The manufacturing industry is pursuing miniaturization, driven by the demand for high-accuracy miniaturized products that comprise tiny features or normal-sized products with tiny features. This demand is not sector-specific, as it is found in the automotive, biomedical, aerospace, electronics, and communication…
Scan2CAD Blog - CAD / CNC Tutorials & Guides
What is CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing)?
Manufacturers have continually evolved their practices seeking enhanced efficiency, speed, precision, quality, and cost reduction. Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) has emerged thus, along with other useful technologies. CAM, in particular, is increasingly utilized in automating many manufacturing processes and operations as the…
How to Prepare CAD Files for CNC Machining
Computer numerical control (CNC) machining is a manufacturing process. It relies on code to control the movement of tools, such as lathes, router bits, and milling bits, found in CNC machines, to produce parts with certain designed features. However, you have…
How to Choose the Right CNC Machine for Your Business
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining is a popular manufacturing approach because it is extremely accurate, safe, and flexible. It also allows manufacturers to create complex shapes. Moreover, it can be deployed in mass production, as it creates uniform products. However, the…
How to Resolve ‘Drawing File is Not Valid’ Error in AutoCAD
DWG, or the drawing file format, is a proprietary format native to the AutoCAD software. It is a primarily binary format that not only stores but describes the content of 2D designs and 3D models as well as their associated metadata….
The Best Open-Source CAD Software
In the software development world, there exists a notion that applications can always be improved, especially if this role is shared among multiple parties. This principle underlies the ‘open source’ concept, which has seen the rollout of numerous applications. Open source…
How to Batch Plot Drawings in AutoCAD
AutoCAD simplifies workflows for professionals across various careers by enabling them to batch plot drawings. Batch plotting refers to the process of simultaneously printing or converting to multiple drawings or sheets of a drawing project to PDF in a single operation….
The Best Neutral 3D CAD File Formats
Product development, the process of taking a product from the idea or concept stage through market release, involves collaboration among teams. While a collaborative approach does govern virtually all steps of the process, it is perhaps more clearly seen during the…
The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the CAD Industry
While artificial intelligence, or AI, has only become mainstream thanks to the exploits of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, DALL-E, and more, has always existed. For instance, it is responsible for finding answers when you ask a smart assistant such as…
What is Parametric Modeling and How Does it Compare to Direct Modeling?
If you have used any 3D CAD modeling software lately, you may have undertaken a few operations involving either parametric modeling or direct modeling. But if you are new to the modeling world and, by extension, the world of CAD and…
The 5 Best Parametric Modeling Software Products of 2024
Parametric modeling software products are not new in computer-aided design (CAD). Introduced in 1988 with the launch of PTC’s Pro/ENGINEER (since renamed PTC Creo), parametric modeling is still relevant and predominant in 2024, more than three decades later. From a practical…
How to Create and Customize AutoCAD Palettes
AutoCAD has multiple features that not only simplify the workflow for users but also considerably reduce the time they would have otherwise spent doing some tasks. One such feature is the AutoCAD palette or tool palettes. In this article, we delve…
AutoCAD Certifications – Complete Guide to The Certification Process and Exams
The labor market is changing faster now than ever, with competition at an all-time high. Within this increasingly competitive environment, employers ever more expect new talent, and especially entry-level employees, to join the job market already equipped with the necessary skills…
Complete Guide to AutoCAD Data Extraction Feature
Many of us will agree that manual data extraction is far from accurate, convenient, and appealing. In fact, it can often lead to errors if utilized to extract data from large data sets or even complicated engineering drawings. It can also…
How to Improve Slow AutoCAD Performance
AutoCAD can sometimes post slow performance punctuated by frustratingly sluggish response times. Typically, slow AutoCAD software is the result of hardware and system, network, or file issues. While it will not display error messages or alerts that notify you whenever the…
Everything You Need to Know About Points in AutoCAD
AutoCAD’s model space is an unlimited drawing space that enables you to draw anything from a map or house plan to a 2D section of a machine part. However, the somewhat infinite space can pose a challenge when it comes to…
Scaling in AutoCAD – The Complete Guide
Have you ever heard of diecast model cars? Popular among the car enthusiast community, these collectible model cars are produced by injecting molten metal or plastic into a reusable model under extreme pressure. The result? A replica of a vehicle, new…
Complete Guide to AutoCAD Object Snap Feature
AutoCAD’s model space is somewhat infinite. If you zoom out, for example, you will notice that the software will continuously regenerate the model. So, any object you will have previously created will disappear from view. Of course, this feature is advantageous…
How to Create Isometric Drawings in AutoCAD
AutoCAD is significantly different from other computer-aided design (CAD) software such as SolidWorks, CATIA, SketchUp, Fusion 360, Inventor, Creo, and so on. This is because the latter group of applications is predominantly used to create 3D models. And while AutoCAD supports…
How to Create and Edit Revision Clouds in AutoCAD
In practice, drawings are created and then checked for errors and mistakes. And once the errors have been corrected, the drawing is approved. This is why the title block often features the following separate terms: ‘drawn by,’ ‘checked by,’ and ‘approved…