Computer Integrated Manufacturing
In an ideal situation for a woodworking company, computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) operations involves the creation and design of new products using computer technology, the conversion of the designs into ...
Computer Integrated Manufacturing
In an ideal situation for a woodworking company, computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) operations involves the creation and design of new products using computer technology, the conversion of the designs into operational instructions and the actual production of finished products using the instructions.
The main structure of CIM is derived from computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). CAD hardware and software capabilities have progressed rapidly in recent years, enabling woodworkers to create design drawings and specifications without a drawing board and with a high level of precision. Using CAD, products and their components can be created, their dimensions changed, and features checked without the need for expensive prototypes. This has led to enormous savings of time and money in the woodworking industry. On the other hand CAM is more ambitious than CAD if it is used in its broadest sense of taking the CAD generated design and following it through to the finished product.
The most notable improvement in computer integrated operations in recent times has been in the realm of price performance. System standards are now simplifying application development and the availability of these tools is allowing woodworkers to design and develop products at prices that would not have been possible a few years ago.
With the improvement in computer performance and reduction in storage costs, woodworkers are in an age where they have the capacity to store additional knowledge more cheaply. Until recently the cost and performance of computer resources made it expensive to capture the extent of information required to solve operational problems. The progression towards the capabilities we know today can be seen in CAD databases. It is the application of newly available computer tools and resources which allow for such dramatic increases in the amount of knowledge which can be stored and interacted with in a database. Similarly knowledge has been captured in the application of software which accesses these databases.
With constant demands for new, improved products to be delivered quickly, equipment is under increased pressure to speed designs to market, without sacrificing cost or quality. Modern tools embodied in new workstations, new software development tools and new engineering application software forces woodworkers to reevaluate expectations such as faster, better decisions with greater concern for quality and safety. This must be combined with pressure to reduce costs, integrate new materials and solve design problems with far greater ease.
The main structure of CIM is derived from computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). CAD hardware and software capabilities have progressed rapidly in recent years, enabling woodworkers to create design drawings and specifications without a drawing board and with a high level of precision. Using CAD, products and their components can be created, their dimensions changed, and features checked without the need for expensive prototypes. This has led to enormous savings of time and money in the woodworking industry. On the other hand CAM is more ambitious than CAD if it is used in its broadest sense of taking the CAD generated design and following it through to the finished product.
The most notable improvement in computer integrated operations in recent times has been in the realm of price performance. System standards are now simplifying application development and the availability of these tools is allowing woodworkers to design and develop products at prices that would not have been possible a few years ago.
With the improvement in computer performance and reduction in storage costs, woodworkers are in an age where they have the capacity to store additional knowledge more cheaply. Until recently the cost and performance of computer resources made it expensive to capture the extent of information required to solve operational problems. The progression towards the capabilities we know today can be seen in CAD databases. It is the application of newly available computer tools and resources which allow for such dramatic increases in the amount of knowledge which can be stored and interacted with in a database. Similarly knowledge has been captured in the application of software which accesses these databases.
With constant demands for new, improved products to be delivered quickly, equipment is under increased pressure to speed designs to market, without sacrificing cost or quality. Modern tools embodied in new workstations, new software development tools and new engineering application software forces woodworkers to reevaluate expectations such as faster, better decisions with greater concern for quality and safety. This must be combined with pressure to reduce costs, integrate new materials and solve design problems with far greater ease.
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