Little more than a decade ago computer-aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM) was a very esoteric field indeed, not one that was of much practical concern to a manager or industrialist unless his business was on the scale of, say, a major automobile manufacturer or in a field of high technology such as aerospace. Like so much else, this situation was revo­ lutionized by the invention of the silicon chip, the arrival of the micro­ processor and the dramatic fall in the cost of computer hardware. Today, CAD/CAM has spread down the market, and down the price scale, to the point at which it is both a feasible and an affordable technology for a wide range of small-and medium-sized companies in areas as various as architec­ ture and general engineering, plastic moulding and consumer electronics. But the explosion - there is no other word for it - in the variety and capabilities of CAD/CAM systems, and their spectacular climb to the top of the hi-tech hit parade, has placed the potential purchaser and user of the new technology in a difficult position. On the one hand he is assured, not least by the manufacturers of CAD/CAM equipment, that a failure to invest in it will leave his company stranded in the industrial Stone Age.

Inhalt

1: CAD - What is it All About?.- Concepts and descriptions.- The design process.- The origins of CAD.- Automated drafting: creating a model.- Representations and simulations.- Analytical programs: simulating performance.- Summary: CAD defined.- 2: CAM - An Introduction.- Design and manufacture: two processes or one?.- Numerical control: the basis of CAM.- Computer-assisted part programming.- Direct numerical control.- Computer numerical control.- The future of numerical control.- Flexible manufacturing systems.- Computer-integrated manufacturing.- Group technology.- Summary: from CAD/CAM to CADAM.- 3: The Elements of a CAD System.- From mainframe to mini.- Enter the micro - distributing 'intelligence'.- Memory and storage devices.- Machine communicates with man: the graphics display.- Stroke-writing display systems.- Raster display systems.- Man communicates with machine: menus and input arrangements.- Light pen input.- Cursor steering input devices.- Graphics tablet input.- Choosing an input system.- Plotters and other hard copy devices.- 4: Principal Types of CAD System.- Two-dimensional modellers.- Wire-frame modellers.- Surface modellers.- Solid modelling I: boundary representation.- Solid modelling II: constructive solid geometry.- Summary: making a choice of modelling system.- 5: The Software - What CAD Can Do.- Basic drafting.- Macros.- Parametrics.- Graphic conventions.- 'Drafting' with primitive solids.- Transformations.- Taking things apart - sectioning.- Putting things together - segmentation and assembly.- Moving things about - simulated operations.- Automatic dimensioning.- Testing things - analytical programs.- 6: A Look Ahead.- Towards standardization?.- Horses for courses: tailor-made CAD.- Extending CAM - computer-aided everything.- Building-in more knowledge - expert systems.- Trends (and limitations) in hardware development.- New roles for CAD.- Near relations: computer graphics and simulators.- 7: Justifying CAD/CAM.- The fallacy of productivity.- Not-so-simple arithmetic.- Saving waste - consistency of information.- Saving time - availability of information.- Saving trouble - analysis of information.- Doing what could not be done before.- 8: Identifying the Needs of a Company.- Who should conduct the feasibility study?.- Geometrical information - the vital commodity.- Where does the information originate?.- How is information stored, communicated and used?.- The place of CAD/CAM in the information structure.- Setting identifiable goals.- 9: Choosing a System and Persuading the Company to Buy It.- 'Turnkey' systems.- Assembled systems.- Sources of information.- The politics of CAD.- Making a shortlist.- Benchmarking.- The 'best' system?.- Ready, get set....- 10: Buying and Installing a System.- Implementation: the role of the CAD manager.- Planning the installation: physical factors.- Planning the installation: psychological and organizational factors.- Selling CAD to the users.- Training.- The first six months.- Appendix I: Glossary of terms and acronyms used in CAD/CAM.- Appendix II: Checklist for potential purchasers of CAD systems.- Appendix III: Suppliers of turnkey CAD systems in the UK and USA.- Select bibliography.