CAD/CAM
CAD/CAM.— CAD in engineering means computer-aided design using a computer graphics system to develop mechanical, electrical / electronic, and architectural designs. A second D (CADD) is sometimes added ( computer-aided drafting and design ) and simply indicates a mechanical drafting or drawing program. CAD technology is the foundation for a wide variety of engineering, design, drafting, analysis, and manufacturing activities. Often a set of drawings initially developed in the design phase of a project is also used for analyzing and optimizing the design, creating mechanical drawings of parts and assemblies and for generating NC/CNC part programs that control machining operations. Formerly, after a component had been designed with CAD, the design was passed to a part programmer who developed a program for machining the components, either manually or directly on the computer (graphic) screen, but the process often required redefining and reentering part geometry. This procedure is o...