Exam (elaborations)
BTEC level 3 CAD P3
- Module
- BTEC level 3 engineering
- Institution
- BTEC Level 3 Engineering
Complete P3 task for CAD, BTEC level 3 in Engineering. Completed to a distinciton.
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P3 explain the advantages, compared to other methods, of producing drawings electronically using aCAD package.
Using CAD for producing Engineering Drawings has a multitude of advantages. For example, it’s
significantly easier and faster to make changes to the drawings if a change to the part is made, or the
drawing needs to be modified. It also reduces the risk of mistakes because the views are created
automatically, whereas when drawn by hand, an engineer might make a mistake. They are also more
accurate because the CAD designer can choose a specific scale and the drawing will scale itself, whereas
in hand-drawn engineering drawings, a lot of calculations need to be made to create a drawing with a
particular scale. Furthermore, it’s also more precise because the drawing is made of very small pixels
that when printed out create a precise, cohesive form, while traditional drawings won’t ever live up to
the same standard because the human eye and hand can get quite accurate but nowhere near as good
as a computer. Moreover, the chances of rookie mistakes are greatly reduced because CAD has built-in
drawing standards. Yet another advantage to using CAD to produce drawings is the ease of
communication – they can be easily shared through various methods like email, but if there is a need to
a physical copy they can be easily printed off. Creating engineering drawings in CAD is also advantageous
because it’s electronic – it can be saved to the cloud or downloaded on the computer. Considering that
backups are possible and sometimes recommended, there shouldn’t be any instances where drawings
have been lost beyond recovery, unlike with traditional drawings which can be ripped, torn, lost, have
spills, smudges, creases etc.
However, using CAD to produce engineering drawings also has its disadvantages. For example, it takes
time to train someone to be able to use CAD software and it takes further practice for them to be able to
use it effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, there are slight differences between different CAD
software such as Onshape, Solidworks, AutoCAD, which means that a person proficient in the use of one
of these programs, might lack some knowledge and skills in the use of others. This also means that an
engineering company might struggle to find a candidate experienced in the specific CAD software they
use. But that isn’t the only problem with using CAD for engineering drawings, research has shown that
engineers think that importing and exporting files is often too troublesome, the interface isn’t intuitive
and takes too long to both learn and teach. Moreover, CAD ownership can be very expensive. While
certain companies offer access to their software for free to hobbyists or students, it’s almost always
necessary to pay a big sum to be able to access CAD software for professional and commercial use. The
costs don’t end there because to be able to run a CAD program, one has to be willing to invest in a
decent hardware that will be able to run it smoothly; this can be expensive, especially compared to
traditional equipment like drawing boards, pencils etc. Unfortunately, most of the time CAD software is
an annual payment rather than a one-time payment.
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