CAD/CAM design hasn't always been the same. People have been designing for a long time. Early humans created tools from materials they found in nature, including wood, bone and stone. In fact, whole epochs of history have been named after the most common materials used to make tools: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The creation of tools made survival possible. They used to hunt, make shelter and clothing, and sometimes small ornaments or jewelry. To make a tool, someone had to imagine something that did not yet exist. In other words- design. (A short History of Design and Technology, 2005, pg. 1). CAD stands for computer aided design and is software used in art and architecture, and engineering and manufacturing to assist in precision drawing. CAM stands for computer aided manufacturing and CAD/CAM is computer systems used to design and manufacture products. The term CAD/CAM implies that an engineer can use the system both for designing a product and for controlling manufacturing processes. For example, once a design has been produced with the CAD component, the design itself can control the machines that construct the part.
Advantages of CAD/CAM:
- Can be easily erased and changed
- Can be zoomed in for more detailed sections
- Can be copied and pasted many times
- Depending on skill, can be neater
- Can be quicker
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Can be sent to elsewhere quickly
- Can be stored in a safe place
- Can be checked for measurements by the computer
- Can easily mass produce identical products
- Can work throughout the night so can produce product 24 hours a day
Disadvantages of CAD/CAM:
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If computer problem, all data will be lost
If not checked properly, the object created can go very wrong
- Can be very expensive
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Can be hard to do and handling needs training
- Since not manual, can be slightly irritating because if not familiar with technology, it is very hard to insure exactly what is wanted by the designer e.g. If wanted something engraved instead of cut, the line colour has to be changed into blue instead of red.
- Sometimes you can't do everything you want to because the tools aren't available
- Lots of people lost their jobs when CAD CAM originally came out
As you can see there has been a variety of changes to the CAD/CAM design to become what it is today.
