Advances in Cad/CAM

To understand what we know and be aware of what is to be known has become the central focus in the treatment of CAD/CAM issues. It has been some time since we began treating issues arriving from engineering data handling in a low key fashion because of its housekeeping chores and data maintenance aspects representing nonglamorous issues related to automation. Since the advent of CAD/CAM, large numbers of data bases have been generated through standalone CAD systems. And the rate of this automated means of generating data is rapidly increasing; this is possibly the key factor in changing our way of looking at engineering data related problems. As one deeply involved with engineering data handling and CAD/CAM applications, I know that to succeed, we must do our homework: tracking the trends, keeping abreast of new technologies, new applications, new companies and products that are exploding on the scene every day. In today's fast-paced information handling era, just keeping up is a full-time job. That is why ATI has initiated these publications, in order to bring to the users some of the information regarding their experiences in the important fields of CAD/CAM and engineering data handling. This volume contains some of the paper, including revisions, which were presented at the Fifth Automation Technology Conference held in Monterey, California. A series of publications has been initiated through cooperation between ATI and the Kluwer Academic Publishers. The first volume was Advances in Engineering Data Handling-Case Studies.

1. Directions for Engineering Data Exchange for Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing. - 2. Integrating Engineering and Manufacturing. - 3. Applications and Benefits of CAD/CAM Data in the Manufacturing Environment. - 4. Release Control, Configuration Management, Design Retrieval, and Remote Viewing of CAD Generated Product Definition Drawings. - 5. Automation Technology: The Key to Our Productive Future. - 6. Creating an EDP Architecture via Computer Graphics A Tool for Systems Integration Management. - 7. Operation of Jukebox Optical Disk over a Local Area Network. - 8. Raster Scan Technology Opens New Frontiers for the Microimaged Engineering Drawing. - 9. Computer-Aided Technical Publications. - 10. Image Processing Technology Applied to Engineering Document Management Systems. - 11. Solids Modeling in Engineering Documentation. - 12. The Impact of Optical Storage Technology on Image Processing Systems. - 13. Mass Storage Systems from the User Point of View. - 14. 3M Multifunction Printer for CAD. - 15. The National Coal Liquefaction Technology Data Base System. - 16. Problems in Integrating and Automating a Multi-Site/Multi-Sponsor Test Data Collection and Reporting System. - 17. Optical Storage of Digital Data on Video Disks for Distributing Engineering Data and Technical Documentation. - 18. An Integrative Approach to Engineering Data and Automatic Project Coordination. - 19. Strategic Project Methodology for a Computer-Aided Engineering Design System. - 20. DEMAND: The First Operational Optical Disk-Based Demand Printing System.