Tariq 15ME37 | Engineering

Drawing |

Importance of AutoCAD in
Engineering

What is AutoCAD?
CAD stands for "Computer Aided
Design." AutoCAD is a line of twodimensional and three-dimensional
design software produced by the
Autodesk Company. It includes a
powerful suite of features to improve
workflow and create true-to-life maps,
diagrams, structures and schematics.
CAD software is equal part design and
analysis. The design is needed to
produce models and prepare
component production, and the
analysis helps calculate stress levels,
the influence of forces and the
influences of finite elements in a
design. According to a General Electric
survey, 60 percent of manufactured
parts errors were related to
incomplete, ambiguous or impossible
drafts -- problems easily corrected
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with the support of software like

AutoCAD.

Why is AutoCAD used?

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AutoCAD is a computer-aided drafting

software program that enables the
user to create precise 2- and 3dimensional drawings used in
construction and manufacturing. You
can run the most-recent version of
AutoCAD on your Mac or PC. People
who learn how to use AutoCAD can
create scaled drawings that are used
to manufacture equipment, plan
infrastructure projects, design
electrical circuitry, and build homes
and commercial structures. In simple
words, AutoCAD is a commercial
software application used to draft 2
dimensional and 3 dimensional models
with the aid of a computer

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The Importance of AutoCAD to

a Mechanical Engineer
AutoCAD is a comprehensive
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
program from AutoDesk. Like other
CAD software packages, AutoCAD
allows designers and technicians -such as mechanical engineers -- to
create detailed, three-dimensional
digital models of their work, complete
with information about dimensions,
materials and the functioning of
moving parts. This process can save
mechanical engineers and small
mechanical engineering businesses a
considerable amount of time and
money as compared to traditional
prototyping, as well as facilitating
communication and testing.

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PROTOTYPING
Prototyping can be a long and arduous
task, especially in a complex field like
mechanical engineering where the
number of variables and moving parts
requires repeated design tests.
AutoCAD allows mechanical engineers
to simplify this process by including
simulations of how products will
operate under certain conditions.
Mechanical engineers, therefore, can
see the effects of changes in materials
and dimensions by simply entering
new data into the model, rather than
physically testing each iteration of the
design. The ease of digital prototyping
allows testing to be done more
quickly, allowing for refined designs by
the time physical prototyping begins.

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CUTTING DESIGN COSTS

As all mechanical engineers know,
prototyping can be a very expensive
process. AutoCAD allows for significant
savings in the design process by
eliminating the need for physical
materials and workshop space during
preliminary design. Although
purchasing and operating a software
package has certain costs, these are
often much less burdensome than the
costs of prototype materials and
workshop time. As a digital simulation,
AutoCAD models also have the
advantage of allowing engineers to
test large-scale installations, a process
that would be prohibitively expensive
with physical prototyping.
CUTTING DESIGN TIMES
Beyond costs, physical prototyping
can also be a lengthy process. In
competitive fields like product design,
the length of this process can mean
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the difference between getting a

patent or making it to the market first.
AutoCAD allows mechanical engineers
to perform numerous tests quickly,
cutting down on design times and
making rigorous testing possible
without waiting times for prototype
variations. With keystrokes rather than
workshop hours, AutoCAD makes the
design process more nimble and
responsive to changes in design
criteria or market demand.

Merits and Demerits

MERITS:

Reduces conceptional time for new

designs
Products can be created more
quickly
Costly mistakes in design or
production can be avoided
Reduces manufacturing time

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 Documentation can be printed in

various forms of multiple user
Ease of documents reproduction
and cloning
Visualization of complex technical
elements
Quality of designs
Clarity of documentation.
Easier to apply new ideas.
DEMERITS:

Expansive startup costs (Hardware,

Software, ad Training)
Hard to get conceptional form
Not so much suited for 3D as it has
fewer options
If you are into heavy assembly work
dont rely on it

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