Industrial process equipmentPhotograph
Bio-oxidizer vessel
Large-assembly automation for a process vessel, covering the model and the drawing set used to build and erect it.
Explore the projectCustom Software Development
Applications, add-ins and integrations that connect your design tools to the rest of the business.
Whether this fits
The CAD model is only half the job. Someone exports a list, reformats it, pastes it into another system, and does that again on the next revision.
Teams that move design data into production, purchasing or ERP systems through spreadsheets and repeated data entry.
Where this stops
- Integrations depend on what the other system exposes. We confirm that before quoting rather than assuming an interface exists.
- Access to a production business system is arranged with its owner, not assumed.
What you receive
- Desktop applications and CAD add-ins
- Integrations between CAD, databases and business systems such as ERP
- Configuration engines that replace spreadsheet-driven part selection
- APIs and middleware between design tools and business systems
- Source control, testing and deployment set up with the delivery
What we need from you
- The manual steps as they happen today, start to finish
- Which systems need to exchange data, and who owns each one
- A sample of the data moving between them
- Any constraints on where software can run or be installed
Example work
Projects where this service replaced work that was being repeated by hand.
Automated DesignWorks | Project preparation
What to prepare
All of this is optional. If you only have a rough description of the task that keeps repeating, that is enough to start a conversation. Bring the rest when you have it.
The task that repeats
What does someone rebuild or re-type on every job? A rough description is enough to start.
The software involved
Which CAD system, and the version if you know it. Also any other system the output has to reach.
What goes in today
What starts the work: an order form, a specification, a spreadsheet or a customer drawing.
What has to come out
Drawings, a model, a parts list, files for a machine. An example of a finished set is the most useful thing you can show us.
How often, and how long it takes now
Roughly how many times a week or month, and roughly how long one pass takes.
Anything fixed about the timing
A date the work has to be usable by, or a season when it cannot be disrupted.
Contact: info@automateddesignworks.com | https://www.automateddesignworks.com/contact
Questions we get asked
Which CAD software do you work with?
Our published CAD automation work uses SolidWorks.
If your team uses another system, tell us its name and version. Automation options vary between systems and versions, so we need to review compatibility when scoping the work.
What do you need from us to start a conversation?
Describe the task that repeats, which software you use and what the finished output should look like.
An outline is enough for the first conversation. You can explain the workflow without sending drawings through the website.
What would the finished tool deliver?
The deliverables depend on the agreed scope. They can include CAD scripts, parametric templates, desktop applications or integrations between systems.
A CAD automation tool can generate models, drawings, bills of materials and production files. The required formats and outputs are part of the project scope.
How does a project run?
We start by reviewing the task and defining the scope. Development follows, with reviews using representative jobs. The final stage covers validation, documentation and handover.
The scope sets out the rules, outputs and exceptions the tool needs to handle.
How are cost and timing worked out?
Cost and timing depend on the design variations, the clarity of the rules and the systems involved. Reviewing a representative task helps establish the scope.
Include any deadline in your initial inquiry so it can be considered when planning the work.
Can you connect this to our ERP or other business systems?
That depends on the interfaces and data access the other system provides. ERP systems manage activities such as purchasing, inventory and production, and each product handles external data differently.
The scope needs to establish what an integration can do, working with the person responsible for that system on your side.
Tell us which design task is slowing your team down.
Describe the task that keeps repeating. If cad automation turns out to be the better fit, we will say so.