CAD - CAM technologies

CAD (computer-aided design)/CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) is a term that refers to computer systems that are used to both – design and manufacture products. While CAD is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design documentation, CAD/CAM systems are usually used for both – designing a product and controlling manufacturing processes. CAD/CAM software is used mainly for product development, machine-tooling and manufacturing.
CAD has its origins in three separate sources which also serve to stress the basic operations that CAD systems provide. The first source is a result from attempts to automate the drafting process. One of the most important advantages of computer modeling over traditional methods of development is that it may be easily corrected or manipulated by changing model’s parameters.
The second source of CAD concerns the testing of designs by simulation. Computer modeling for testing products was first used by high-tech industries such as aerospace and semiconductors.
The third source of CAD development refers to the efforts to facilitate the flow from the design process to the manufacturing process with the help of numeric control technologies. This sourced lead to the linkage of CAD and CAM.
One of the most important trends in CAD/CAM technologies is the tight integration between two stages – design and manufacturing. This innovation has significantly shortened the period between design and manufacture, CAD/CAM provided designers with more direct control over the production process, created the possibility to completely integrate design and manufacturing processes.