机械专业英语董建国第24篇.ppt

Unit 24 TEXT READING MATERIAL Unit 24 TEXT Computer Aided Manufacturing Computer aided manufacturing(CAM) started with NC in 1949 at MIT. This project, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, was the first application of computer technology to control the operation of a milling machine. Standard NC machines greatly reduced the machining time required to produce a part or complete a production run of parts, but the overall operation was still time-consuming. Tape had to be prepared for the part, editing the program would result in making a new tape, and tapes had to be rewound each time a part was completed. With this in mind, the machine manufacturers added a computer to the existing NC machine, introducing the beginning of CNC. The addition of the computer greatly increased the flexibility of the machine tool. The parts program was now run from the computer’s memory instead of from a tape that had to be rewound. Any revisions or editing of the program could be done at the machine, and changes could be stored. As the machine tool manufacturers continued to improve the efficiency of their machines, the computer capabilities were greatly increased to programmable microprocessors, and many time-saving devices were introduced to increase the machine’s cutting time and reduce downtime. Some of these machine options are automatic tool changers, parts loaders and unloaders, chip conveyors, tool wear monitors, in-process gaging and robots—which brings us to today’s machining centers. CAM uses all the advanced technologies to automate the operations in manufacturing and handle the data that drives the process. The tools of CAM include computer technologies, CAE, and robotics. CAM uses all these technologies to join the process of design with automated production machine tools, material handling equipment, and control systems. Without computers, the most important tool in industry, the productivity of the United States would be in serious trouble. Comput