualisation of modifications made with TopSolid’Wood

4) Perfect management of the modifications to be made to a project

Bigger, more storage, shallower and less expensive if a scalable component library allows the user to quickly decline a project while respecting the initial specifications of his customer which are likely to evolve often and quickly! In short, a “normal” design department life which can seriously call into question the very composition of a project.

To be able to make the various adjustments requested by the customer at a moment’s notice and with a smile, configuration tools are required. But be careful, not just any tools! Indeed, the solution used must allow you to modify various functional or aesthetic aspects of the project, either locally or globally.

Must I remind you that drawings, bills of materials, and machining programs are also updated automatically?

In this respect, the TopSolid’Wood software offers mechanisms for the interchangeability of components and sub-components, coupled with configurators, which allow this type of action.

5) Automation of the digital chain

TopSolid SAS’s approach is to ensure continuity between design and production, i.e., not to break the digital chain between the design department and the workshop. Not only is the risk of error considerably reduced as there is no need for post-processing, but also the time saved is invaluable! TopSolid’Wood is one of the few software packages on the market to offer this essential advantage. 

One software to meet CAD/CAM needs

Intuitive modeling, scalable component libraries, associative design, real time feature, and digital chain continuity: five necessary and non-negotiable essentials for your furnishing CAD/CAM software.

TOPSOLID SAS, one of the world leaders in CAD/CAM/ERP publishing software, offers one of the most advanced solutions on the market. Customizable and dynamic, it allows unlimited creativity without sacrificing the efficiency and fluidity of the processes. By integrating design, manufacturing, and ERP, the tool allows perfect management of your furnishing or design projects. From design to production, you save time, develop everyone’s skills, and factorize your know-how!

The CAD software must have all the necessary features to address your needs. To choose your computer-aided design (CAD) software, you need to take into account the current issues specific to your business! What are the challenges that professionals encounter for designing parts and machines?

• Strict delivery time requirements: new consumer habits and the rise of Industry 4.0 are making delivery times even shorter, so compliance is urgent.
• Competition is increasing: in this context, the company must improve performance and make a difference in its market.
• Just-in-time logistics require optimized stock management.
• New quality standards are emerging, traceability must be implemented in an exemplary manner.
• The technicalities of the business are constantly evolving: faced with this fact, the company must surround itself with personnel that is not only qualified but also regularly trained.

To fully meet these challenges, equip yourself with a CAD software with seven key features.

#1 A modern and ergonomic user interface

The first essential feature of the CAD software: its user interface. The way in which the tool is controlled and operated has a direct impact on the final productivity. The easier and faster the software is to use, the more productive the user becomes.

• The commands must be designed according to modern conventions: copy and paste, drag & drop, contextual menus, etc. to allow the user to immediately adapt to the new tool.
• Access to the commands should be easy, fast and intuitive, in order to optimize the user’s working time.

Choose a CAD software with a modern and ergonomic user interface: you reduce the learning curve and you can work faster.

#2 Associativity, a guarantee of reliability

Associativity automates the updating of one element with respect to another. The designer can therefore easily modify his construction history: the associated operations are automatically updated.

Illustrations: 

• Moving a screw automatically moves the holes.
• Changing a chassis length automatically changes the positioning of the associated components.

With associativity, a key feature of good CAD software, you can drastically reduce the risk of errors or omissions when updating an element. And therefore, you can save time in the design process. So be sure to choose a tool that allows associative or parametric design.

#3 Choice in design methods

A good CAD software offers three design methods.

• “Bottom-up” design: this is the simplest method which consists of first designing the parts individually, and then assembling them. This is the principle of LEGO®! The assembly is then a succession of predefined part positionings.
• “Top-down” design: conversely, the designer starts from the constraint, then deduces the necessary assemblies and parts.
• “In-place” design: a variation of top-down design where parts are designed in their assembly context. The designer then has the advantage of simplicity for the creation of connecting parts, in particular.

The relevance of which method to be used varies from one profession to another. A manufacturer of highly standardized products will favor the Bottom-up method, while a subcontractor who works “on the case” will favor the Top-down method, for example. In any case, the three methods are complementary. To take advantage of your CAD software, make sure that the tool offers these three powerful design methods: maximum flexibility in choice and the precious opportunity of complementary methods.

#4 Smart components

User productivity increases as good standard components are created. For this purpose, your CAD system must provide the appropriate features. Unique smart components, process management, installation wizards, etc. allow you to store user know-how. Ultimately, the design is accelerated: the productivity gain is obvious.

TopSolid CAD/CAM Product Range

#5 Design documentation tools

Once completed, the design must be documented. This includes generating exploded views, assembly instructions, bills of materials, etc. These features are essential to get the most out of your CAD software. The tool must therefore make it possible to easily generate all useful production documents from an assembly.

#6 A detailed and standardized drawing

Despite the increasing use of 3D, detailed and standardized drawings of the designs are still often necessary, “the drawing is authentic!” Your CAD software must therefore integrate a powerful automated drawing module, to perform this task quickly when necessary.

#7 Change management tools

When choosing your CAD software, the extent and performance of the modeling features are essential criteria, but are not sufficient! The designer also has to deal with management issues. Changes to the specifications during the design process are common practice, so the tool must offer intuitive and powerful features for this purpose. To manage all types of modifications, without wasting time or reliability, choosing a PDM is then crucial. Therefore, you should choose a fully integrated PDM, which will allow you to track changes during the design process. From simple part number change to more complex modifications (interchanging parts, for example), pay attention to the extent of the PDM capabilities of your CAD software.

TopSolid is designed to address all the current challenges faced by professionals when designing parts and machines. TopSolid integrates the essential features of a good CAD software. In addition, you benefit from close support for the deployment of your new solution. Beforehand, evaluating your needs allows us to define the features of your tool according to your working methods. Afterward and in the long term, our technical support, everywhere in France and around the world, is available and responsive for beneficial proximity.

Interested in deploying a CAD software perfectly adapted to your needs? Contact us!

You have noticed that some of your competitors are saving money by using TopSolid, and you may be wondering why you should change software.

Here are seven important reasons to switch to TopSolid that will guide you in your decision.

1. Integrated Product Data Management (PDM)

The integrated PDM makes TopSolid unique in its market.

PDM does much more than simply store and organize files:

– It helps designers find existing parts to reuse instead of recreating them, saving many hours of work.

– It generates bill of materials for cost estimation and data input for ERP systems.

– Finally, it automates change control processes to ensure that outdated or unpublished information is not passed on to factories or suppliers.

• The PDM is not an additional product: it is directly integrated into the software interface;
• It allows you to quickly search for product data managed by TopSolid;
• It allows you to manage versions easily;
• It allows you to perform all data management activities directly in TopSolid (renaming, etc.);
• It allows you to put files in the vault and also manages non-TopSolid files;
• It manages the multi-site (for companies with several production sites around the world).

2. Intuitive user interface

Time is money and TopSolid’s intuitive user interface easily makes the difference!

Design the way you want and not according to the logic of the software, thanks to TopSolid’s unique in-place design method.

In addition, we offer advanced training sessions to enable you to make the most of TopSolid according to your specific needs.

• Easy to learn and use (learning phase reduced by 50 %);
• Drag and drop, copy and paste, undo/redo history features are supported;
• Creating construction entities on the fly;
• Sorting entities (classification by type) and operations (chronological classification).

In addition, the user interface is fully customizable interactively by the user.

3. Simultaneous engineering

This is a very important feature of TopSolid which allows all co-designers to work on the same design basis simultaneously, which is a significant asset in this time of health crisis.

• Ability to work with all your colleagues on the same database;
• Ability to define user rights and permissions;
• Anyone from anywhere (local or otherwise) can all be connected;
• Communication made easy with the PDM Messenger;
• Ability to create life cycle workflows to automate information exchange.

TopSolid CAD/CAM Product Range

4. Modern software technology: open platform

Most of the CAD software available on the market is based on a rather old software technology. TopSolid has been completely redesigned and rewritten, offering you a state of the art software.

Here are a few key points:

• Use of the latest development technologies (C#, .net);
• Support for the latest hardware technologies (multi-core technology, rendering engine, etc.);
• Real-time and incremental updates;
• High-performance realistic rendering engine (Redway3D);
• Data exchange with most CAD software available on the market, with these interfaces: Parasolid, AutoCAD (*.dwg, *.dxf), ACIS, IGES, Step, Catia v4, v5, Pro/E, UG, SW, SE, Inventor.

5. TopSolid’Automation

TopSolid’Automation is TopSolid’s API (Application Programming Interface) which allows users to control TopSolid 7 from another program in order to exchange information and/or automate repetitive tasks.

TopSolid’Automation allows significant productivity gains while reducing the risk of errors. The time investment required to master this development tool is therefore undoubtedly well spent.

By allowing communication with other software, TopSolid’Automation is a powerful tool to successfully integrate CAD/CAM applications in your digital process chain and covers a wide range of areas:

• Data exchange with sales or production management systems;
• Automation of manufacturing processes for parts and assemblies;
• Automated data import;
• Automated generation of drawings;
• Data exchange with tool management systems.

All these possible uses make TopSolid’Automation a very valuable and reliable tool to optimize industrial processes.

This interface is totally free and included in TopSolid 7. Documentation is integrated into the software to guide you and online training sessions are available for a quick start.

6. Global network and service

France, Europe, Asia, Americas, Oceania, etc. Our customers are everywhere and, thanks to TopSolid, they exchange, develop, collaborate and work together. TopSolid establishes contacts between them.

Our experienced network of 10 subsidiaries and 70 resellers and their teams around the world provide expertise to help you increase your competitiveness in the market.

7.  Ready for Industry 4.0

 TopSolid is more than simply an integrated CAD/CAM software. It is a complete application environment towards the digital transformation of the mechanical industries. It offers solutions for:

– estimation of mechanical parts (TopSolid’PartCosting);

– simulation of CNC machines (digital twin, with TopSolid’CamSimul);

– quality management of parts produced by a machine (TopSolid’Inspection);

 TopSolid has been offering a fully integrated digital chain for years via its CAD/CAM software suite, thus ensuring total interconnectivity from design to production.