By Mitchel Craig

1. Cad and Cam By Mitchel Craig

2. What is CAD? • CAD or Computer Aided Design, is the use of computer systems in engineering, architecture, kitchen design etc., to support the design of products, buildings or the placement of objects (kitchen units, bathroom furniture, etc.) CAD can also cover the design of products such as packaging.

3. Features of CAD Packages • Zoom- The ability to zoom in or out from a particular part of a design • 2D and 3D- The ability to change from 2D drawings to 3D surface models • Rotation- The ability to rotate a 3D design so the design can be seen from different angles • No need for prototypes- Designers can see designs without a prototype (actual model) • Shading- Can add shading to a diagram to aid visualisation • Layering- Can add layers, which add more detail- for example, one layer to show walls, another to show electrical circuits and another to show plumbing • Walk-through- The CAD package allows a person to enter the building and investigate the views from inside before the building is built • Costing- In kitchen design CAD software, as each appliance or unit is added, it is recorded, so a list of what is needed and the costs can be added up to give a final amount

4. Advantages of Using CAD • Easily stored and transferred- Drawings can be digitised and can be sent via e-mail to others working on the project • Easily altered- Existing drawings can be easily altered rather than starting from scratch. • Can manipulate image- Ease of manipulation of images on the screen. • 3D available- Can produce drawings in 3D, which is especially useful for diagrams of kitchens, gardens, buildings, etc. • Scaling- Drawings are easily scaled up and down • Can use libraries of artwork to include in the diagrams – for example trees, people, plants, etc., can be used in a 3D drawing of a building to add realism. • Can produce lists of components automatically- Can be used to create lists of dimensions and parts needed to create the product/component • Stress/strain calculations can be performed- This means the software will only allow you to design buildings that are safe

5. What is CAM? • CAM or Computer Aided Manufacture is the use of computers to control the manufacturing process in some way by controlling manufacturing equipment such as lathes, drills, millers and robots. Many CAM systems are able to take the design produced using CAD and feed it into a CAM system that actually makes the product or component.

6. Features of CAD Packages • Uses a computer, CAM software and a device or devices that produce the product, which are controlled by the software. • Takes the input from CAD packages and uses the information to produce a set of instructions to give to machinery to manufacture the article or component. • Used to program or control equipment (robots, milling machines, lathes, drills, cutters, etc,). • Products are made automatically • The CAM equipment can be re-programmed to make new products or components with different dimensions

7. Advantages of Using CAM • Cheaper manufacture- The manufacture is automatic so costs of manufacturing a product are reduced • Faster time from design to manufacture- Can produce new components/products more quickly. • Better quality- No human involvement with CAM so no mistakes • Lower wage costs- Low human involvement means the goods can be produced more cheaply as wage costs are lower • Machines can be re-programmed- The machines that use CAM (lathes, millers, drills, robots, cutters, etc,) can be re-programmed to enable them to make new products. • Can make small quantities that would normally be uneconomical- Small quantities of a product to the customers design can be made cheaply.