Assessment of Current Trends in Computer-aided Design and Manufacturing In The Furniture Industry

As part of a project sponsored by the Furniture Manufacturing and Management Center at North Carolina State University, an assessment of the use of CAD/CAM in the furniture industry in North Carolina and neighboring states was undertaken. The woods-based furniture industry, an important component of the North Carolina economy, is a manufacturing intensive activity for which CAD/CAM can provide great benefits. The project covers six stages: 1) An initial survey of the industry to facilitate the development of questionnaires and checklists, 2) site visits, 3) assessment of current industry practices, 4) assessment of current computing tools available for use by the furniture industry, 5) preparation of a written report outlining the current state and recommendations for future directions, and 6) holding workshops for furniture industry professionals. This report outlines the results of the project. Wiebe, E. N. and Summey, J. (1995). Assessment of Current Trends in 2 Computer-aided Design and Manufacturing In The Furniture Industry Project Goals The 1980's and early 1990's saw a revolution in how information pertaining to the manufacture of projects is generated and managed. Computer-aided Design (CAD) and Computer-aided Manufacture (CAM) are two of the most commonly used computer-based tools in use in industry to help manage the manufacturing process. Increasingly, CAD/CAM has come to mean not only graphic-based information, but also includes the integration and management of text and numeric-based information at an enterprise-wide level. Though there is a wealth of information on CAD/CAM practices and trends, there is very little material pertaining to the implementation and integration of CAD/CAM into the furniture industry in general and the woods-based furniture industry of North Carolina and surrounding states in particular. Developments in CAD/CAM have led to the creation of tools such as CNC machine control, parametric design, automated production documentation, 3D modeling, and advanced rendering. There is not, however, specific information as to how these tools could be implemented in the furniture industry. There is also no centralized source of information on what tools CAD/CAM specific vendors offer and how they could be integrated to provide industry solutions. Many furniture companies have implemented CAD and/or CAM at some level. What is often lacking is a source of information of how their current tools might be improved or what other tools are available to enhance their impact. Consolidation of information pertaining to CAD/CAM practices both from within and outside of the furniture industry could be used to provide both base level information on computer-based tools and recommendations for future directions. Certainly one of the strongest contemporary trends in manufacturing can be put under the general heading of concurrent engineering. This term has been articulated through a series of studies conducted by government and industry that looked into issues of keeping U.S. industry competitive in the global marketplace. Concurrent engineering is less a single idea as it is a grouping of concepts and techniques aimed at reducing product cycle time, improving quality, and lowering cost. These goals — as old as manufacturing itself — have both taken on new possibilities and new urgency with the introduction of computer technologies to all facets of the manufacturing operation. These concepts are used to help assess the current state of the furniture industry and to look at how engineering graphics curriculums can evolve to help train engineers and technologists to participate in the manufacturing workplace of the twenty-first century. Site Visits During the summer of 1994, site visits were made to nine different furniture companies along with phone contacts with a number of other companies. The product produced by the factory visited varied considerably (Table 1) but all produced furniture using wood as the primary material. On the whole, the companies visited produced furniture for the medium to high end market, primarily for residential use. The exceptions to this were two facilities which produced office and contract furniture and one which produced kitchen cabinets. All of the companies would be considered medium to large size and consisting of at least six separate manufacturing plants. Some were privately held, others publicly held, with some of these part of larger corporate conglomerates manufacturing related products such as other home furnishings, floor coverings, or plumbing fixtures. Wiebe, E. N. and Summey, J. (1995). Assessment of Current Trends in 3 Computer-aided Design and Manufacturing In The Furniture Industry Table 1 Products produced at site visit locations Product Manufactured Number of sites visited manufacturing this product Casegoods and Seating 5 Contract furniture and Office systems 2 Upholstered seating 1