Cad/cam

[dispel]

It seems that more and more parts are being made with CAD/CAM.

Boat manufacturers often don't want to deal with making parts for older boats. Is it possible or will it be possible in the near future for manufacturers to just save the CAD drawings and if a customer calls and wants a new windshield, seat, ladder, or swim platform - that design can just be sent to a manufacturing company who will make it and send it to the customer?

It seems to me that if the part has been designed already then it ought to cut the cost because someone wouldn't need to do as much work to fabricate the product.

Is this realistic for at least the key (more expensive) parts of a boat or am I in my own little dreamland?


Jay

[duluthboats]

1st, most companies will not let a 3rd party make their parts unless they have control of them. It has to do with legalities, liability and proprietary information. This applies even if they are no longer producing the parts themselves.
2nd even if you had the CAD file, you would need the tools and equipment that produced the originals. It would save you some time but tooling up to produce 1 part can be expensive. We are getting closer but there is still no such thing as a replicater. If there was you wouldn’t need people like me.

Gary

[dispel]

Makes sense Gary, thank you for your insight! That being the case, I have modified my original question.

Let's say hypothetically, that Wise made the captain's chairs and Garelick made the ladders for a particular Viking yacht. If someone contacted Viking and wanted brand new replacements for these items, would it make sense to pass the CAD info and part details to the two companies in order to help the customer get replacements?

Even though Wise and Garelick may have made the items originally they would have no idea what the customer wanted unless much more detail was sent to them. And I'm assuming of course that the accessory manufacturers actually wanted to do some 1-off work - which I'm sure is rare.

Jay

[Fanie]

Some do post their cad drawings for customers to use, mostly it is for using in another product they sell, the CNC industry is an example and the electronics business is another example that makes the component characteristics available for simulation.

In some cases it is not desirable to make these drawings available, ie lets say the designer spotted a potential problem or disaster area which should be adressed or designed differently, then those drawings would not be made available to prevent someone else the grief.

Mostly it takes a hell of a lot of time to painstakingly design something in detail, so may designers consider this as their property and would not hand it out for fear of each and every Tom and Harry with a D*ck to start coppying their hard work - even reproduce it in competition.