Top 5 Essential Engineering Design Automation Trends in 2025

The demand for faster, more efficient, and innovative engineering designs is constantly increasing. Engineering Design Automation (EDA) is at the forefront, empowering engineers to work smarter and more creatively. As we head into 2025, here are five key trends that are set to revolutionize how engineers design and develop products, along with real-world examples of how we're already implementing these technologies:

1. Intelligent Design Assistants: Augmented CAD with AI

AI is moving beyond generative design and into intelligent design assistance integrated directly within CAD software. These assistants learn from past projects to provide real-time suggestions, automatic drawing object completion and constraint enforcement, and analysis of design parameters to reduce errors, and improve design quality overall.

• Example: AI-powered systems analyze the placement and connections of signal lines in complex layouts, automatically managing layers and object naming to ensure consistency and reduce user intervention.
• Impact: This reduces errors, eliminates repetitive tasks, enhances consistency, and improves design quality overall.

2. Automated Drawing Generation and Documentation

Manual drawing and documentation takes up too much engineering time. Moving towards 2025, we will see more intuitive tools for automatic creation of 2D drawings from 3D models, automatically updated Bills Of Material, and customizable design document templates.

• Example 1: For a client in the railway industry, we developed a system that converts data from Excel spreadsheets into precise AutoCAD line diagrams, reducing documentation and drawing time by over 60%.
• Example 2: for a client in the commercial kitchen equipment industry, we developed an API that automates the process of generating AutoCAD drawings for commercial kitchens based on JSON data, including hood and kitchen appliances, saving our client countless manual drawing hours.

3. Parametric Design Goes Beyond Geometry:

Parametric modeling will evolve beyond geometric parameters to include material properties, manufacturing processes, and cost considerations. Engineers will be able to create flexible, highly configurable designs where every aspect is driven by parameters, including the generation of custom layouts based on complex specifications.

• Example: By automating the design of conveyor systems based on parametric methods, you can generate various configurations, dimensions and placements of components along with relevant tag information and automatically convert them into 3D models and 2D drawings as demonstrated in our project for Vagen Conveyors
• Impact: Greater design flexibility, fast exploration of design variations and easier collaboration with manufacturing team.

4. Integrated CAE Workflows:

Integrating simulation and analysis tools directly into the CAD software is one thing, but we will be seeing better integrated CAE (Computer-aided Engineering) workflows which enable real-time analysis and validation within the design environment. Rather than a separate phase, simulation becomes an intrinsic part of the design process, with faster feedback loops.

• Example: Digital twins of conveyor system will be able to simulate the system performance and provide feedback earlier in the design cycle.
• Impact: Improved design quality, shorter design cycles, reduced physical prototyping costs and time.

5. Customizable Design Process Automation through Low-Code/No-Code Tools:

A greater adoption of low-code/no-code platforms will empower engineers to quickly automate their specific workflows. This will move automation beyond relying on complex programming skills and allow them to create task-specific tools for drawing generation, data processing, and design rule validation using customizable LISP functions.

• Example: Our custom LISP routines, and integration with web based applications to drive AutoCAD drawings and automate design reviews illustrate how you can develop task specific automation tools using a variety of platforms. Our use of Autodesks Design Automation API is also a good example of using no-code approach for automation.
• Impact: Reduced dependence on specialized developers and better control over customisations.

The trend in Engineering Design Automation is to put more power into the hands of engineers. This is where they will be equipped to explore new and more effective ways of creating designs, managing data, integrating workflows, and ensuring that the designs are validated early in the cycle. As a result, companies that adopt these technologies will be better able to innovate, remain competitive, and create next-generation products in 2025 and beyond.

The Engineering Design Automation space will be moving fast in 2025. What are your priorities when it comes to improving your engineering design process? Are you considering automation, AI and other new ways of working to improve your workflow? Visit https://fdestech.com/engineering-design-automation/ to see how we can help you implement them. #EngineeringDesign #AutoCAD #Automation #fdestech #DigitalTransformation