The wisdom of the many: 3Dfindit makes 6 billion download data available to the general public with the help of AI

CADENAS GmbH makes the planning process easier for 3Dfindit users with the new "Wisdom of Crowds" function. 3Dfindit provides over 6,000 verified manufacturer catalogs. This gives the platform a BIG DATA cloud with more than 6 billion transactions of manufacturer components, which will be available to users and other interested parties as swarm knowledge in future.

Engineering through the ages

A lot has changed in the engineering process over the last few decades. Not only has there been a change in the tools used, such as the computer-aided creation of products or systems, but the use of individual components has also changed. In the 90s, for example, wing nuts were often used. They could be opened and closed by hand without any tools. This was practical because there were only a few tool trolleys on the factory floor. Today, however, things have changed and the wing nut has almost completely disappeared from workshops. This change can be easily analyzed with the help of artificial intelligence, thereby speeding up the planning process.

Benefit from the knowledge of others

You've probably heard that groups are smarter than individuals. There is even a book about this phenomenon. 3Dfindit takes advantage of this phenomenon and uses data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze transactions in the BIG DATA Cloud. In this way, conclusions can be drawn about the purchasing and downloading behavior of users. The aim is to predict to future users which components will be required in the planning process.

If the knowledge of many is available to everyone, this has the advantage that nothing is forgotten in the engineering process. Mistakes, especially careless mistakes, happen to everyone, regardless of the industry. The new Wisdom of Crowds function on 3Dfindit can prevent such mistakes, as the image below illustrates. If a bolt is selected, the function also recommends the selection of a nut and a suitable washer.

Making knowledge accessible more quickly

Companies are diverse. Some employees have been working for decades, others have just completed their training or studies. Both sides can learn from each other. Young colleagues are adapted to the digital transformation - they find it easy to work with digital systems straight after graduating. However, young professionals lack the engineering skills. Experienced colleagues, on the other hand, have less digital knowledge, but have years of engineering skills (see chart). Engineering skills can only be acquired through practical experience. At the age of 45, the level of knowledge is therefore optimal - engineering skills are at their strongest and companies benefit the most from their employees here.

Can this level of knowledge be achieved more quickly? Yes, because with the database provided by 3Dfindit, young engineers can benefit from the expertise of experienced designers. The age at which engineers have the best engineering skills can thus be reduced to 30-35 years. This increases the benefit for the industry enormously.

Find out more about the new function and other updates in our 3Dfindit Release Notes or simply try out the Wisdom of Crowds function (Recommender) on 3Dfindit for yourself!