Mechanical design productivity using CAD graphics - A user's point of view

The present investigation is concerned with the mechanical design productivity resulting from the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) graphics as a design tool. The considered studies had been conducted by a company which is involved in the design, development, and manufacture of government and defense products. Attention is given to CAD graphics for mechanical design, productivity, an overall productivity assessment, the use of CAD graphics for basic mechanical design, productivity in engineering-related areas, and an overall engineering productivity assessment. The investigation shows that there was no appreciable improvement in productivity with respect to basic mechanical design. However, rather substantial increases could be realized in productivity for engineering-related activities.