CAD Pre-production

✅ Why this step ensures your model is ready for the real world

You’ve explored concepts, refined designs, and validated fit and function. Now it’s time to finalise your CAD—so it can be built, tested, or tooled.

CAD for Pre-Production is about moving from design intent to production precision. It’s where every feature, thread, surface, and tolerance must match how the part will be made. This isn’t sketch CAD—it’s production-ready geometry.

📘 What you’ll produce

  • Fully detailed 3D models with accurate part geometry, materials, and constraints
  • Final design features that reflect the chosen manufacturing process
  • Clean assemblies with correct mates, clearances, and interfaces
  • Models ready for tooling, costing, prototype, or CAM export

🛠️ Tools and methods

  • Process-Driven Modelling

    Design for injection moulding, CNC machining, sheet metal, etc.

  • Draft, Wall, and Undercut Checks

    Confirm geometry matches toolability rules (e.g. 1° draft, 2mm wall min).

  • Inter-part Clearance Review

    Check tolerances, gaps, and stack-ups within assemblies.

  • Mate & Motion Validation

    Use CAD motion tools to verify range, constraints, and failure points.

  • Clean Feature Tree Management

    Organise features logically, use naming, and avoid fragile references.

⚠️ Pitfalls to avoid

  • Leaving design “soft”. Now’s the time for precision—not placeholders.
  • Forgetting the process. What works in 3D may not work in steel, resin, or sheet.
  • Cluttered models. Clean trees = clean files = faster reviews and revisions.
  • Skipping fit/assembly context. Tolerance stacks don’t lie.

💡 CAD wisdom

“We thought our model was final—until the supplier showed us 12 interferences and a missing draft. Pre-production CAD isn’t just geometry. It’s manufacturability.”

– CAD Lead, Modular Furniture Startup

💡 Make a duplicate version tagged “PREPROD” for review and locking. It helps track readiness and prevent accidental edits.

🔗 Helpful links & resources

✍️ Quick self-check

  • Are all design features correct for the chosen manufacturing process?
  • Do part files include correct materials, drafts, wall thickness, and undercut planning?
  • Are assemblies motion-checked and tolerance-reviewed?
  • Have we exported and reviewed with suppliers or manufacturers?

🎨 Visual concept (optional)

Illustration: A CAD screen showing a final 3D model with callouts: “1° draft”, “Snap-fit ridge”, “Boss clearance: 0.2mm”. The parts are arranged in an exploded view, and a checklist beside it reads “Ready for Tooling – Reviewed, Locked, Released”. A team member holds a printed STEP file pack.

Visual shows how final CAD brings together design, engineering, and manufacturing needs into one production-ready model.
Scroll to Top