CAD and CAM are acronyms. CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design and CAM stands for Computer-Aided Manufacturing. These two systems work together to design a product and then manufacture it. The term CAD/NC (number controlled) is also used as an equivalent in some industries, which goes back to history of computer assisted manufacturing machines. In the 1950’s paper rolls with holes punched in them fed the manufacturing machines. These holes represented numbers and letters that gave the dimensions of the item being manufactured to the machine. This process has been updated with CAD/CAM. The designer uses the CAD program to create precise images of the product to be manufactured. The CAD software feeds these designs to the CAM program. The CAM program uses these designs to determine the physical shape of the product and creates instructions for the manufacturing machines.
CAD programs were created to help designers by reducing the time necessary to design a product to a fraction of what it used to be. Instead of working with pencil and paper to create blueprints, all of the drafting is done in the computer, reducing the time requirement. Furthermore, any revisions are done in the program and so do not require starting a new blueprint from scratch. The design is not only created in two dimensions, but in three dimensions and can include material properties. The program can then render the design, showing the designer what the product will look like. Some CAD programs can also be used to test the design for flaws. The designer than exports the CAD design into a file that can be read by the CAM software.
The CAM software takes the file from CAD and uses it to generate the manufacturing processes. This allows for a faster production process with more precision and greater consistency than traditional methods. The CAM software then generates a program in G-code, a simple software language, which is fed to the manufacturing machines.
CAD programs were created to help designers by reducing the time necessary to design a product to a fraction of what it used to be. Instead of working with pencil and paper to create blueprints, all of the drafting is done in the computer, reducing the time requirement. Furthermore, any revisions are done in the program and so do not require starting a new blueprint from scratch. The design is not only created in two dimensions, but in three dimensions and can include material properties. The program can then render the design, showing the designer what the product will look like. Some CAD programs can also be used to test the design for flaws. The designer than exports the CAD design into a file that can be read by the CAM software.
The CAM software takes the file from CAD and uses it to generate the manufacturing processes. This allows for a faster production process with more precision and greater consistency than traditional methods. The CAM software then generates a program in G-code, a simple software language, which is fed to the manufacturing machines.
