A Report

On
Role of CAD/CAM/CAE Softwares in
Modern Manufacturing Industries

Submitted to-
Dr. Devender Kumar

Submitted by-
Ashutosh Suri
M.E. CAD/CAM
801884004
Submitted on-
09-05-2019

COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

 Introduction to CAD/CAM/CAE

CAD stands for COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN/DRAFTING

CAM stands for COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURING
CAE stands for COMPUTER AIDED ENGINEERING
What is CAD? What is CAE? What is CAM? What are these softwares and how are they different
from one another? The first thing to know about all three of these systems is the first two letters in
each abbreviation. “CA” stands to Computer-Aided, which means that all three systems are created
to help the user to achieve his goal faster by using the power of computers for processing. The last
letter for CAD, is Design, for CAE, is Engineering, and for CAM, is Manufacturing. These are
engineering and manufacturing software programs. Each one is has its own purpose.

FIG. 1

CAD softwares are used for making 2D/3D CAD drawings/CAD models.
Whereas CAM softwares are used for designing the whole manufacturing process from
manufacturing codes to finishing processes.
CAE softwares are used for analysis to prevent any kind of failure in real working conditions.
Using computational tools design is went through several iterations. Analysis softwares use CFD,
FEM etc. tools for analysis.

Computer-Aided Design Overview

A CAD program is a computer technology that designs a product and documents the design phase
of the engineering process. CAD may facilitate the manufacturing process by transferring
detailed diagrams of product’s materials, processes, tolerances, and dimensions. It can be used
to produce either 2D or 3D diagrams, which can then be rotated to be viewed from any angle,
even from the inside looking out.
Computer-Aided Design is the use of computer systems to assist in the creation, modification,
and optimization of design. This is often considered an engineering software program.

FIG. 2 Example of a CAD drawing

Modern CAD Programs can improve the following:
 Increase the Productivity of the Engineer
 Improve the Quality of Design
 Improve Communications through Documentation
 Create a Database for Manufacturing
CAD output is often in the form of electronic files for print, machining, or other manufacturing
operations.
Modern CAD programs for mechanical design uses either vector-based graphics for objects, or
may produce raster graphics showing the overall appearance of design objects.
However, engineering software programs require more than just shapes. As in the manual
drafting or technical and engineering drawings, the output of CAD programs must convey
information, such as materials, processes, dimensions, and tolerances, according to application-
specific conventions.
CAD is important industrial art extensively used in many applications, including automotive,
shipbuilding, and aerospace industries, architecture, prosthetics, and much more. CAD is also
widely used to produce computer animation for special effects in movies, advertising, and
technical manuals, often called DCC (digital content creation). CAD has been a major driving
force for research in computational geometry, computer graphics, and discrete geometry.
Modern CAD Programs Uses
Computer-Aided Design is one of the many tools used by engineers and designers and is used in
many ways depending on the profession of the user and the type of software in question. CAD is
one part of the whole Digital Product Development (DPD) activity within the Product Lifecycle
Management (PLM) processes, and as such CAD programs are used together with other tools,
which are either integrated modules or stand-alone products such as:
 Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE)
 Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
 Photo Realistic Rendering
 Document Management and Revision Control using Product Data Management (PDM)
Who Uses Computer-Aided Design
Here is a short list of some people who would most likely use CAD in the job.
1. Architectures
2. Civil Engineers
3. Electrical Engineers
4. Facilities Manager
5. Interior Designers
6. Mechanical Engineers
7. Structural Engineers
8. Surveyors
9. Manufacturing Engineers
10. Acoustics Engineers
11. Fire Protection Engineers
12. Food Services Designers
This list goes on and on. Computer-Aided Design is used in many industries from aerospace,
automotive, textiles, electronics, and much more. Computer-Aided Design allows companies to
explore modelled ideas before physical prototyping is implemented. Mainly engineering software
programs are utilized by engineers.
Best CAD softwares available in the market are:
1. SolidWorks
2. SEIMENS NX
3. PTC CREO
4. CATIA
5. AUTOCAD
6. FUSION 360
7. SOLIDEDGE
8. SPACE CLAIM
Computer-Aided Manufacturing Overview
Computer-aided manufacturing is the use of computer software to control machine tools and
related machinery in the manufacturing process. It is not technically considered a system for
engineering software programs, but rather for machinist on the fabrication side. But, engineers
often get exposure to it. CAM may also refer to the use of a computer to assist in all operations
of a manufacturing plant, including planning, management, transportation and storage. Its
primary purpose is to create a faster production process and components and tooling with more
precise dimensions and material consistency. CAM is a subsequent computer-aided process after
computer-aided design (CAD) and sometimes after computer-aided engineering (CAE), as model
generated in CAD and verified in CAE can be input into CAM software, which controls the
machine tool.CAM used for Computer Numerical Controlled machines
Computer-Aided Manufacturing is the software code behind the machines that manufacture the
products. Computer Numerical Controlled machines are the devices that utilize the CAM code
for manufacturing of products. CNC machines include:
 Mills
 Lathes
 Engravers
 Surface Grinders
 Welders
 Electrical Discharge Manufacturing
Everything that an operator would be required to do with conventional machine tools is
programmable with CNC machines. CAM provides step-by-step instructions that the machine
tools will follow to complete the manufacturing of the product. Before CAM, machinist had to
manually type in the code before implementing the program. This manual input could be
laborious based on the complexity of the final product. CAM made this simpler by incorporation
intelligent software to develop the code based on the GUI (Graphical User Interface) platform.
This made manufacturing code easy to produce with little more than simply clicking a button on
the process desired and generating the code for the CNC machine.

Fig. 3 CAM
Different CAM softwares available in market are:
1. SIEMENS NX
2. MASTERCAM
3. CATIA
4. CAM work
5. Hypermill
6. HSMworks

Computer-Aided Engineering Overview

Is the broad usage of computer software to aid in engineering analysis tasks. Engineering
software programs includes finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics
(CFD), multibody dynamics (MDB), and optimization.
Engineering software programs that have been developed to support these activities are
considered CAE tools. CAE tools are being used, for example, to analyze the robustness and
performance of components and assemblies. The term encompasses simulation, validation, and
optimization of products and manufacturing tools. In the future, CAE systems will be major
providers of information to help support design teams in decision making.

In regard to information networks, CAE systems are individually considered a single node on a
total information network and each node may interact with another node on the network. These
nodes play a part in the finite element method which utilizes the existing model geometry to
construct a nodal network through the entire model which then is used to determine how the
model will perform, based on parameter input that the actual part would experience, in the real-
world. The following parameters are typically used in mechanical engineering for CAE
simulations:
 Temperature
 Pressure
 Component Interactions
 Applied Forces
 Most of the parameters used for simulation are based on the environment and interactions that
the model would experience during operation. These are inputted into the CAE software as a way
to see if the part could theoretically handle the design constraints.
CAE systems can provide support to businesses. This is achieved by the use of reference
architectures and their ability to place information views on the business process. Reference
architecture is the basis from information model, especially product and manufacturing models.
CAE areas covered included:
I. Stress Analysis on Component Assembly using FEA
II. Thermal and Fluid Flow Analysis using CFD
III. Multibody Dynamics (MBD) and Kinematics
IV. Analysis Tools for Process Simulation for Manufacturing Processes
V. Optimization of process documentation
VI. Optimization of product developing
VII. Smart nonconformity verification
VIII. Safety Analysis of Assemblies
In general, there are three phases in any computer-aided engineering tasks:
1. Pre-processing: defining the model and environmental factors to be applied.
2. Analysis Solver
3. Post-processing of results
Engineering software programs include such as Abaqus, Ansys, MSC Adams Car, and much
more. Modern CAD programs export models to engineering software programs for virtual
prototype analysis.

How CAD, CAE, and CAM work together?

A modern CAD program is necessary for using either manufacturing, CAM, or engineering
software programs, CAE. As both systems require a model in order to perform either analysis or
manufacturing. CAE requires the geometric model to determine the integrated nodal network to
use for the analysis. CAM requires the part geometry to determine machine tool routes and cuts.
Both require CAD, but CAD can be used as a standalone system for engineering virtual models.
CAD is the backbone for either CAM or CAE and is required for them to function properly. Each
software are powerful tools for engineers and machinist that make daily job functions easier and
more efficient, using them correctly would provide optimum benefit for the individuals and the
companies that utilize them.

‘CAD, CAE, and CAM all work together. CAD helps bring an idea to life
by design and modeling. CAE needs a CAD file to simulate, test, and
analyze to make sure a design can work as intended. CAM is the final
gauntlet a virtual model passes before it becomes reality. If CAE finds
that the design will fail and/or CAM determines that the part can’t be
produced, it is back to square one. But, when it works, the plan really
comes together.’