Efficient Structural Steel Fabrication Designs with DraftSight Professional Software: A Case Study of Bill’s Custom Fab, Inc.
Applicable Industries
- Cement
- Metals
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
- Rapid Prototyping
- Structural Health Monitoring
Services
- System Integration
- Training
About The Customer
Bill’s Custom Fab, Inc. is a family-owned and operated business that has been providing custom design and fabrication services for creating structural steel components for a range of diverse applications since 1990. The firm has worked with a wide variety of clientele, allowing the fabrication shop to expand its knowledge, experience, and expertise into many industries, ranging from construction and heavy-machine clients to residential and walk-in customers. In addition to custom design and fabrication, Bill’s Custom Fab’s services include steel erection, plasma burning, steel sales, shearing, bending, aluminum and stainless steel welding, and in-house and portable welding.
The Challenge
Bill’s Custom Fab, Inc., a family-owned business providing custom design and fabrication services for structural steel components since 1990, faced a challenge in supporting the 2D design requirements of their business more efficiently. The firm uses 2D CAD for fabricating structural steel for a variety of applications, including construction, handrails, and stair stringers. The management team, committed to quality improvements, periodically re-evaluates its design and fabrication tools to increase efficiency, boost productivity, or add capabilities. However, licensing changes with their former CAD provider led Bill’s Custom Fab to re-evaluate its 2D design solution. The firm needed a solution that was not only functional and provided a good return on investment, but also stable, compatible with major CAD formats, and capable of running LISP macros and routines, which the firm uses to create common structural steel features.
The Solution
Bill’s Custom Fab, Inc. implemented DraftSight® Professional 2D design software to meet its design requirements more efficiently. The software was chosen for its stability, data compatibility with major CAD formats, and ability to run LISP macros and routines. The transition to DraftSight Professional software was seamless, with no downtime or training requirements, due to the software's user interface and capabilities being similar to their legacy CAD. This allowed the firm to maintain high levels of productivity. Furthermore, the ability to continue using LISP language macros and routines in DraftSight helped maintain efficiency and productivity through the use of automated commands, while also reducing costs. The firm uses DraftSight for structural steel fabrication and erection drawings, custom fabrication shop drawings, and also uses the DXF features for their plasma cutting table.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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