The idea of design reuse is fairly easy: Take designs you've already completed and re-purpose them into new designs. In theory, at least, design reuse allows the engineer to avoid starting from scratch. As with most "easy" concepts, though, successfully pulling it off is not that easy.

Design models with hundreds of interrelated features can be very difficult to change. And often only a few people are trained in a certain computer-aided design (CAD) software application.

In fact, according to Aberdeen Group's recent "The Design Reuse Benchmark Report", the top four challenges in design reuse are as follows:

• Model modification requires expert CAD knowledge (57 percent);
• Models are inflexible and fail after changes (48 percent);
• Users can find models to reuse (46 percent); and
• Only original designer can change models successfully (40 percent).

Despite these tough challenges, however, some engineering organizations are seeing considerable success.

While all engineering organizations (100 percent) reported that they are reusing designs, top-performing ones are further along in the deployment of techniques and technologies to capitalize on design reuse. "From product analysis, to NC programming and product design, these best-in-class companies are currently using these technologies to facilitate their design reuse strategies, or are planning to in the future," according to Aberdeen's Chad Jackson and Maura Buxton:

While the majority of engineering organizations have formal initiatives to increase reuse of designs, analyses and NC toolpaths, Aberdeen research shows that they face both serious known and unknown challenges. While some are taking steps in response, their strategies and tactics are only as good as the results they deliver.

Top performers hit engineering targets on average of 76 percent or higher; laggards hit these same targets on an average of 26 percent or lower.

The following are the top four best-in-class responses to design reuse challenges:

• Train users to increase CAD skills (71 percent);
• Design for wide range of modifications (64 percent);
• Centralize design data in library accessible structure (43 percent); and
• Detail design information in model (PMI) (36 percent).

As such, Aberdeen recommends the following actions in design reuse:

• Dedicate resources to prepare and verify designs for reuse in the design phase;
• Implement geometric search technology to find designs;
• Deploy automated checking to verification that designs are ready for reuse;
• Use direct modeling technologies to modify existing designs into new ones; and
• Leverage the expertise of third parties to improve design reuse.

Source: Aberdeen Group (reg. req'd)