Publisher's Synopsis
Computer technology is rapidly changing the design and production of discrete goods such as machine parts and printed circuit boards. Fueled by recent advances in computer hardware and software, a major effort is underway throughout the world to develop integrated, flexible, programmable, and highly automated systems for supporting engineering design, manufacturing and management. This book presents a cross-section of current developments. The situation in such fields as computer graphics, geometric modelling, and engineering data bases is discussed in survey articles. Research contributions address important topics in the computer-aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM) of mechanical and electronic products. Case studies describing the introduction of CAD/CAM in industry are presented, integration and communication issues are addressed, and educational and socio-economic aspects of CAD/CAM are discussed.