Häufig gestellte Fragen
What does CAD mean and what is it used for?
CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design, the computer-based design and modeling of technical products, components, and plants using specialized software. Instead of on the drawing board, geometries are created as 2D drawings or three-dimensional solid and surface models, from which technical drawings, section views, and dimension chains can be derived. CAD is used above all in mechanical engineering, vehicle and plant engineering, architecture, and electronics and product development as the starting point of virtually every product creation process. The geometry, material, and structure data generated there form the basis for manufacturing, procurement, and business management in the ERP.
How are CAD and ERP connected?
CAD and ERP serve different tasks but are closely linked through master data. The CAD system creates the geometry and, from it, a bill of materials (BOM), while the ERP system takes over these BOM and item data to manage procurement, planning, and production scheduling. The bridge between the two is often provided by a PLM system, which manages design data, controls releases, and passes the BOM on to the ERP. A clean data handover is critical, because otherwise media discontinuities arise that can lead to wrong quantities or outdated version states in manufacturing.
Do I need a PLM system between CAD and ERP?
That depends on the complexity of the products and the organization. With several design engineers, many variants, or multi-level BOMs with controlled releases and version states, a PLM system as the central data hub usually makes sense, because it transforms the engineering BOM (eBOM) into a manufacturing-ready manufacturing BOM (mBOM) and publishes it to the ERP. With individual design engineers and simple structures, a direct CAD-ERP interface can be sufficient. As a general rule: the more people work on a design and the stricter the release and change processes need to be, the more the effort of a PLM system is justified.
Which CAD programs are widely used in practice?
Widely used in the market are, among others, Autodesk AutoCAD and Inventor, Dassault SolidWorks and CATIA, PTC Creo, and Siemens NX, with Autodesk and Dassault Systèmes together accounting for a substantial share of the CAD market. AutoCAD is considered the classic for 2D drawings, while SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo, and NX are used mainly for parametric 3D design in mechanical, vehicle, and plant engineering. This list serves illustration purposes only and does not constitute a rating or recommendation. For the ERP connection, the individual tool matters less than whether it can be cleanly connected to the business processes via established interfaces or a PLM system.
In which file formats are CAD data exchanged?
Besides the proprietary formats of the respective software, neutral formats are used above all for cross-system exchange, first and foremost STEP (ISO 10303) and the older IGES. STEP is today considered the global standard for exchanging complex 3D models because, in addition to geometry, it can also represent topology, assembly structures, material properties, and tolerances; the STEP AP242 profile additionally supports semantic manufacturing information (PMI) and has largely superseded IGES in demanding supply chains. For pure 2D drawings, DWG and DXF are also common. Note that with neutral formats the parametric design history is generally lost and the imported model exists as a non-parametric solid.
What is the difference between CAD, CAE, CAM, and PLM?
CAD defines a product's geometry, that is, the computer-aided design of components and assemblies. CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) covers calculation and simulation, such as strength or flow analyses, while CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) translates the model into machine instructions for manufacturing. PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) organizes not the geometry itself but the entire product lifecycle, with version states, releases, and the handover of BOMs to the ERP. CAD is thus the design origin of a data chain, not the system for its commercial management or manufacturing execution.