The design software is the first module (independent or integrated with ERP), which will allow you to set your furniture data base.
In wood and furniture industries design software are business tools. This chapter is devoted to software for the furniture industry. These are all parametric. They are less powerful than software like Autocad or Solidworks which are generic but with which you only use a few %. Despite that, you always miss the intuitive portions furniture design.
You will define your engineering production unit for the production of products :
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- Materials (panels, solid wood, meaning the wood grain, …)
- Possible sizes (mini – max – ranges)
- Assembling rules (pins, screws, positioning of the back …)
- Edgebanding (thickness, type of recovery …)
- Hardware insertion (drawers, shelves, feet …)
- Links doors and carcase (opening, sliding …)
- Rules for connections between furniture
- …
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This parameterization phase is very important. It is the accuracy and precision of it that will make you save time when creating new products. You will also gain the ease and rigor in the supply chain (the registration of the order in the store, to installation, through manufacturing and delivery, among other).
Once the production rules laid :
- Assembling by pins with pins locating rule.
- Positioning of funds and ceilings from the sides.
- Positioning of the back (groove position relative to the rear).
- Shelves dimension.
- Standard dimensions – ranges dimensions.
- …
3D design new products will be facilitated. You can quickly develop workable products in your unit, with the establishment of all necessary media management (manufacturing documentation and monitoring, machine files, …).
With these tools, you have access to the libraries of most hardware manufacturers for furniture (drawers, hinges, inserts, feet …). The integration of the hardware in your plans, automatically generates machining data.
Changes made to these tools are interactive. A change of hardware on a 3D view automatically changes the 2D drawings and the machining programs.
These tools also allow you to calculate real-time standard price and define your needs in materials. BOM tree structure is defined in this phase. You can define macro routing and therefore the material costs and manufacturing costs can be reassembled on the finished product.
The objective and the benefit of these tools is to achieve a complete 3D catalog of your range. You can pass on to stores that will integrate this catalog into their design software.
These tools also allow you to perform more or less automated assembly instructions. This point is very important for the kit furniture manufacturers. Rigor, formalism and clarity of assembly instructions are very important.
The design tool is the starting core information system among furniture manufacturers. With this design tools you will be able to generate the entirety of the database (finished products, components, raw materials). You will do it quickly but also reliably.
You are in an industry with an infinite variety of products. Generic ERP manage databases items, BOMs and fixedly routings. All combinations must be created. Maintenance of these databases rapidly becomes impossible. This is why business products, dedicated furnishing, allow the creation of 3D products that generate BOMs and ranges automatically. Changes in dimensions, different materials, different colors or handles are no longer a problem.
The creation of the database is an important point : for this module, but also for all other modules that may be related (quotes, ERP …). This is a long task, but it should not be overlooked. For the realization of a kitchen catalog or a bathroom catalog or a dressing catalog, there must be a workload of about 2 months to 2 and a half months :
- Definition of industrial parameters of the company: 1 to 2 weeks
- Training – ownership of the software: 2 to 3 weeks
- Development of the range 3 to 5 weeks
This charge may seem important, but you will save time, rigor, quality and flexibility later.
Some softwares :
Teowin : this product fully integrates this phase and is part of an ERP that integrates all processes from design to delivery.
Cabinet Vision : this includes the design, catalog publishing and machine control. It easily interfaces with ERP dedicated furniture like ProdManager.
Polyboard : simple product for furniture design. By cons, it does not achieve product catalogs, is limited in realistic view and is also limited in creating the machinery control files.