🧩 From PCB change to mechanical model in one script

One way to go faster is to automate the transfer of data between tools. We recently created a script to update a PCB model in one step. Previously this would take a few minutes to export the file from KiCad to a STEP model, and then update the mechanical model from the STEP export. Once scripted, this takes a few seconds.

This may not seem like a lot, but when the process is easy and fast, we'll do it more often, and likely end up with a better design with less wasted effort, as we can visualize problems and opportunities for optimization earlier.

FreeCAD has progressed a lot in recent years, and with the addition of the Assembly workbench in late 2024, FreeCAD is now a great tool for modeling these types of products. Models for most off-the-shelf parts like enclosures are readily available, so product modeling is mostly just assembling these individual part models.

This also illustrates the power of open tools like KiCad and FreeCAD. Both use open formats and have Python/CLI interfaces, so they are easy to script. Claude Code seems to know how to do all this, so you don't have to be a Python expert.

Local + Open + AI = an efficient, integrated workflow.

See the walkthrough video.