Computer-aided manufacturing

The present status and near term applications of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) is discussed. Introduction of CAM is projected to speed medium range production, for products which are batch processed, and to help ease the shortage of skilled machinists. Primary technical problems are to increase the versatility of the systems, to automate maintenance, and to automate machine component assembly. The state of the art in flexible machining systems is reviewed and flow charts are provided for interfaces between the master control, the direct numerical control, and data entry units, to allow communication between the operator and the central minicomputer. A fully automated factory is expected to be built in the mid-1980's, and the development of a metamorphic machine, consisting of a number of modules that can assemble themselves on command into a variety of machine tools, in Japan is noted.