What Is a Drawing Search System?
In the manufacturing industry, drawing search systems register and manage company drawings in a database, enabling quick retrieval based on past data.
These systems are predominantly used in sales, design, and procurement departments to streamline the extraction of past drawings.
Recent advancements incorporate AI technology, making these systems simpler, more accurate, and user-friendly for searching reference and similar drawings.
Typically, a drawing search system consists of a PC and a database (DB) server or cloud storage.
By entering master data such as customer, product, quotation information, and prices during the drawing import process, AI learns from past data, allowing multifaceted immediate searches and significant operational improvements.
Many companies still rely on paper-based drawing storage, leading to issues like lost or bulky drawings that are difficult to locate. Drawing search systems address these challenges.
Uses of Drawing Search Systems
Drawing search systems serve two primary purposes:
- Preventing redundant design and manufacture of similar products.
- Facilitating rapid budgeting.
Key application areas include:
Industry
- Large manufacturers.
- Assembly manufacturers.
- Parts and materials trading companies.
- Small and medium-sized parts manufacturers.
Major Machining in Similar Drawing Searches
- Machining and lathe work.
- Sheet metal processing.
- Surface treatment.
- Injection molding.
Main Fields
- Industrial machinery.
- Vehicles.
- Semiconductor.
- Home appliances, office automation.
- Medical.
- Aerospace.
Principles of Drawing Search Systems
Modern systems for similar drawing searches, primarily for PDF 2D drawings, use three major calculation methods.
1. AI-Based Shape Recognition and Calculation
Pros: No human effort; accuracy increases with data volume.
Cons: Requires substantial data.
2. Manual Recognition and Calculation
Pros: Quick calculation of similar products.
Cons: Time and effort-intensive.
3. Model-Based Calculation
Pros: Generally more accurate.
Cons: Cost-benefit analysis required.
Drawings and results are stored on DB servers or, increasingly, cloud services, given server storage limits.
PDF is the prevalent format for importing drawings. Converting paper drawings to PDF for system import streamlines similar drawing searches.
General Procedure for Searching Similar Drawings
- Import PDF drawings and enter relevant data.
- Drawing search and retrieval – AI displays drawings with similar features or attributes from newly imported drawings.
- Utilization of past drawings and data – Visualize past quotes and processes for retrieved drawings. AI feedback improves search accuracy. The system also aggregates data on customer, machine, product, and personnel performance, aiding in loss analysis and resource optimization.
- Linking to ordering and production management systems – Extract project data as CSV files for integration with order management systems.
Benefits of Drawing Search Systems
Key benefits of implementing a drawing search system include:
1. Streamlining and Standardizing Design Work
Reusing similar past drawings accelerates design work and reduces the need for scratch designing. The system also facilitates error prevention and supports paperless operations.
2. Expedited Budgeting and Price Quotations
Quick retrieval of drawing and supplier data speeds up budgeting and price adjustments, streamlining the quotation process.
3. Enhancing Production and Sales Efficiency
Data analysis capabilities integrated into production management systems improve productivity, allowing departments to focus on their core functions.