Go-Between

This article discusses shop floor software that taps into CAD systems to get vital manufacturing information. Manufacturing and mechanical engineers find themselves linked by more than just the words in their job titles. Although they might inhabit different parts of the plant or work at separate companies, the engineers have always worked together to turn a design into a part. Now, software that makes it easier to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing has stepped up that cooperation. Computer-aided design systems have long been linked with the computer-aided manufacturing software that directs manufacturing equipment. CAM software takes CAD data to the shop floor by essentially telling shop floor machines how to make a part. Inspection applications take CAD data out to the shop floor to check part specifications against the finished product. They might not spell the doom of Inspector Nine at the end of the assembly line, but those software tools prove invaluable to check manufactured parts against the original CAD design.