Overview
DION AI is an on-device CAD/CAM middleware. It reads design intent, reasons over a manufacturing ontology, and proposes verified machining strategies across the systems you already run. All computation happens on the shop PC — your drawings never leave the network.
This guide covers everything to evaluate, install, license and operate DION AI in production.
Quickstart
From zero to a verified program in four steps:
# 1. Sign in and download the signed installer
# Account → Downloads → DION AI (latest)
# 2. Install (registers the add-in + desktop board)
DION-AI-Setup.exe /verysilent
# 3. Activate with your license key
dion activate --key XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
# 4. Open a part and run the pipeline from the board
# Board → Pipeline → RunRequirements
Windows 10/11 (x64), 16 GB RAM minimum (32 GB recommended), a supported design/machining installation, and local administrator rights for the initial install. A GPU is optional and used only for local acceleration.
Installation
Download the signed installer from your account and run it on the shop PC. The add-in registers with your CAD/CAM host and the desktop board launches from the system tray.
Architecture
DION AI separates a control plane from the data plane. The data plane — geometry, features, toolpaths — runs entirely on-device. The control plane in the cloud only handles licensing, updates and opt-in anonymous telemetry. No CAD/CAM data is ever transmitted.
Knowledge bases
The ontology and recommendations are backed by a set of local, on-device stores. Nothing here leaves the machine. Current inventory:
| Store | Records | Size | Purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KBM Master | 519 | 17.0 MB | Cutting coefficients & machining knowledge | ready |
| KBM Unified | 67 | 9.6 MB | Chain process maps | ready |
| Ontology | — | 0.2 MB | Ontology instances & audit log | ready |
| Ontology (Full) | — | 0.2 MB | Extended ontology graph | ready |
| Equipment Master | 135 | 1.1 MB | Machines, fixtures & setups | ready |
| CAD Asset Store | 7 | 3.6 MB | Imported CAD documents | ready |
| Component Library | 16 | 40 KB | Reusable component assets | ready |
| Family Library | 8 | 0.2 MB | Part families | ready |
| Knowledge Base | 72 | 0.2 MB | Documentation chunks | ready |
| Agent Board | — | 0.3 MB | Agent activities & tickets | ready |
| NC Base | — | — | NC program corpus | provisioning |
Security
DION AI is on-device by design. CAD/CAM data is never transmitted. The control plane handles only licensing, updates and anonymous opt-in telemetry. Installers are code-signed and secrets are kept in a managed key vault.
Licensing & activation
Licensing is per copy — per seat and per machine. Activation validates online once, then runs with an offline grace period so the shop floor keeps working without a constant connection.
POST /api/v1/license/activate
{
"key": "XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX",
"machine_fingerprint": "sha256:…"
}
200 OK
{
"status": "active",
"seats_used": 3,
"seats_total": 5,
"offline_grace_until": "2026-07-01T00:00:00Z"
}Pipeline API
Drive a part from import to verified output. Each step is gated on a verified result before the next runs:
POST /api/v1/pipeline/run
{
"model_path": "C0333047.step",
"stages": ["import", "recognize", "strategy", "post"]
}
200 OK
{
"state": "Completed",
"operations": 12,
"nc_output": { "synthetic": false },
"real_com": true
}Support
Enterprise customers get a direct line to the engineering team. For evaluations and quotes, contact us and we'll schedule a two-week on-premise trial.
FAQ
Where does my data go? Nowhere. DION AI runs on-device; CAD/CAM data stays inside your factory.
Which systems are supported? Every major CAD/CAM system you already run — strategy is vendor-agnostic.
Do I need a constant connection? No. Activation validates online once, then runs with an offline grace period.