Applications of Computational Geometry in CAD/CAM

In this post we will discuss about how computational geometry is used in the field of 'Computer aided Design' & 'Computer aided Manufacturing' but before that let's get an idea of what basically CAD/CAM is?

Computer aided Design (CAD) deals with designing of various products with the help of a computer. The products can vary from machine parts, printed circuit boards or furniture, to complete buildings. In all cases the resulting product is a geometric entity, so that a computer model of the product is created which is defined by geometrical parameters.These models typically appear on a computer screen as a three-dimensional representation of a part, which can be easily modified by changing relevant parameters. Designers can view objects under a wide variety of representations and can test these objects by simulating real-world conditions.

Once the design and testing of the object is done, it has to be manufactured. Here we need Computer aided Manufacturing (CAM). Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) is basically the use of software and computer-controlled machinery to automate a manufacturing process. Once the designed model is imported into CAM, the software starts preparing the model for machining. Machining is the controlled process of transforming raw material into a defined shape through actions like drilling, cutting, or boring.

Simply one can say, CAD focuses on the design of a product or part. How it looks, how it functions and CAM focuses on how to make it.

Now let's see an example to understand how the geometric problems can be easily solved with CAD/CAM.

Manufacturing of objects with molds is a task in which both CAD and CAM plays an important role throughout the process. To manufacture an object with the help of a mold it is very important to have an perfect error-less mold so that the resultant object is exactly what was desired and best-fit for the job it is designed for. Molds with errors can result into huge waste of material as well as capital. That's why developing a mold is a crucial step and CAD makes such tasks very simple and accurate for designers. Computer software is used to make a 3-D design of the mold and which also can be used to modify, analyse and optimize the design. 

As the design gets ready it is loaded in CAM software and manufacturing of the mold is started for which automated i.e computer controlled machinery can be used. This process of manufacturing is nothing but Computer aided Manufacturing (CAM). 

From this example it can be clearly seen that designing a product needs its geometric specifications such as its shape, length, width, corners, edges etc and it can be concluded that, use of CAD/CAM software improve the quality of design, increases the productivity of the designer, improves communications through documentation, and to create a database for manufacturing.

There are various other applications of computational geometry in many fields some of them are discussed in other posts of this blog.

Thanks for reading.