How to Combine 3D Components from Separate Product Lines Within One CAD Configurator

Simplify customer’s design integration by enabling engineers to combine digital parts from separate product lines.

Electric motors and transmissions; belt and pulley; rack and pinion…

Industrial manufacturing has plenty of complementary pairs, but finding the right match is not always a simple process.

Wouldn’t it be nice if engineers could combine two or more components within one window instead of having to search for matching parts? Now manufacturers can provide an interactive product configurator that matches digital 3D parts into one assembly… with just one CAD download.

Reach more engineers with digital 3D parts they can download from your website. Get the ebook to learn more.

Two Products, Two Manufacturers, One Design

Here’s how it works: Once manufacturers agree to share their products for assembly, the customer can merge products into one design under one product identification number, directly within the manufacturer website. After the customer customizes the part she needs, the interactive product configurator will recommend options for the complementary part that matches her specifications.

The engineer then selects the complementary product, and the configurator attaches that to the original component in real-time. She can now see the digital 3D parts attached within the configurator’s interactive 3D preview, which she can move and zoom as one assembly.

When the engineer goes to download the assembled parts, the configurator generates a single configured part number and CAD download of the attached components. In addition, she can receive a PDF datasheet that gives the product data and purchasing information for each part, as well as the combined 3D preview.

Why Combine Digital 3D Parts Within an Online Configurator

Consider this: How much time do customers waste looking for matching parts?

Alternatively, how often does a manufacturer’s customer support team help engineers who are looking for a part to match their design?

For component manufacturers, it’s likely their customers are downloading a CAD model from their website to test with another part or to put into a bigger design. By offering an online solution that addresses their pain points, manufacturers make life easier for their customers – and win future business.

How this benefits your end-user:

• Saves engineers time spent looking for and testing digital 3D parts for fit
• Improves customers’ overall online experience by keeping customers on one webpage
• Simplifies design decisions by auto-populating options for matching components
• Speeds-up the design process by streamlining design-to-delivery
• Ensures design accuracy when combining components for a larger assembly

How this benefits manufacturers:

• Creates a better customer experience, which leads to happy customers
• Removes barriers that made ordering complimentary products difficult
• Maintains the integrity of product data within each manufacturer’s catalog
• Offers customers the same, quality product data in a more succinct and usable format

The Ultimate Guide to DCX: Everything you need to know about digital customer experience in the manufacturing industry.

See This Concept in Action

What’s a gearbox without its motor pair?

Regal’s Hub City and Marathon Motors brands have collaborated with CADENAS PARTsolutions to create product configuration software that allows design engineers to create and download perfectly matched gear/motor configurations.

Designers can start with the gearbox and find a motor match or vice versa, and configured files are downloadable in 150 CAD formats.

“The configurator creates synergy between these compatible product lines and removes barriers that make ordering difficult,” said Marc Macaluso, Director of Digital Marketing & Services for Regal Beloit. “The software works on all web browsers and is downloadable in multiple CAD formats for easy data import, which reduces the time from design to delivery.”

The configurator software is a free download with automatic part number generation, reverse part number lookup, 3D PDF data sheets, 2D drawings, and can be embedded into any existing website or online catalog. Check out the video above to see the tool in action.

In Conclusion

In a crowded digital marketplace, manufacturers are fighting for engineers’ attention. The winners will be those who can deliver innovative solutions that give customers the best digital customer experience.

Enabling engineers to combine products from separate lines is a win-win for the customer and the manufacturers. The customer no longer needs to spend time hunting for a matching component, and the manufactures can up-sell their own products or co-brand for even more product exposure.

Interested in learning more?

Schedule a demo with our online configurator experts to see how you can elevate your website to meet your customers’ needs.