Outline of CAM
Computer aided manufacturing (CAM), a form of automation where computers communicate work instructions directly to the manufacturing machinery.
The technology evolved from the numerically controlled machines of the 1950s, which were directed by a set of coded instructions contained in a punched paper tape.
Today a single computer can control banks of robotic milling machines, lathes, welding machines, and other tools, moving the product from machine to machine as each step in the manufacturing process is completed.
Such systems allow easy, fast reprogramming from the computer, permitting quick implementation of design changes. The most advanced systems, which are often integrated with computer-aided design systems, can also manage such tasks as parts ordering, scheduling, and tool replacement.
Since the age of the Industrial Revolution, the manufacturing process has undergone many dramatic changes. One of the most dramatic of these changes is the introduction of Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), a system of using computer technology to assist the manufacturing process.
Through the use of CAM, a factory can become highly automated, through systems such as real-time control and robotics. A CAM system usually seeks to control the production process through varying degrees of automation. Because each of the many manufacturing processes in a CAM system is computer controlled, a high degree of precision can be achieved that is not possible with a human interface.
The CAM system, for example, sets the tool path and executes precision machine operations based on the imported design. Some CAM systems bring in additional automation by also keeping track of materials and automating the ordering process, as well as tasks such as tool replacement.
Computer Aided Manufacturing is commonly linked to Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems. The resulting integrated CAD/CAM system then takes the computer-generated design, and feeds it directly into the manufacturing system; the design is then converted into multiple computer-controlled processes, such as drilling or turning.
Another advantage of Computer Aided Manufacturing is that it can be used to facilitate mass customization: the process of creating small batches of products that are custom designed to suit each particular client. Without CAM, and the CAD process that precedes it, customization would be a time-consuming, manual and costly process.
However, CAD software allows for easy customization and rapid design changes: the automatic controls of the CAM system make it possible to adjust the machinery automatically for each different order.
The specter of robots replacing workers, however, is currently a fallacy. Robotic arms and machines are commonly used in factories, but these do still require human workers. The nature of those workers' jobs change however. The repetitive tasks are delegated to machines; the human workers job descriptions then move more towards set-up, quality control, using CAD systems to create the initial designs, and machine maintenance.
Outline of CAM
By: endeavor
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