CAD/CAM/CIM

This new edition of CAD/CAM/CIM has been incorporated with a few additions to provide the readers information on latest developments in this field.Computer integrated manufacturing started with software-based automation in combination with hardware.Current trends in manufacture such as digitization, including the shift to mass customization, led to significant changes in manufacturing. The details of this digital transformation have been dealt in detail in several chapters of this book. We are currently going through the fourth industrial revolution. Thanks to the resurgence of robotics and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science and analytics and cloud computing. This development as far as manufacturing is concerned is widely referred as Industry 4.0. The framework of the industry 4.0 concept has a long history starting with stand-alone mechatronic systems leading to cyber-physical and eventually autonomous systems to the final degree of autonomation.Manufacturing engineers need to have a comprehensive understanding of computer networking. Apart from actual manufacturing, acquisition of manufacturing data is very important for downstream processing of manufacturing information. Today efficient operation of manufacturing requires communication between machines, robots and other production equipment. Technologies like MT-Connect have been developed to enable communication between manufacturing equipment.This book is written for mechanical and manufacturing engineering students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.Dr. P Radhakrishnan has about three decades of experience in design, consultancy and teaching of CIM.A graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Government Engineering College, Trichur, Dr. Radhakrishnan did his postgraduate studies in mechanical engineering from IIT Madras, Chennai. He was awarded PhD by Madras University for his research in PSG College of Technology. He was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in PSG College of Technology, Head of CAD/CAM Centre, and later became the Principal. He was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of VIT University and is a former Director of PSG Institute of Advanced Studies.Dr. S Subramanyan, former Principal of PSG College of Technology and former Vice Chancellor of Bharathiar University had his education from PSG College of Technology, Imperial College, London and University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. He was a post doctoral fellow in the University of Kingston and University of Alberta. He has considerable expertise in computer systems and computer networking.Dr. Venkitaswamy Raju, is a former Vice Chancellor of VIT University. Earlier he was the Dean of the School of Engineering Technology in Farmingdale College, SUNY. His expertise is in computer integrated manufacturing, having spearheaded the development of CIM program and electronic automation in RIT, Rochester in the capacity of Professor of Manufacturing Technology. He later served as the faculty of Purdue University and Florida A & M University.