A customer requests a custom configuration. Sales configures the matching variant that same morning in the CPQ system. And then the waiting begins: in many machine-building companies, it takes engineering two weeks or more to turn that into a matching 3D model, drawing, and bill of materials. The reason: configuration data from sales doesn’t flow automatically into the CAD system — engineers have to rebuild it manually. Every variant gets modeled twice, at the cost of time and accuracy.

What Design Automation in Lino Hub Actually Does

Lino Hub CAD Automation addresses exactly this interface. The module translates configuration results generated in sales directly into CAD commands. Parameterized CAD models automatically generate the matching drawings and bills of materials — without an engineer manually rebuilding the model. For industrial companies, this can shrink configuration-to-drawing time from days or weeks to minutes.

This works because Lino Hub acts as middleware, centrally managing product data behind parameterized CAD models. It makes that data available to sales and engineering throughout the order process. Changes to a configuration automatically update the corresponding models — regardless of whether it’s a standard variant or a custom configuration.

Bidirectional Data Flow Instead of a One-Way Street

A key difference from classic CAD automation solutions lies in the bidirectional data exchange with PDM, PLM, and ERP systems. When an assembly changes in CAD, bills of materials and item master data update automatically in the ERP system. This happens without manual transfer, fully automated and verified. For manufacturing, the process can be extended all the way to CAM programming: machine code can also be derived directly from the configuration.

For data exchange with external partners or approval workflows, the system supports both native CAD formats and neutral formats such as STEP and IGES.

Impact on Lead Time and Engineering Capacity

Depending on the product portfolio and variant scope, engineering effort for standard variants can be reduced by up to 70 percent. That doesn’t mean engineers do less work. Routine tasks disappear, freeing capacity for more complex development. For companies with many variants or frequent custom configurations, this directly shortens quote and project lead times.

Takeaway

CAD automation via Lino Hub doesn’t replace engineering work itself — it replaces the recurring, rule-based derivation of models, drawings, and bills of materials from configuration decisions that have already been made. On top of that comes the time advantage from bidirectional data exchange with all relevant enterprise systems. Anyone who wants to see how this translates to their own system landscape can request a live demo based on a concrete use case: Lino Hub CAD Automation.