CAD/CAM simplifies CNC program process

If you are involved with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines, you are probably involved with CNC programming and CAD/CAM systems. CNC has touched almost every form of manufacturing process in one way or another. If you'll be working in a manufacturing industry, it's likely that you'll be dealing with CNC on a regular basis. CNC program A CNC program is nothing more than another kind of instruction set. It's written in sentence-like format and the control will execute it in sequential order, step-by-step. A special series of CNC words are used to communicate what the machine is intended to do. CNC words begin with letter addresses (like F for feedrate, S for spindle speed, and X, Y & Z for axis motion). When placed together in a logical method, a group of CNC words make up a command that resemble a sentence. The CNC control will interpret a CNC program and activate the series of commands in sequential order. As it reads the program, the CNC control will activate the appropriate machine functions, cause axis motion, and in general, follow the instructions given in the program. CAD/CAM As applications get more complicated, and especially when new programs are required on a regular basis, writing programs manually becomes much more difficult. To simplify the programming process, CAD/CAM system can be used. A CAM system is a software program that runs on a computer (commonly a PC) that helps the CNC programmer with the programming process, while CAD is widely used to describe any software capable of defining a mechanical component with geometry, surfaces, or solid models. Generally speaking, CAD/CAM system will take the tediousness and drudgery out of programming. The biggest change in recent times for the CAD/CAM industry lies with the term "integration." Integration plays a very important role in the future of CAD/CAM products. There have been big workstation integrated CAD/CAM systems around for many years. They provide CAD and CAM integration by providing all pieces from the same company. Now there is a new group of products touting integration as a key issue. They pursue integration through other means than single brand products. What is CAD/CAM integration? Is it good? Do you need it? It all depends on the type of integration and what your needs are. To understand CAD/CAM integration today, it makes sense to start with the steps that need to be integrated. How integration started In the beginning there were only CAD systems. Engineers used CAD systems to draw pictures of parts. The first CAM systems helped an NC programmer/machinist/manufacturing engineer program from these drawings. This making of drawings, and programming parts from drawings, was, and still is, time consuming and subject to a lot of human error. Someone got the bright idea to eliminate this to-and-from drawing step, and integrated CAD/CAM was born. The disadvantages of the traditional integrated workstation CAD/CAM system have contributed to the growth of the standalone CAM market. These CAM products focus on NC programming or both manufacturing modelling and NC programming. In general they are faster, easier, and far less expensive than their workstation-based integrated brethren. This class of products has grown in sophistication to rival the capabilities of the traditional integrated CAD/CAM products, while maintaining their lead in simplicity, efficiency and cost. The only problems they have suffered from: is a lack of integration with the original design modelling CAD system, and a lack of ability to access the CAD market. But now that is changing. New CAD market The PC has been home to CAD software for decades. This CAD software has been primarily 2D drafting and 3D wireframe CAD, with a few surface modelling products, such as AutoCAD. While a success story in its own right, AutoCAD, and products like it, have never made the step up to providing significantAir Jordan I Mid