Many of us don’t really think about the components that make up the modern conveniences we use today, like coffee machines, dryers, and cars. These products are produced from many small parts that industrial designers and engineers search, select, and source. But this process can take hundreds or even thousands of hours to accomplish.
How do engineers collect the component data they need for their designs? There are actually several options. They can recreate the parts made by manufacturers in their preferred format, request data directly from the manufacturer, search for user-generated resources online, or get the design files from the manufacturer. However, these methods can be time consuming and provide less variety in terms of formats, brands, and products.
Using a component search engine might be the best way as it provides a greater selection of brands and products with manufacturer-certified product content as well as an abundance of formats. Turnaround time and revision time are also much faster. Almost 50% of design engineers spend hours per day searching for the component data they need. With component search engines, engineers can use less of their time searching for parts and instead use more of it designing the products of tomorrow.
Source: 3Dfindit.com