Use of CAD in Electronic Manufacturing

Computer-Aided Design or CAD is a strategy familiar to many as a tool in creating architectural designs. The use of this technology, however, did not start in the building construction sector.

The first attempt to automate the drafting process of products was pioneered by an established vehicle maker company in the 1960s. The technology was developed further when high-tech industries, particularly the aerospace, semiconductor, and microprocessor sectors, adapted and improvised the technology. From then on, different features were combined and new capabilities were added, making CAD what it is today-advanced and efficient.

Computer-aided design technologies are now widely used in the manufacturing of consumer electronics. From mobile phone makers to micro chip suppliers, CAD has become a universal tool in the industry. This popularity can be mainly attributed to the number of advantages that product modelling with CAD systems offers over traditional drafting techniques that use papers, rulers, compasses, and squares.

One notable advantage of using CAD is that the changes or upgrades in the design can be done easily and fast. It enables products engineers to make alterations on their designs without erasing and redrawing, eliminating the need for everyone to start again from scratch. What is more, the technology offers a "zoom" feature, whereby designers can magnify elements (such as those in semiconductors) of a model to facilitate efficient inspection.

Another important advantage of CAD is its capability to create cutaway and render electronic product designs in three dimensional models. These features enable designers to gain a fuller view of the object and to see the internal shape of a part, helping them understand the spatial relationship of all the elements in a system.