About the Client
Our client operates in the business of designing and manufacturing transportation equipment, where precision and efficiency are paramount. They faced the challenge of generating engineering drawings from 3D CAD models, a task that was not only tedious but also time-consuming. Recognizing the need for a solution that could automate this process, they sought our expertise.
Business Challenge
The manufacturing drawing generation is a tedious and time-consuming process. Even if 50% of the drawing generation is automated, its impact on the cycle time reduction in designs going to manufacturing is significant.
Requirement
The client had successfully integrated our Auto2D tool with NX, a 3D CAD system, and wished to replicate this success with CATIA, another prominent CAD platform. To achieve this, CADVision embarked on a multifaceted project:
- Setting up a dedicated team to analyze the existing NX code and architect a solution based on the CATIA CAA framework.
- Exposing CAA APIs through a wrapper to facilitate seamless integration with the Auto2D pre-process modules.
- Developing an Excel integration framework, ensuring that CAD data could be exported in the precise format required by Auto2D.
Challenges Faced
During the development and integration phases, several challenges occurred:
- Understanding and adapting to the intricacies of the CATIA CAA API, which differed from the NX integration.
- Ensuring that the CAA APIs were accessible through a wrapper, enabling Auto2D integration without disruptions.
- Creating a versatile Excel integration framework that accommodated diverse CAD data formats.
Solutions
To address these challenges, CADVision implemented a robust strategy:
- A dedicated team meticulously analyzed the NX code and leveraged the insights to develop an architecture specifically tailored for CATIA based on the CAA framework.
- CADVision created a wrapper to expose CAA APIs, allowing for seamless integration with the Auto2D pre-process modules.
- An Excel integration framework was meticulously designed to ensure the precise export of CAD data in the format required by Auto2D.
Benefits
The results of this project were transformational, providing the client with several compelling benefits:
A staggering 90% reduction in the time required for manual drawing creation. The process became significantly more efficient and timely.
An increase in the overall quality of engineering drawings, thanks to the automated and error-free generation.