| CAD and CAM will have plenty to do with CNC. But | | | | software platform for automobile design. |
| what is CAD and CAM? | | | | At times, the history of CAD/CAM seems like the |
| You might hear the term CAD/CAM from time to | | | | plot of a spy novel. In 1984, a Hungarian scientist |
| time. It is basically a merging of the two pieces. A | | | | named Gabor Bajor, succeeded in smuggling two |
| software manufacturer tries to pick up more | | | | Macintosh computers into his Communist-controlled |
| marketshare by doing this. They also keep you | | | | homeland. With the intent of writing a 3D CAD |
| locking into their system by going with the | | | | program, Bajor and his teenage assistant used the |
| whole package at once. | | | | illegal computers to create just that program, and |
| A lot of the time, this is a good thing. Same or | | | | started the Graphsoft Company. In 1985, Diehl |
| similar interface on both pieces of software. Quick | | | | Graphsoft introduced MiniCAD to the market, which |
| flow between pieces and easy file management. | | | | would be considered the industry standard for CAD |
| You have to evaluate it for yourself though. There | | | | on the Mac. The same year Autodesk unveiled |
| are many times in life where two or more tools are | | | | AutoCAD 2.1. Complete with 3D capabilities, AutoCAD |
| combined to produce a less then stellar result. | | | | 2.1 was another breakthrough that transformed |
| CAD/CAM ArticleHere is an article I pulled up that | | | | design in the auto industry. In the late 80's and early |
| describes the past and future direction of CAD | | | | 90's, CAD/CAM giant Unigraphics took its place as a |
| CAM. I thought it was relevant as there are many | | | | major industry player by partnering with industry |
| times you will hear these two terms used together. | | | | powerhouses such as General Motors, UNIX, GE and |
| They are two different and distinct parts of the | | | | Boeing. |
| process, but some software makers make both | | | | During the early 1990s, Unigraphics introduced hybrid |
| products and sell them together. | | | | modeling, which featured both traditional modeling and |
| CAD/CAM: Past, Present and FutureBy Katrina C. | | | | advanced parametric techniques. By the end of 1994, |
| ArabeBefore CAD/CAM technology, drafts, | | | | over one million units of AutoCAD had been sold, and |
| calculations and product design involved pencil, paper | | | | by the end of 1995, there were about 350,000 users |
| and a seemingly endless succession of blueprints. CAD | | | | of generic CAD/CAM reported worldwide. In 1996, |
| CAM's ongoing enhancement has made the process | | | | General Motors signed the largest contract in CAD |
| easier, but with the latest slew of features, some | | | | CAM's history by selecting Unigraphics as its sole |
| users actually find less is more. | | | | vendor for vehicle development software. Soon |
| Virtually every manmade product has been designed | | | | afterwards, Unigraphics would once again transform |
| and manufactured using a CAD/CAM program. CAD | | | | the medium by releasing CAD/CAM software that |
| CAM, or Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided | | | | allowed for the definition, control and evaluation of |
| Manufacturing, is utilized in every facet of industry; | | | | product templates. Another major advance in CAD |
| from designing phones to plotting out toolpaths in die | | | | CAM occurred IN 1999 when Think3, a |
| and mold shops. Although the users of CAD/CAM | | | | "Johnny-come-lately" to the world of CAD/CAM, |
| technology may, at times, feel frustrated by how | | | | introduced the first mechanical design software that |
| often its software is updated, the fact is that CAD | | | | could fully combine the power of parametric solids, |
| CAM has close to five decades of history stretching | | | | advanced surfacing, wireframe and two-dimensional |
| almost as far back as the computer. | | | | drafting on the desktop in one environment. |
| CAD/CAM, like the digital computer, had its inception | | | | Subsequently, a plethora of software vendors has |
| in the military. In the mid-1950s the U.S. Air Force | | | | surfaced, inundating the market with competing CAD |
| began testing an air defense system known as SAGE | | | | CAM platforms AND causing designers to be |
| (Semi Automatic Ground Environment) to graphically | | | | alternately pleased and confused by the sheer |
| depict data received on radar systems. The first | | | | number of options available to them.At present, CAD |
| computer actually rendering a program, SAGE was | | | | CAM continues its steady path of progress. Much of |
| conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of | | | | this progress is in the form of refining past |
| Technology (MIT). In 1960, computer scientists at | | | | innovations to make them more efficient and user |
| MIT produced yet another project called Sketchpad, | | | | friendly. |
| an application that is now considered to be the first | | | | A groundbreaking CAD/CAM innovation has not |
| design program with industrial use. A similar program | | | | occurred for a number of years, which seems to |
| sprouted up at General Motors soon after. At that | | | | indicate that another sweeping change is just around |
| time, mainframes were still large enough to take up | | | | the corner -- or maybe not. Despite the advent of |
| entire rooms. | | | | 3D CAD/CAM, many CAD/CAM users still prefer to |
| During the 1960's CAD/CAM technology continued to | | | | render designs in 2D. Thus, recent 3D innovations |
| evolve and spread to other areas. Automotive | | | | such as animated "walk-throughs" (a technique that |
| companies were the first to adopt the technology, | | | | allows designers to visually move in and around the |
| and used it primarily to design automobile bodies. It | | | | rendered model, and see it from every possible |
| then quickly spread to other sectors of industry, | | | | angle) are still largely underused. The same is true of |
| which were only too eager to abandon traditional pen | | | | the bevy of collaboration tools currently available to |
| and paper methods of drafting. By 1973, CAD/CAM | | | | the CAD/CAM user. The ability to combine CAD |
| was being used to design industrial tools. Midway | | | | CAM, with finite-element analysis and the accessibility |
| through the decade, the 19-inch monitor came out, | | | | of simulation and knowledge management, has yet to |
| which meant that drawings could be viewed larger | | | | be fully embraced. Perhaps, it is in one of these areas |
| than the previous standard of 11 inches. In the last | | | | that the next CAD/CAM breakthrough will occur. |
| half of the 70's, solid modeling software became | | | | One thing that can be said with a degree of certainty |
| available. It allowed users to take "geometric | | | | is that research and development are currently ahead |
| primitives" (basic geometric shapes such as boxes | | | | of user demand. When, and if, the garden-variety |
| and cones) and combine them using Boolean | | | | CAD/CAM user decides that they need to expand |
| operations. In 1982, Autodesk made CAD/CAM | | | | their range of capabilities, they will find a world of |
| history when it released the first version of | | | | cutting-edge CAD/CAM tools at their disposal. |
| AutoCAD, which soon became the premiere | | | | |