Introduction to Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing

Abstract

In recent years, intense international competition has forced companies to seek better manufacturing techniques and systems with a higher level of automation to increase productivity gain and improve quality end product.^(1–4,13) One of the possible solutions is through the effective use of digital computers and their peripherals in the design and manufacture of products. Because of the advancement of hardware and software in digital computers, their use in the design and manufacture of products has greatly reduced the manufacturing cost and constitutes substantial productivity gains in various industries. This application of digital computers in manufacturing has evolved into a new technology commonly known as computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Computer-aided design can be described as any design activity that effectively utilizes digital computers to create, retrieve, modify, draft, and store an engineering design; while the Computer-Aided Manufacturing—International defines computer-aided manufacturing as the effective utilization of computer technology in the management, control, and operations of the manufacturing facility through either direct or indirect computer interface with the physical and human resources of the company to produce high-quality end products.