CAD (Computer Aided Design)
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There are a variety of different software packages for CAD
which are used in schools across the country, so it is not practical to know
each of these programmes as it will be dependent on the school as to which
programme they may use, there for it is important to understand the key
concepts of these programmes, they way they run may not be they same but the
important things to know are those that can be transferred to any of the CAD
programmes used in schools.
The most common programmes are:
Solid works
Creo Elements
Pro engineer
2D Design
The majority of the software packages that you find in schools will use STL files to transfer work to the appropriate CAM machines. Most will also all draw in either 2 dimension or 3 dimension. one of the benefits for CAD is the ease of showing ideas without having the drawing skills, it is also a very accurate way of drawing and measurements can be made with precision. It also enables the user to change and modify their work quickly and easily. It also makes multiple production of parts or products easier allowing the same things to be created with great accuracy. Most of the programmes will have very similar design tools, which allow you to do the same things making it easier to transfer the knowledge you have of one programme to another.
Some of the common problems when it comes to using CAD are things such as:
The most common programmes are:
Solid works
Creo Elements
Pro engineer
2D Design
The majority of the software packages that you find in schools will use STL files to transfer work to the appropriate CAM machines. Most will also all draw in either 2 dimension or 3 dimension. one of the benefits for CAD is the ease of showing ideas without having the drawing skills, it is also a very accurate way of drawing and measurements can be made with precision. It also enables the user to change and modify their work quickly and easily. It also makes multiple production of parts or products easier allowing the same things to be created with great accuracy. Most of the programmes will have very similar design tools, which allow you to do the same things making it easier to transfer the knowledge you have of one programme to another.
Some of the common problems when it comes to using CAD are things such as:
- Being unfamiliar with the software, makes the drawing process slow because the user will have to get use to the commands and tools
- Computers crashing and work being lost
- Forgetting to save work or work being lost on computers
- Material being wasted due to lack of planning when drawing