Cad / Cam Services, Inc.
Autovectorization, CAD Conversion Services & Large Format Scanners
Cad Cam Services specializes in raster to vector conversions, digitizing and converting from large format media, large format scanner, aperture cards, and film into Cad PerfectTM AutoCAD, MicroStation, D-Tools, ArcInfo, CATIA, and many other CAD systems.
Cad Cam Services established in 1986, is the nation’s largest Contex scanner dealer in the US with AS9100 and GSA certification. We deliver only CAD Perfect CAD work. All of our files are delivered in your native CAD file format.
CAD/CAM Services converts over $1 million of CAD drawings into CAD Perfect files each year. It is not uncommon for us to convert 2-4,000 drawings per year for a single client. We are happy to work with you to convert one drawing or a room full.
80% of our raster to vector conversion work is priced between $125 - $225 per sheet. The difference being how 'busy' each sheet is. Most of the time we simply offer a fixed cost per sheet. This is better for you in that you know what your fixed costs for our raster to vector conversions is.
Products
- Contex/IDEAL Scanners & Copiers
- Wicks & Wilson Aperture Card Scanners
- Fujitsu Scanners
- Ricoh Scanners
- Mekel Scanners
- HP Plotters
- WiseImage X
- GTX
- autodesk
- Hitachi
- VP Studio
- CYCO Software
- ACDSystems
- KOFAX
Output Devices
- Hewlett Packard
- Quintek
- WiseImage 6.0
- GTX
- autodesk
- Hitachi
- VP Studio
- CYCO Software
- ACDSystems
- KOFAX
Scanning
There are two main issues here - 1) Indexing, how do you find that image in 6 months, 2) scanning quality. Our scanners can scan 54" wide with ¾" thick media at 2,400 dpi @ 48 bit. But do you really want us to?
Experience comes into play. We have scanned in excess of one million engineering drawings using our large format scanner over the last several years. It is not uncommon for to rescan a single sheet 2-8 times just to hand maximize the image quality of a poor quality drawing.
Before the start of any production scanning project, we request some of your drawings. That way we can determine what will work best for you. Once your samples are received we provide you with several samples often scanned at 200/300/400 dpi and bitonal (black and white) vs. grayscale vs. color. In reality each step up takes about 20-30% longer scanning time, and produces bigger files - this also makes it a more expensive product to produce.
Indexing is something that needs to be understood before the start of any scanning project. Very often, 6 months after a scanning project, a user cannot find a drawing. How do you find it now? The rule of thumb is each index field adds about $.10 to the cost of each scan. Capturing 3 items from a title block adds $.30 to the price of a scan. Don't let somebody talk you into providing you a bulk scan with file names 001.tif, 002.tif, 003.tif, etc. Indexing is so important to us we have written two products: CAD / CAM SERVICES indexing software. This allows a user to hand index and double verify 1,000 - 100,000 images very quickly. In addition our database wrap around for a great image viewer - ACDSee allows a simple database to take advantage of the best of both worlds. This allows you bulk scanning/naming but allows you to search on the contents of an indexed title block.
Scanners
CAD / CAM SERVICES is one of the top 3 dealers of Contex/IDEAL engineering scanners in the entire US. In addition we actually use these products in our production service bureau. This allows us to have a unique perspective. What works and what is the most effective way to scan a piece of paper?
CAD / CAM SERVICES offers onsite, and extended service contracts on all Ideal scanners. We are one of only a handful of dealers in the entire US to have our own factory trained and certified experienced service staff.
We know the little things as to SCSI throughput vs. Firewire in scanners, how to optimize indexing, and many more. Let our experience work for you. We use only the high end, most productive large format scanner.
