How design automation helps deliver custom furniture faster

Designing custom furniture is a process that starts from scratch every time. The design, documentation, CNC files, furniture BOM, and cost estimation – all of these elements must be prepared separately for each order.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the processes and operations whose automation can save time that is crucial for business growth.

What slows down the custom furniture design process?

During furniture design and production, the greatest amount of time is paradoxically lost on the most typical and repetitive tasks, such as preparing holes for specific hardware, creating 2D documentation, or generating production data. CAD software developers for the furniture industry focus primarily on automating these stages, significantly reducing the time required for manual work.

At the beginning of the design process, the biggest challenge is modeling the furniture itself together with all holes and hardware components, which creates a high risk of design errors. The next stage is preparing production documentation – the more components the project contains, the more time-consuming this process becomes.

Preparing files for CNC machines often requires manual programming of machining operations in CAM software, or at least manual definition of machining properties when using an integrated CAD/CAM system.

Creating a BOM (Bill of Materials) involves manually compiling the dimensions of designed components and including all hardware items together with their product codes. Cost estimation is also often performed manually and requires searching for the prices of materials and hardware each time, followed by calculations to determine the total product cost.

If a nesting machine is used, additional manual export of DXF files is required, along with preparation of nesting layouts and labels.

All of these stages mean that comprehensive design of a single piece of furniture may take several days instead of just a few hours. As a result, the designer spends more time working with documentation and material lists than on the design process itself.

How do specialized CAD/CAM systems for the furniture industry, such as WOODEXPERT, support companies in the furniture design and manufacturing process?

What is automation in furniture design?

In practice, automation in furniture design aims to eliminate the need for tedious and time-consuming operations while still maintaining the flexibility required for custom furniture design. Let’s take a look at how this works at different stages of the design and production process using WOODEXPERT as an example.

Design

An extensive component library, including manufacturer hardware, enables fast furniture construction. Machining operations are integrated with components and automatically transferred to the model.

CNC File Generation

Automatic generation of CNC files based on geometry analysis eliminates the need for manual preparation of machining programs.

2D Documentation

The system automatically generates 2D documentation for all parts, including dimensions. Drawing sheets can also be customized to match company standards.

Nesting

Batch export of DXF files and automatic generation of nesting layouts together with material usage reports and nesting labels.

Furniture BOM

The bill of materials and hardware lists, including product codes, are generated automatically directly from the furniture design.

The costing module allows users to manually assign prices to individual components or use a previously prepared product database. As a result, future quotations can be prepared much faster.

Furniture BOM – A complete production report

A furniture BOM plays a key role in preparing the production of custom furniture. As a complete production report, it contains all the information required to complete the project while also supporting production optimization and reducing the risk of errors.

A BOM is usually generated at the final stage of the design process, once all project details have been finalized. It includes information such as materials, gross and net dimensions of components, as well as hardware lists with product codes required for ordering.

One of the key features of furniture BOM is the ability to summarize production costs. Software or applications used for creating BOMs should allow users to manage material lists and define their own prices and product codes. Cost summaries should update dynamically whenever changes are made to the cost estimation.

How automation shortens furniture production lead times

Automation can significantly affect project lead time because it helps save resources where they are most often wasted – on repetitive processes. However, this does not always mean that every individual operation becomes faster. In many cases, a project can still be completed relatively quickly even without automation.

What automation really changes is the need for manual execution of critical stages of the workflow. This reduces the risk of skipping important steps or making mistakes, which in turn significantly improves productivity.

Reversing completed actions, introducing changes, and correcting errors is often more time-consuming than the actual process of designing the furniture and preparing production files.

Simple cabinet design – Automated vs. manual workflow

Let’s analyze the process of designing a simple kitchen cabinet using automation tools available in the WOODEXPERT add-in and compare it with a typical workflow for the same cabinet created in standard SOLIDWORKS CAD.
Let’s assume that we are not using any pre-existing projects or libraries and are starting completely from scratch.

Standard CAD (SOLIDWORKS)

1. Manual modeling of each panel

SOLIDWORKS does not include a native library of furniture components, so every furniture element must be modeled manually. Each panel — side panels, back panel, shelves, etc. – needs to be created as a separate part and saved within the project.

2. Building the assembly

After preparing all panels, the next step is creating the assembly. All components must be properly connected using mates.

3. Manual creation of machining operations and insertion of hardware models

SOLIDWORKS does not provide dedicated tools for creating machining operations for furniture hardware. Therefore, all holes must be created manually as cut features according to the manufacturer’s documentation.

Machining operations can be created either at part level or in assembly context —-especially when references to the overall cabinet dimensions are required.

If hardware models are to be included in the project, they must be manually imported into the assembly, while all required product codes and custom properties must also be entered manually.

4. Creating documentation

Documentation for every component must be prepared manually. Both assembly drawings and manufacturing drawings require setting views, defining details, and adding complete dimensions.

5. Manual preparation of CNC files

Preparing CNC data requires manual assignment of the zero point and recognition of machining properties for each component separately. Tool operations and toolpaths must then be generated individually for every part.

6. BOM

SOLIDWORKS allows users to create bills of materials; however, to meet production requirements, they must first be properly configured.

For the first project, it is necessary to define which data should appear in the BOM table and create the required custom properties for each part. Custom properties are pieces of information stored inside the model file, such as component name, dimensions, or weight. Some are available by default, while others must be manually created.

The BOM template can later be saved and reused in future projects.

7. Parts and hardware order list

Information about components – such as dimensions, quantities, hardware, and prices – must be prepared manually or based on exported material lists.

Total time

Up to 3-4 hours.

SOLIDWORKS + WOODEXPERT

1. Inserting a cabinet from the library

WOODEXPERT is based on an extensive component library containing cabinets, shelves, dividers, as well as manufacturer hardware and drawer systems. Building a simple cabinet usually comes down to selecting the appropriate component and inserting it into the project.

The add-in includes a component configurator where users define cabinet dimensions and all required parameters, such as board thickness, rail width, or top panel offset.

2. Inserting components into the cabinet – parametric connectors, shelves, and doors

Within the cabinet subassembly, connector systems, shelves, and all remaining required components are inserted. Components requiring machining operations contain predefined machining bodies stored as separate 3D objects, which are converted into actual technological operations in the next stage.

3. Material assignment with automatic component recognition

After completing the design stage, materials are assigned. First, the material legend is defined – a list of all materials used in the project, including boards, edge banding, veneers, and other elements.

Once the legend is prepared, materials can be assigned to all machinable components. The system can automatically identify components based on selected criteria or assigned labels.

4. Transferring machining operations from components to the model

After assigning materials, machining operations can be transferred to the model. The machining generation function automatically converts machining bodies into actual holes and technological operations.

5. Automatic CNC file generation

WOODEXPERT automates processes that would normally require manual work in a traditional workflow. The system automatically opens assembly components, assigns zero points, generates technological properties, operations, toolpaths, and final CNC code.

The entire process is performed automatically based on a previously configured technology database and machine postprocessor.

6. BOM generation

The WOODEXPERT license includes the BOM Manager application used for material list management and cost estimation.

During BOM generation, the assembly structure and all project information are saved. BOM Manager displays component data including gross and net dimensions, assigned materials, hardware product codes, and manufacturer information.

All information is displayed in dedicated columns, while users can decide which columns should remain visible during work with the BOM.

BOM Manager also enables project cost estimation by assigning prices to materials and hardware. Components with assigned product codes can be automatically priced using data imported from ERP systems or Excel files.

If prices change in the source database, the project valuation updates automatically. Once work on the BOM is completed, the administrator can additionally lock the list to prevent unwanted modifications.

7. Automatic Excel reports and hardware lists

BOM Manager allows users to generate Excel reports, including hardware lists with cost summaries. Reports are created directly from the prepared BOM and serve as a simplified and more compact version containing the most important information.

Reports can be used both as summaries for customers and as input data for other production systems, such as panel saw software.

Total time

Less than 1 hour.

Summary

Automation of design processes in furniture manufacturing can significantly accelerate the delivery of custom furniture while also reducing the number of errors that occur during the workflow — both those resulting from lack of experience and simple oversights.

When errors do occur, it is often necessary to recheck critical stages of the process, which further extends project lead time and reduces the ability to focus on other tasks.

We encourage you to download the demo version of the WOODEXPERT add-in and see how automation tools can improve your furniture design workflow.

The application form link is available HERE.