What is Mechanical Computer-Aided Design (MCAD)?

Mechanical Computer-Aided Design (MCAD) is an engineering tool used to create digital designs, simulations, and documentation of mechanical parts and assemblies. MCAD replaces traditional drafting methods and enables engineers to create accurate 2D drawings and detailed 3D models of mechanical components before physically building prototypes.

The MCAD process is based on a digital workshop that enables engineers to test their ideas without consuming resources or time. It reduces costly errors during the production process and enables teams to accelerate development from concept to market. Digital representations made through MCAD become a single source of truth throughout the product development cycle.

Aerospace, automotive, and medical device manufacturers are all prime examples of industries that use MCAD daily. This technology has become a necessity for organizations that need to balance innovation, speed, and accuracy. When MCAD is integrated with product lifecycle management (PLM) software, organizations gain additional control over design data and can relate mechanical design decisions to the overall product lifecycle.

How mechanical computer-aided design works

MCAD software leverages intelligent relationships and parametric modeling to propagate changes throughout the design when a part is modified. Engineers will save countless hours of redesign time and maintain consistency throughout the assembly process by updating their designs one variable at a time.

Simulation software allows engineers to test their designs in a variety of ways to simulate real-world environments. Structural integrity, temperature, flow rate, etc.—as well as other environmental factors—are all tested before the product is created. Testing in this manner helps identify potential issues before spending money on multiple prototype versions.

Integrating PLM and product data management (PDM) systems promotes collaboration between team members working on different components of the same project. Platforms like Aras allow MCAD users to connect their tools to the larger product development community. While team members are working on various aspects of the product, the tool(s) used track all design revisions and provide a single  final design version.

MCAD tools provide the documentation needed to transition a digital design into a manufactured product. Documentation includes detailed technical drawings, a complete bill of materials (BOM), and production instructions. Automating this process eliminates potential communication errors between design and manufacturing.

Key features of MCAD software

Modern MCAD tools offer a plethora of functions that work in concert to complete all aspects of the mechanical design, from conceptualization through manufacturing.

• 3D parametric modeling: As designers create parametrically defined 3D models (where each dimension is represented by an equation), the design will update (as opposed to manually updating the design using traditional drafting techniques), ensuring that all models remain consistent and free from geometric errors in assembly.
• Simulation and finite element analysis (FEA): Before creating expensive prototypes, teams can simulate designs under real-world conditions. Designers can evaluate structural, thermal, and dynamic performance in the same environment in which they design. Identifying potential failure points early can save both time and money.
• Assembly management: MCAD can manage complex products with hundreds to thousands of individual components. The software tracks how components fit together and identifies automatic interference issues. Large assemblies are kept organized and easily managed.
• Drafting and technical documentation: MCAD can generate 2D engineering drawings that include dimensions, annotations, and specifications for manufacturing. Documentation updates occur automatically when the 3D model changes. Automating documentation updates based on 3D model changes eliminates inconsistencies between models and drawings.
• Integration with PLM/PDM: MCAD tools can integrate with larger PLM software to centralize the design information and allow cross-functional collaboration. Automatic version control occurs as well. Rather than working with outdated documents stored in various locations, such as email and shared drives, the team will always have access to the most current approved design.
• Interoperability: The best MCAD systems will transfer information seamlessly with Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools, either directly or through neutral file formats. Open interoperability means that companies will not be locked into a single tool and will use the best tool for a particular function. Once again, the design data flows freely across the entire digital thread.

Benefits of using MCAD

Companies can leverage several benefits from using MCAD in product development. These core advantages are in the areas of time, cost, and quality of the final product, as measured across all stages of the product development cycle.

• Faster time for developing products: Design iteration and automation reduce product development time from months to weeks.
• More accurate designs and higher quality products: Digital models that accurately represent products eliminate dimensioning errors and detect design problems before manufacturing.
• Increased innovation potential: Simulating different design possibilities allows designers to test and evaluate product performance potential with no financial investment in prototype production.
• Decreased cost of prototypes: Simulating product performance eliminates the need to build multiple physical prototypes of a product and significantly lowers the cost of materials used in prototyping.
• Improved communication among teams: A shared digital platform allows communication among design, engineering, and manufacturing teams, and other stakeholders in the product development process.
• Easier regulatory compliance: Automating the creation of compliance documents and creating an electronic record for audits makes compliance with regulatory requirements easier and less costly.
• Higher design reuse potential: Libraries of standard components and templates make future product development faster and more consistent throughout all product lines.

MCAD vs. ECAD

While both fall under the umbrella of computer-aided design (CAD), mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) and electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) are distinct areas of engineering application in product design. MCAD focuses primarily on designing mechanical components, including housings, gears, brackets, etc., while ECAD focuses on designing electronic systems, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) and circuit schematic diagrams.

As such, the output of MCAD tools is typically a three-dimensional model of a part or assembly that defines the component(s)’ physical properties, including material type, tolerance(s), etc. However, the output of ECAD tools includes electronic schematics, PCB layouts, and electrical routing information (among other things), which define how an electronic system will operate and communicate with its environment.

Modern products, which are increasingly blurring the lines between mechanical and electronic design (e.g., smartphones, IoT devices, etc.), have created a growing need to integrate the two disciplines into product design. In this context, it becomes necessary for mechanical housing to accommodate the placement of electronic components on PCBs, for thermal management systems to be designed to effectively dissipate heat from the electronic components, and for connectors to properly interface between the mechanical and electronic domains.

For this reason, integration between MCAD and ECAD platforms has emerged as a competitive requirement. Teams developing products need to verify that their electronic PCBs physically fit within their mechanical enclosures before committing to production. If a team discovers late in the design process that their components do not fit together, or that their thermal requirements conflict with the mechanical constraints of the enclosure, they may incur significant redesign costs. As a result, platforms that enable data transfer between MCAD and ECAD applications can facilitate a smooth transition between design phases and identify potential integration issues early on.

Industry use cases and applications of MCAD

In almost all industries where products are designed and manufactured, MCAD has become an integral tool for efficient, accurate production. Below are some of the most popular industry applications and use cases.

• Automotive: All aspects of automotive engineering (e.g., designing engine blocks, suspension systems, etc.) use MCAD tools. MCAD can manage and simulate thousands of interdependent parts that must function properly under extreme working conditions.
• Aerospace and defense: MCAD allows manufacturers to design intricate, high-performance mechanical systems that meet specification requirements, while validating their performance through simulation models before flight testing.
• Medical device manufacturing: Medical device manufacturers use MCAD to design surgical tools, medical implants, and diagnostic equipment with the level of detail and precision. MCAD also supports the regulatory compliance requirements of the healthcare industry through documentation.
• Industrial machinery: Industrial machinery teams design and manufacture manufacturing equipment, robotics, and production lines that will be reliable for many years, requiring detailed modeling of the complex assemblies with moving parts that MCAD offers.
• Consumer products: Consumer product designers use MCAD to design functional consumer products such as smartphones, wearable devices, and household appliances, with attention to detail required for fitting components into a small space.
• High-tech manufacturing: Manufacturers build semiconductor equipment and advanced manufacturing equipment that requires precise engineering. MCAD is used to meet the submillimeter precision needed for this type of manufacturing.
• Energy and utilities: Energy and utilities companies design and manufacture turbines, pumps, valves, and power generation equipment that must be able to survive demanding environments. Given the long lifespans of energy and utility products, accurate documentation is critical.

Companies across these industries rely on MCADs integrated with PLM systems to maintain control over complex mechanical designs throughout the entire product lifecycle.

The future of MCAD

Real-time collaboration via cloud MCAD technologies has transformed the way engineers work together. Access to all information, at any time, from any location, has removed the barriers associated with file-based methods and the limited availability of individual workstations. Multiple distributed teams can simultaneously access a single design without dealing with the version-control issues common in early generations of CAD software.

Artificial intelligence is becoming mainstream across many practical applications involving MCAD. Design optimization algorithms generate thousands of design possibilities, given design parameters such as weight, structural integrity, and manufacturing methods. Designers input the design parameters, and the AI identifies optimal design solutions.

Digital twins represent the convergence of MCAD with operational intelligence. The mechanical models created during design become living representations connected to real-world product performance data. IoT sensors feed actual usage conditions back to the original CAD geometry, enabling predictive maintenance and continuous improvement. Aras delivers digital twin solutions that connect MCAD data to the entire product lifecycle, bridging the gap between design intent and field performance across multiple industries. To learn more, connect with Aras today.