Years ago, I worked at a factory that had thousands of variations of a large, heavy product, some dating back to the 60s. This product has multiple units packed for shipping on pallets and random scrap pieces of wood and then strapped down like some sort of Jenga puzzle.

I created a generic OpenSCAD model for the product, and fed in parameters derrived from more than a dozen data sources to generate a model for every variation. Then, took the 90th percentile by production numbers, and overlaid the models to show the boundaries of the variations as one model. That shape was then used to generate stack-able, vacuum-formed trays to hold the product.

I had a couple of expensive 3D CAD products at my disposal there, but OpenSCAD was the solution I needed to programatically crank out models. That's how my foray into programming started and my career shifted from Manufacturing Engineering to Software. Thanks OpenSCAD team!