<p>Previous efforts in the area of collaborative computer-aided design (CAD) suggest that a team of CAD designers working synchronously in a cloud CAD environment can produce CAD models faster than a single user. Our research is the first to investigate assemblies in collaborative CAD. Due to the lack of hierarchical feature dependency in assemblies, we propose that CAD teams can optimize assembly through modularization and parallel execution. In our study, 20 participants were tasked with assembling pre-modelled CAD parts of varying complexity in teams of one, two, three or four members. We analyze audio recordings, team activity, and survey responses to compare the performance of individuals and virtual collaborative teams during assembly, while working with the same cloud CAD platform.&nbsp;</p><p>This paper features a multimodal approach to analyze team trends in communication, workflow, task allocation and challenges to determine which factors are conducive to the success of a multi-user CAD team and which are detrimental. In our work, the success of a team is measured by its productivity score, which is the number of mates added by a team within the given time frame. Two measures of time are considered: calendar time and person-hours. We present evidence that multi-user teams can complete an assembly in less calendar time than a single user, but single users are more efficient based on person-hours, due to communication and coordination overheads. Surprisingly, paired contributors exhibit an assembly bonus effect. Our work supports the claim that collaborative assembly activities have the potential to improve the capabilities of modern product design teams, delivering products faster and at lower cost. We identify areas for future research, and highlight areas of improvement for cloud CAD platforms and engineering design teams.</p>

Some (Team) Assembly Required: An Analysis of Collaborative Computer-Aided Design Assembly

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IDETC-CIE/IDETC-CIE2021/volume/85369

ASME 2021 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE2021)

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