It’s a tough time for product engineering leaders. Working against a backdrop of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, every investment is under scrutiny. Companies want to see three key improvements:
- Fast, measurable returns
- Greater efficiency with lower costs
- Quicker routes to market
Computer-Aided Design is playing a key part in delivering these outcomes. More than just a tool to produce drawings, CAD can give businesses a competitive edge, helping them to achieve more with less while supporting wider digital transformation.
In this article, we’ll share four trends that show how CAD can help product developers achieve these goals right now.
1 - MBPD - The new drawing board
Model-Based Product Development (MBPD) is the combination of fully annotated 3D models (Model-Based Definition or MBD) with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to deliver all the manufacturing information engineers need, when they need it.
Combining MBD with PLM creates a single source of truth, ensuring the right information reaches the right people at the right time, reducing the risk of errors.
These kinds of systems used to be a burden, but in 2025, engineers find these annotated 3D models simple and accelerators to the product development process. They open the door to:
- Real-time simulation
- Design optimisation
- Tool design
- Machine tool-path development
When CAD data is managed in PLM, the result is a continuous digital thread. Any engineering changes flow efficiently through the process, reducing quality issues, reworking and scrap.
2 - Simulation-Driven Design - Shifting left to get it right
Simulation-Driven Design (SDD) introduces detailed performance analysis into the earliest stages of product development.
This ‘shift-left’ approach allows engineers to test ideas while designs are still fluid. Faster iteration, more innovative solutions and fewer superfluous parts are the payoffs. It also reduces instances of costly late-stage redesigns. All in all, using simulations at the start of the process rather than the end means products reach the market sooner, with more confidence in their performance.
In the latest version of PTC’s Creo with Ansys simulation integration, engineers can run:
- Linear and non-linear structural analyses
- Transient studies
- Modal analyses
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Thermal evaluations and more
This setup boosts collaboration between analysts and designers. Designers receive early feedback on how their choices affect performance, while analysts can focus on validating the design’s most challenging aspects.
3 - Integrating manufacturing - From screen to shop floor
CAD is evolving from an important but limited design tool to the hub of a manufacturer’s workflow. For example, cutting-edge systems like Creo now include capabilities for subtractive and additive manufacturing, as well as composite production.
Subtractive tools for milling, turning, EDM, sheet-metal work and tool design are all now available in your CAD environment. Additive manufacturing is supported with lattice design, support structure generation and nesting. In composites, engineers can design, analyse and plan production without switching out of their CAD platform.
Having these design and manufacturing tools in the same place maintains a constant digital thread. You can use it to instantly communicate with the manufacturing function, reducing development time and costs while keeping production and design aligned.
4 - AI - The game changer
Of course, artificial intelligence is changing the way product developers work in the same way it’s changing the way everybody works. Here are three key areas where AI is making its presence felt:
- Generative design - AI algorithms create and optimise geometry based on set requirements, letting engineers explore different options for materials, manufacturing methods, and performance. Results can be lighter, stronger, more cost-effective products.
- LLM-based AI - Large Language Models can change how manufacturers interact with data and information. The key is to use them responsibly.
- Intelligent automation - Features like intent references, user-defined features and GD&T advisor remove repetitive work and speed up complex tasks. Applied to thousands of design actions each month, you may see a significant boost in productivity.
Ready to get started?
In a challenging business climate, innovations like the four we’ve talked about offer ways to deliver better products at a lower cost in less time. Is your business making the best use of the latest tech, or are you in danger of being overtaken by your competitors?
To find out more about how Creo can transform your design and manufacturing processes for the better, visit concurrent-engineering.co.uk/creo12.
