CAD CAM Development | CAD CAM Integration

CAD/CAM system fast and hardware independent - computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing - column

First there was NC (numerical control), basically a CAM (computer aided manufacturing) function. Then along came CAD (computer aided design). Unfortunately getting from CAD to CAM often involved a lot of manual effort. The next step was having the two on the same computer. Even then the process could be slow.

All that is now changing. If the design is done on one computer based CAD system, and the NC programming is done on another, the difference in hardware platforms and software systems is no longer a factor in quickly getting the design data into an NC program to machine the part. And it can be done quickly.

One company that has bridged the two functions into an integrated whole is Adra Systems, Inc., 59 Technology Drive, Lowell, MA 01851. Their design/drafting package is called CADRA-III and it may be implemented on MS-DOS personal computers and industry standard workstations. Because of its software capabilities it may accept CAD data from other systems. This means that a die, mold, or machine shop with CADRA-III may accept design data from a customer with an entirely different CAD software language.

While CADRA-III is a design software package, its main function is not to serve the product designer. Its purpose is to take the designer's information and put it in drafting form for dimensioning, layering, study, revision, and especially the generation of NC part programs. Full coloring is available so that any layer or element may be shown in its own assigned hue. Thus, the package does not have solid modeling, kinematics, finite element analysis, and so on that the designer uses. Its drawings are limited to wire frame type, but they supply all functions needed for computer assisted drafting and part programming.

The part program is generated by the CADRA-NC software package. It has two-through five-axis capabilities, post processor libraries, verification and simulation routines, parametric geometry creation, family of parts programming, menus, and tool and material libraries as some of its functional capabilities.

Not only are the software packages able to be put in personal computers or workstations, but one of the main features is the speed at which the software will flip from programming back to a design element or visa versa. As fast as a single pen command can be entered, the results will flash on the screen. Thus, the CAD/CAM package offers not only integration with other systems, but an extremely fast processing and toggling back and forth to aid either the drafts person or the part programmer.

Included in the whole CADRA functionality is the ability to develop CAD drawing from scanned images of paper drawing.

Among the data exchange solutions are DXF for exchanging data with AutoCAD based systems, IGES for data exchange with other CAD/CAM systems, Ethernet for local area networks, CALS 28001 and CCITT Groups 3 and 4 formats for handling raster data, and ADT for direct translation between CADAM format and CADRA.

This trend of data exchange and hardware independent software plus the toggling speed between CAD and CAM will offer excellent possibilities for closing the gap between design and manufacturing while improving the speed and flexibility of NC part programming.