Computer-aided manufacturing aims for integration

Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems are being merged to create integrated systems capable of producing parts from a designer's specifications. The most prevalent form of integration today occurs in the programming of numerically controlled (N/C) tools. By adding automatic programming systems, vendors have enabled their systems not only to create a geometric model of a part but also to generate the N/C tool instructions required to machine the part. CAD/CAM systems will soon be able to program robots as well as machine tools. In order for CAD/CAM systems to support the entire manufacturing process, they need to be expanded on the design side to support not only design creation but also its analysis and testing, and on the manufacturing side, to support the creation of plans for producing, testing and inspecting parts, and production planning and control.