Combination of CAD and CAM in Machine Tool Manufacture

Abstract

The machine tool is only one link in the various stages of a production process, and the numerical control of machine tools was only a single example of the application of electronic data processing to a production process. It was followed by the computer-aided production of punched tape as the next link in the chain of data transfer. In the course of the extending use of computers in production, further control functions such as AC, and particularly inspection and checking functions (for example, dimensions, surface finish, quantities) have been taken over by computers. Included in the field of CAD are design calculations for machine parts and the automatic production of drawings. The intended aim of CAD and CAM is an integrated data flow from an order through design and production planning to production and inspection. The production of control cams in a particular machine tool works before and after the employment of a computer, and matched production is described here as an example of such a combination of CAD and CAM.