CHAPTER 2

Role of Computers in Manufacturing

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 Computer Aided Design
(CAD)
ø CAD Technology = Design Techniques + Computers
(HW+SW).

ø CAD involves the effective use of the computer to create,

modify, analyze, or document an engineering design.

ø CAD is most commonly associated with the use of an interactive

computer graphics system, referred to as a CAD system. .

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 Importance of
CAD
Fundamental reasons for implementing CAD system:
1. To increase the productivity of the designer
> This is accomplished by helping the designer to conceptualize the
product and its components. In turn, this helps reduce the time required
by the designer to synthesize, analyze, and document the design.
2. To improve the quality of design
> The use of a CAD system with appropriate hardware and software
capabilities permits the designer to do a more complete engineering
analysis and to consider a larger number and variety of design
alternatives.
> The quality of the resulting design is thereby improved. 9
 Cont’d…
3. To improve documentation
> The graphical output of a CAD system results in better
documentation of the design than what is practical with manual
drafting. The engineering drawings are superior, and there is more
standardization among the drawings, fewer drafting errors, and
greater legibility.
4. To create a data base for manufacturing.
> In the process of creating the documentation for the product
design (geometric specification of the product, dimensions of
the components, materials specifications, bill of materials, etc.),
much of the required data base to manufacture the product is also
created. 10
 Cont’d…

• The design related tasks performed by CAD system are:

1) Geometric modeling

2) Engineering analysis

3) Design review and evaluation

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 1. Geometric Modeling
> Geometric modeling involves the use of CAD system to develop a
mathematical description of the geometry of an object.

> The mathematical description, called a geometric model, is contained in

computer memory. This permits the user of the an image of the model on a
display CAD system to graphics terminal and to perform certain
operations creating on the model.

> These operations include new geometric models from basic building
blocks available in the system, moving the images around on the screen,
zooming in on certain features.

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 Cont’d…
ø There are various types of geometric models used in CAD.

ø One classification distinguishes between 2D & 3D.

i. 2-D models are best utilized for design problems involving two dimensions,
such as flat objects and layouts of buildings.

ø It is the first CAD systems developed in the early 1970s, which was used
principally as automated drafting systems.

ii. 3-D Models- they were often used for 3-D objects, and it was left to the designer
or draftsman to properly construct the various views of the object.

ø This is helpful in conceptualizing the object since the true 3-D model can be
displayed in various views and from different angles.

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 Cont’d…
 Geometric models in CAD can also be classified as wire - frame models
or solid models.

 A wire frame model uses interconnecting lines (straight line segments)

to depict the object as illustrated in the following Figure (a).

 Wire frame models of complicated geometries can become somewhat

confusing because all of the lines depicting the shape of the object are
usually shown.

 Techniques are available for removing these so called hidden lines, but
even with this improvement, wire-frame representation is still often
inadequate.

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 Cont’d…

Solid models are a more recent development in geometric modeling. In

Figure (b), an object is modeled in solid three dimensions, providing the
user with a vision of the object very much like it would be seen in real life.

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 Cont’d…

More important for engineering purposes, the geometric

model is stored in the CAD system as a 3-D solid model, thus
providing a more accurate representation of the object.

This is useful for calculating mass properties, in assembly to

perform interference checking between mating components,
and in other engineering calculations.

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 2. Engineering Analysis
ø After a particular design alternative has been developed, some form of
engineering analysis often must be performed as part of the design
process.

ø The analysis may take the form of stress - strain calculations, heat
transfer analysis, or dynamic simulation.

ø The computations are often complex and time consuming, and before
the advent of the digital computer, these analyses were usually greatly
simplified or even omitted.

ø The availability of software for engineering analysis on a CAD system

greatly increases the designer's ability and willingness to perform a more
thorough analysis of a proposed design. 17
 Cont’d…
> The term computer aided engineering (CAE) is often used for analyses
performed by computer.

> Examples of engineering analysis software in common use on CAD

systems include:

i. Mass properties analysis, which involves the computation of such

features of a solid object as its volume, surface area, weight, and center
of gravity. It is especially applicable in mechanical design.

ii. Interference checking

iii. Tolerance analysis

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 Cont’d…
iv. Finite element analysis: Software for finite element analysis (FEA), also known as
finite element modeling (FEM), is available for use on CAD systems to aid in
stress- strain, heat transfer, fluid flow, and other engineering computations.

 Finite element analysis is a numerical analysis technique for determining

approximate solutions to physical problems described by differential equations
that are very difficult or impossible to solve.

 In FEA, the physical object is modeled by an assemblage of discrete

interconnected nodes (finite elements), and the variable of interest (e.g., stress,
strain, temperature) in each node can be described by relatively simple
mathematical equations.

 By solving the equations for each node, the distribution of values of the variable
throughout the physical object is determined.

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 3. Design Evaluation and Review
 Design evaluation and review procedures can be augmented by CAD
system.

 Some of the CAD features that are helpful in evaluating and reviewing
a proposed design include:

i. Automatic dimensioning routines that determine precise distance

measures between surfaces on the geometric model identified by the user.

ii. Error checking. This term refers to CAD algorithms that are used to
review the accuracy and consistency of dimensions and tolerances and
to assess whether the proper design documentation format has been
followed.

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 Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

Over the last two decades, the impact of computers in manufacturing

industry has been profound.

On the shop floor, it is perhaps most evident in the form of numerically

controlled and CNC machine tools.

In these types of machines, all the manufacturing functions can be

controlled using numerical data usually supplied via punched tape or
magnet tape; or in the case of CNC directly from a computer.

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 Cont’d…

CAM refers to the use and application of computers in all

aspects of manufacturing.
CAM = Computers + Manufacturing
Computers can be used to replace manual effort and to act
as an interface between human and machine facilitating in
many ways.
CAM is the use of computer systems to plan, manage and
control the operations of manufacturing plant through either
direct or indirect computer interface with the plant production
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Steps in CAM

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 Applications of
CAM
The applications of CAM fall into two broad categories:

1. Computer monitoring and control

> These are the direct applications in which the computer is connected
directly to the manufacturing process for the purpose of monitoring
or controlling the process.

2. Manufacturing support applications

> These are the indirect applications in which the computer is used in
support of the production operations in the plant, but there is no
direct interface between the computer and the manufacturing
process.
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 CAD/CAM
 CAD/CAM is a term which means computer-aided design and

computer aided manufacturing.

 It is the technology concerned with the use of digital computers to

perform certain functions in design and manufacturing.

 This technology is moving in the direction of greater integration of

design and manufacturing, two activities which have traditionally

been treated as distinct and separate functions in a production firm.

 Ultimately, CAD/CAM will provide the technology base for the

computer-integrated factory of the future.

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 Need for CAD/CAM

 To increase productivity of the designer

 To improve quality of the design

 To improve communications

 To create a manufacturing database

 To create and test tool paths and optimize them

 To help in production scheduling and MRP models

 To have effective shop floor control

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 How do CAD/CAM
systems work?

• Developing NC code requires an understanding of:

1. Part geometry

2. Tooling

3. Process plans

4. Tolerances

5. Fixturing.

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Graphics of CAD/CAM Support

> Catia Software

> AutoCAD

> Pro Engineer

> Solidworks

> MasterCAM

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