From the course: Introduction to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing

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CAM vs. Reality

CAM vs. Reality

From the course: Introduction to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing

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CAM vs. Reality

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- [Instructor] CAD designs represent the ideal geometry of a part. When that part is manufactured, the reality of machine physics and material properties will impact how closely the manufactured part matches the CAD design. Computer-aided machining software or CAM software translates the CAD design into instructions that can be sent to a CNC machine tool to control how that machine tool fabricates a part. These instructions correspond to a list of movements that the machine will be commanded to make. Although the surface of a physical object may form continuous lines and curves, the tool paths generated by CAM software are made up of a collection of points that the machine will move through. The more points used in a tool path, the smoother the profile of the movement will be but the slower the machine will move. This represents a trade-off between speed and precision. Since the tool path and machine control instructions generated by the CAM software may not incorporate information…

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