CAD & 3D Modeling
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Innovate to Differentiate

“If you want something to look different, you often have to do something different in the production process,” says designer Fred Puksta, product designer for Crown Point Cabinetry, a high-end, custom cabinetmaking company that sells direct, globally via the internet.

For almost 20 years, Fred has been using Ashlar-Vellum CAD and 3D modeling software to create some of the most innovative furniture and cabinet designs on the market. While most cabinet companies change aesthetic styles by simply switching out doors, drawer fronts and hardware, Fred approached the development of several new lines by addressing the foundational element of period-styled cabinetry, the face frame.

While typical face frames from most manufactures are rectangular in cross-section with a flat face, Fred and Crown Point Cabinetry introduced a new, patented face frame with a cross section in the shape of a “C” that Fred calls “Channel Stock.” The Channel Stock became the new foundational element for several new lines, including their Prairie, Neoclassical and Classical Metropolitan styles.

A Cobalt™ precision 3D modeling user, Fred tells us: “Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt was instrumental in every phase of the development process of our Channel Stock. From concept, through design and onto detailed shop drawings, Cobalt’s modeling and rendering capabilities were paramount in selling this new product initiative and translating it into our client’s Prairie-style kitchen.”

Once the 3D modeled components were created during the development phase, Fred tells us it was a simple matter using Cobalt to produce the drawings for the design patent which captures the aesthetic essence of each element.

In addition, drawings were integrated into the manufacturing documentation, vendor tooling drawings, and sales and marketing tools.

“Product differentiation,” says Fred, “is what sets Crown Point Cabinetry apart from the competition. Knowing that people often want what their friends don’t have, we continue to make a new, attractive product that often requires us to adapt and learn new things.”