A couple of decades back, the work of designing and manufacturing was done separately, which was highly cumbersome and has so many disadvantages. However, with the introduction of the CAD/CAM software there has been an integration of designing and manufacturing processes. There are several CAD/CAM online courses that can enlighten you on the several CAD/CAM software that can be used to produce finished products, both designing and manufacturing.
The numerous advantages of CAD/CAM have increased its demand in almost every field, like civil, mechanical, architecture, and many more.
The use CAD and CAM enable automated transition from designing to manufacturing, where CAD is concerned with designing and CAM with manufacturing. Since, they both are used in combination, this has eliminated the time gap between the two processes as well the duplication of the efforts that existed in the traditional designing process, which proves out to be a great advantage of CAD/CAM.
One of the greatest benefits of using computer aided design and drafting software is the ease of manufacturing. Not just the use of CAD/CAM saves time, but specifying the tools used to perform a particular job becomes easy as all the drawings describing dimensions and materials for the job are readily available from the CAD.
The programming has also become easier as all the data related to the materials; dimensions, finish required, etc. are mentioned in the final design of the product (provided by CAD) and can be used directly for developing the program using CAM.
Before starting the actual manufacturing of the products, their 3D models can be seen on your computer system and any kind of error in designing and drawing can be eliminated before starting the actual manufacturing.
The industry trend demonstrates a huge shift in working methodologies with major U.S. companies already outsourcing their CAD/CAM needs. By 2015, Forrester Research (a business analysis firm) expects over 3.3 million jobs to be transferred from United States to other nations. Given the constant boom in the automotive, construction and civil sectors, a career in CAD/CAM field is highly promising for engineering candidates.
The phenomenal automation capabilities of CAD/CAM software facilitate smoother and faster business functions. Used both for designing products and automating the manufacturing processes, CAD/CAM applications facilitate higher accuracy in the final output. CAD/CAM software is most often used for machining of prototypes and finished parts.
In terms of deciding which software to learn, the decision depends on the engineering field you come from – mechanical, civil or automotive.