The wisdom of the crowd: 3Dfindit uses AI to make 6 billion downloads available to the public

CADENAS GmbH simplifies the design process for 3Dfindit users with the new "Wisdom of Crowds" feature. 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 the future. 

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 are different, and the wing nut has almost completely disappeared from workshops. This change can be easily analyzed with the help of artificial intelligence and thus speed up the planning process. 

You have probably heard that groups are smarter than individuals. There is even a book about this phenomenon. 3Dfindit takes advantage of this phenomenon by using data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse transactions in the BIG DATA Cloud. This allows conclusions to be drawn about the buying and downloading behaviour of users. The aim is to predict which components will be needed in the planning process for future users.  

When the knowledge of many is available to all, the advantage is that nothing is forgotten in the engineering process. Mistakes, especially careless ones, happen to everyone, regardless of industry. The new Wisdom of Crowds feature in 3Dfindit can prevent such mistakes, as shown in the image below. When a bolt is selected, the feature also recommends a nut and washer. 

Companies are diverse, some employees have been in the profession 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 – dealing with digital systems is very easy for them immediately after graduating. However, young career starters 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 the database provided by 3Dfindit allows young engineers to benefit from the expertise of experienced designers. The age at which engineers have the best engineering skills can be reduced to 30-35. This increases the benefit to the industry enormously. 

Read more about the new feature and other updates in our release notes or just try the Wisdom of Crowds feature (Recommender) in 3Dfindit for yourself!