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Computer Aided Design

Computer Aided Design (CAD) uses computer software to design and document a product's design process through graphical symbols like points, lines, and shapes. CAD enables engineers to design, develop, and optimize products on a computer screen and print or save designs for future editing. CAD is extensively used for preliminary design, creating 3D models, drawings, and interfacing with other teams. It facilitates manufacturing by transferring detailed product information in an automated, universally interpretable format. SolidWorks is a popular CAD software that uses a parametric and feature-based approach to create 2D and 3D models. It allows modeling parts and assemblies with dimensions, relations, sketches, and mates that can automatically update based on design intent.

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Cora Mangubat
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58 views

Computer Aided Design

Computer Aided Design (CAD) uses computer software to design and document a product's design process through graphical symbols like points, lines, and shapes. CAD enables engineers to design, develop, and optimize products on a computer screen and print or save designs for future editing. CAD is extensively used for preliminary design, creating 3D models, drawings, and interfacing with other teams. It facilitates manufacturing by transferring detailed product information in an automated, universally interpretable format. SolidWorks is a popular CAD software that uses a parametric and feature-based approach to create 2D and 3D models. It allows modeling parts and assemblies with dimensions, relations, sketches, and mates that can automatically update based on design intent.

Uploaded by

Cora Mangubat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN

CAD (Computer Aided Design) is the use of computer software to design and document a product’s
design process.
Engineering drawing entails the use of graphical symbols such as points, lines, curves, planes and shapes. 
Essentially, it gives detailed description about any component in a graphical form.
CAD stands for Computer Aided Design. CAD is used to design, develop and optimize products. While it
is very versatile, CAD is extensively used in the design of tools and equipment required in the
manufacturing process as well as in the construction domain. CAD enables design engineers to layout and
to develop their work on a computer screen, print and save it for future editing.
When it was introduced first, CAD was not exactly an economic proposition because the machines at
those times were very costly. The increasing computer power in the later part of the twentieth century,
with the arrival of minicomputer and subsequently the microprocessor, has allowed engineers to use CAD
files that are an accurate representation of the dimensions / properties of the object.
Use of CAD
CAD is used to accomplish preliminary design and layouts, design details and calculations, creating 3-D
models, creating and releasing drawings, as well as interfacing with analysis, marketing, manufacturing,
and end-user personnel. 
CAD facilitates the manufacturing process by transferring detailed information about a product in an
automated form that can be universally interpreted by trained personnel. It can be used to produce either
two-dimensional or three-dimensional diagrams. The use of CAD software tools allow the object to be
viewed from any angle, even from the inside looking out. One of the main advantages of a CAD drawing
is that the editing is a fast process as compared to manual method. Apart from detailed engineering of 2D
or 3D models, CAD is widely used from conceptual design and layout of products to definition of
manufacturing of components. CAD reduces design time by allowing precise simulation rather than build
and test physical prototypes. Integrating CAD with CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) streamlines
the product development even more.
CAD is currently widely used for industrial products, animated movies and other applications. A special
printer or plotter is usually required for printing professional design renderings. CAD programs use either
vector-based graphics or raster graphics that show how an object will look. 
CAD software enables

 Efficiency in the quality of design


 Increase in the Engineer’s productivity
 Improve record keeping through better documentation and communication
SOLIDWORKS

SolidWorks is a solid modeler, and utilizes a parametric feature-based approach which was


initially developed by PTC (Creo/Pro-Engineer) to create models and assemblies. The
software is written on Parasolid-kernel.
Parameters refer to constraints whose values determine the shape or geometry of the
model or assembly. Parameters can be either numeric parameters, such as line lengths
or circle diameters, or geometric parameters, such as tangent, parallel, concentric,
horizontal or vertical, etc. Numeric parameters can be associated with each other
through the use of relations, which allows them to capture design intent.
Design intent is how the creator of the part wants it to respond to changes and updates.
For example, you would want the hole at the top of a beverage can to stay at the top
surface, regardless of the height or size of the can. SolidWorks allows the user to
specify that the hole is a feature on the top surface, and will then honor their design
intent no matter what height they later assign to the can.
Features refer to the building blocks of the part. They are the shapes and operations that
construct the part. Shape-based features typically begin with a 2D or 3D sketch of
shapes such as bosses, holes, slots, etc. This shape is then extruded to add or cut to
remove material from the part. Operation-based features are not sketch-based, and
include features such as fillets, chamfers, shells, applying draft to the faces of a part,
etc.

screen shot captured from a SolidWorks top-down design approach.

Building a model in SolidWorks usually starts with a 2D sketch (although 3D sketches


are available for power users). The sketch consists of geometry such as points, lines,
arcs, conics (except the hyperbola), and splines. Dimensions are added to the sketch to
define the size and location of the geometry. Relations are used to define attributes
such as tangency, parallelism, perpendicularity, and concentricity. The parametric
nature of SolidWorks means that the dimensions and relations drive the geometry, not
the other way around. The dimensions in the sketch can be controlled independently, or
by relationships to other parameters inside or outside the sketch.
In an assembly, the analog to sketch relations are mates. Just as sketch relations define
conditions such as tangency, parallelism, and concentricity with respect to sketch
geometry, assembly mates define equivalent relations with respect to the individual parts
or components, allowing the easy construction of assemblies. SolidWorks also includes
additional advanced mating features such as gear and cam follower mates, which allow
modeled gear assemblies to accurately reproduce the rotational movement of an actual
gear train.
Finally, drawings can be created either from parts or assemblies. Views are
automatically generated from the solid model, and notes, dimensions and tolerances
can then be easily added to the drawing as needed. The drawing module includes most
paper sizes and standards (ANSI, ISO, DIN, GOST, JIS, BSI and SAC).

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