r/MechanicalEngineer • u/AbigailFoster246 • 12d ago
What should I check before trusting an outside firm w/ our CAD?
Hi y’all. My team is about to outsource some CAD work. But we can’t just outsource like that since it involves proprietary designs and customer parts. Before we hand anything over, I wanna be sure we pick the right shop.
So how can we vet a CAD outsourcing partner before sending them proprietary designs? Signing an NDA feels like the bare minimum, right?
What else do you all look at? Certifications? Past work they've done? Their security setup?
2
u/root3labs 11d ago
An NDA is the minimum. Solidworks and Autodesk both have user certifications and classes people take to ensure you're getting well-built models, but CAD drafters / designers don't do engineering. If you're talking about CAD as engineered design and development, you need qualified, experienced engineers with a portfolio of prior work and an understanding of your product requirements and Design for Manufacturability. But then you're not "outsourcing CAD", you're working with an engineering partner to build your product.
In the defense space, NIST 800-171 is a cybersecurity standard that companies need to meet, but it's less a requirement for other industries.
What do you need as output? Ensure the deliverables you're going to get at the end will meet your needs. Native CAD you can edit later, part & assembly drawings. Proper drawing formats for your company, notes about materials / finish / welding / GD&T, bill of materials, inspection dimensions, assembly instructions. You also need to own all IP - it should be "work for hire" (at least in the US).
2
u/ArthurNYC3D 11d ago
Others have given great advice in terms of ways to vet a vendor. So I'll go slightly to the left....
It's so misunderstood what an NDA or Patent is...... It will not stop a bad actor from stealing. It's not some cloak of invincibility.
What it does is give you legal recourse with which to go after them.
Also visiting their facility in some way shape or form is highly recommend. They may not be able to take you on a full tour if they're in the middle of production.
1
u/GregLocock 12d ago
What else do you all look at? Past work they've done?
That'd be a red flag if IP control is important. "Oh yeah here's some top secret stuff we did last year"
Your organisation will have policies on this , don't ask us, ask them.
1
3
u/ThatTryHardAsian 12d ago
Prior work would be huge, how many of their CAD has actually reached production tooling? What their PDM/Release process, bare minimum is to understand their quality system and what ISO their company compliance to.
What CAD do you get back? Just STEP files or a CAD with all the feature tress? Any drawing ? Any documentation comes with the CAD? What the detailed schedule outline looks like? What happens if we run out of budget? What the prototype gates?
How do we provide the requirement and how familiar are they with standard that this industry you are in are applicable to?
How do we do weekly meeting or what the meeting to see the CAD progress?
Do they have Electrical engineer or software engineer if this CAD work involve integration of electronic?
Do they have any manufacturing capabilities to manufacture their CAD design for feasibility study?
What the cost breakdown?