CAD Drawings: Essentials for Millwork, Casework and Bespoke Furniture Manufacturing

1. Millwork shop drawings

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The millwork industry needs precisely detailed CAD drafting for machine shop and production. Millwork CAD drafting service providers deliver custom furniture drawings, finishing details and engineering detailing with BOMs.

Millwork includes building components such as base, molding, trims, railing, stairs etc. for which shop drawings are closely interwoven with architectural plans. Ideally, all millwork shop drawings include details for manufacturing, assembly and construction of finished product using standard CAD drafting practices.

How millwork shop drawings benefit you:

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  Getting quick approvals

  Millwork shop drawings establish a standard communication channel between the chief architect and the manufacturer. No matter how many times designs are revised, standard drawings will reflect the update changes and architects and designers sign them off before they are released for production.

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  Reduced reworks

  Because of the detailed engineering information, millwork drawings reduce reworks, design change orders from shop floor and ensure uninterrupted manufacturing. Furthermore, with detailed millwork drafting, all divisions are in harmony with original design intent of the product and save overall manufacturing costs by reducing the waste.

2. Casework shop drawings

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For casework, it is said that proper planning and adequate detailing in drawings as per architectural plans can avoid poor performance and increase deliverable quality. By partnering with a CAD drafting expert for detailed casework drawings, you can avoid the costly reworks if not eliminate them completely.

For example, when the contractor or site engineers realize that the kitchen cabinets received from warehouse do not fit the spaces designed by architect it creates clutter on site. To avoid such mess, creating casework shop drawings with detailed limits and tolerances after in-depth study of architectural plans can help the manufacturers deliver what contractors expect.

How casework drawings impact your business:

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  Standard practice of communication

  When casework shop drawings made as per standards such as AWI, NBKA, NFC etc., are introduced in design to manufacturing workflows they establish transparent design communication channel. The aim of cabinet drafters is to bring uniformity across all teams through casework shop drawings.

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  Conflict resolution

  When multiple designers collaborate, design conflicts are obvious and it often results in dimensional discrepancies for end product. It can be seen in form of alcoves in walls or gaps in joineries and furniture. Such situations endlessly delay the project advancement until designs are redone and conflicts are resolved. Casework drawings or cabinet drafting hold all the details for manufacturing, assembly and installation/construction processes to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing.

3. Bespoke furniture CAD drafting

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Bespoke furniture manufacturing is the most complex and high risk as far as profits are concerned. Developing furniture designs, getting them approved and drafting the final manufacturing drawing take the longest. In such a situation, errors in manufacturing or delays are clearly not affordable.

As a result, both, designers and manufacturers, rely on furniture CAD drafting experts. Unlike the previous two, furniture drawings demonstrate detailed study and construction drawings related to each small part of the assembly.

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  Collaborating with furniture drawing services provider

  Bespoke furniture manufacturing drawings are developed from initial inputs such as rough sketches or pictures. CAD drafters prepare 2D and 3D CAD drawings from these which are then shared with the chief designer for approvals.

  3D models are then creased using suitable CAD platforms such as SolidWorks or Inventor® and rendered for different purposes. Developing a comprehensive 3D CAD model and its photorealistic rendering creates a clearer design communication channel. The same model can be used by design and manufacturing teams as well as for preparing marketing collaterals with small modifications.