CADBase – free platform now in Russian
Collaboration can be a challenge in any organization, and when it comes to working with product data, it can be even more difficult. Proper data management is critical to the success of an enterprise, so it’s important to find ways to collaborate effectively. Given the many tools and solutions, as well as different approaches to data storage, the task becomes more difficult.
In the development and production of products, it is necessary to stay connected and collaborate with many participants. Team play is an integral part of successful product development, which allows manufacturing companies to achieve their goals in optimal time and competitive cost.
The joint development and production process is complex and has many participants. It starts with the design processes, which bring together all the team members responsible for the various parts of the design process—mechanical, electronic, and software. Later, this depends on effective communication with the production planning and purchasing process.
The timely exchange of information to obtain products, taking into account changes, restrictions and delivery times, has a significant impact on product development costs.
For example, many enterprises take into account the timing of the production of contractors, which allows you to send the need in advance for the timely receipt of the required products – optimization of the timing of their own production.
The absence of any components from counterparties can be a serious problem, so providing this information to engineers is an important part of the feedback loop when determining suppliers.
The distributed nature of work, different locations and tools are ideal conditions for difficulties in information exchange, inappropriate use of resources and significant costs for processing the same information.
Dissemination of data through e-mails, file sharing, extranets and the lack of a common source of reliable information about the company’s catalogs leads to the impossibility of promptly obtaining information and a high probability of obtaining data from incorrect (outdated) sources.
It is difficult to establish a collaborative engineering process, given the difficulties that can arise when organizing a collaborative engineering process in numerous OEM companies that use various CAD (computer-aided design systems), PDM (product data management systems) and PLM (product life cycle management systems) . Each vendor (software developer) creates its own ecosystem, which makes it difficult to share information between different systems. In addition, it can be difficult to establish a collaborative engineering process when using different systems due to the different data formats and information processing methods that are used in each of the systems.
Manufacturers are ready to invest in digital transformation, are closely following the digital transformation process and are increasingly aware of the need to use new solutions to improve their efficiency. In this regard, more and more software solutions appear on the market that respond to market demands.
CADBase is a digital platform for the exchange of 3D models, drawings and standards, developed for engineers, manufacturing and engineering companies. Work on the platform began in 2018.
Users of the CADBase platform can seamlessly exchange data, collaborate with components, store their own data for access from the CAD they use. All users of the platform have access to the GraphQL API, which allows them to implement any extensions for the platform, if users have such a need.
The platform allows suppliers to host their product catalogs, providing customers with a convenient way to interact with 3D models, drawings and standardization documents from the manufacturer.
Engineering companies can reduce costs in engineering as well as gain a source of orders for product development and surveys.
An open to user programming interface (API) allows CADBase to be integrated with various automated control systems and CAD systems, enabling engineers to obtain 3D models and drawings of components from their solutions, simplifying the search and use of components in design.
Shared access to data within the companies created on the platform allows company members to work effectively with product components.
In the latest platform updates, the localization of the interface for the Russian language and integration with FreeCAD appeared.
One of the scenarios for using the CADBase platform
A person needs to quickly create a prototype of a new product, but does not have the time and resources to create a model from scratch. He accesses the library of components on the CADBase platform and quickly assembles the desired model from the available components, and also receives the necessary technical data, such as weight, dimensions, material, and so on. Then he exports the created model to the format he needs (if the model is not laid out in the format he needs) and uses it for further design and testing of his product. This approach can significantly reduce the time and cost of developing new products, as well as speed up the process of decision-making and obtaining ready-made solutions.
Approximately the developers had such a vision of the platform, but maybe users need some other functionality? We are waiting for feedback from users, including potential ones, in order to correct the development vector.
The CADBase platform provides a useful tool for users, even if they do not need third-party model libraries. Some users may be limited to the basic functionality of the site, which allows you to work with components, modifications, standards, user and company profiles. Others may use a hierarchical cloud storage for components, revisions, and file sets for CAD or other objects. Also, the platform is suitable for users who use FreeCAD (there is already an integration for this CAD) or who want to use the platform’s functionality via API.
The CADBase platform allows users to work with their own components, as well as public components on the platform and private components, if they have been granted appropriate access.
