Modern manufacturing works by the way of creating a digital design using CAD software and digital data control and drives the fabrication machines to create the final shape. A large variety of digital machines are available from a small desktop level to a very large special fabrication set-up. The digital shape is prepared by the CAD software and then that CAD file is transferred to a fabrication software also known as CAM (computer-aided manufacturing). CAM output becomes the input data for the various fabrication set-ups like subtractive machining, 3D printing & shape forming machines (pipe bending) etc.

In today's time when professional-grade manufacturing becoming more affordable and accessible, anyone having knowledge of product design could fabricate it easily. Digital manufacturing is plugging the gap between the product design and its fabrication, enabling designers and engineers across the industrial spectrum to create innovative products from a simple prototype to mass production.

Digital fabrication workflow

3D Data generation

• CAD model – A CAD model is generated by the product designer using specialized CAD software representing the digital image of the designer’s imagination. CAD data go thru multiple iterations and reviews before it is ready for further processing. This data act as input data to digital manufacturing machines in formats compatible with the fabrication setup. The exported format creates a triangulated shape with faces on the surface, vertices, and vectors normal to the surface. Some formats capture information like colour, and surface finish which the fabrication machine could read saving the set-up time.
• CAE Analysis – Generated design file is then analyzed by a CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) tool to check if the part can perform in the real-world application as desired. Design topology is optimized by removing the extra material if the part is to be manufactured by a 3D printer.

Digital manufacturing pre-processing

• Support structure generation – If the design is to be made by 3D printing, then the technician needs to study the build orientation, support structure placement, and surface adhesion type. Printing layers are generated by the slicing softwa
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