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There are two main categories of CAD≲D CAD and 3D CAD systems. One of two reasons may be behind this—first, manufacturers may still be operating the old systems, and second, they may not be using all the capabilities of their current systems and are instead continuing old habits. And this can truncate design times, which will translate to lower costs, better quality and bolstered product performance.ĭespite the great potential of today's CAD systems, many users are still employing their systems as electronic drawing boards.

Nowadays, CAD is capable of automating most of, if not the entire, design process. Initially, CAD systems were simply electronic drawing boards and were more commonly called computer-aided drafting systems because they only automated the drafting stage of a product's design.

Additionally, the concept of time is significant in CAM because a part undergoes changes as it moves through different machining processes over time. Meanwhile, CAM is concerned with workflow because the sequence in which various processes are carried out can be crucial. For example, workflow and time are not important factors in CAD. In other words, with CAD systems, you are creating something digital—the product's computer image—and with CAM, you are creating something physical—the actual product.īecause of these basic differences, these systems have divergent focuses. While CAD defines design features, CAM identifies manufacturing features. The use of CAD then led to the use of CAM, which utilizes data from CAD-generated prints to manufacture a part.ĬAD and CAM are fundamentally different. Shortly after that, CAD began to take the place of drafting as a way to produce technical part prints. Then machine tools became computerized and numerically controlled, or as we now call them, CNC machine tools. Before their advent, parts were described with technical part prints and then manufactured using traditional machine tools and machining processes. Both systems are now widely used and have transformed much of our country's manufacturing processes. In product development, computer-aided design (CAD) automates the design process while computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) automates the manufacturing of CAD-generated product designs. Ever wondered how CAD and CAM work and what the difference is between them? Here's a primer:

Computer-aided design and manufacturing has revolutionized the way we make products.