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www.johnstark.com |
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Ideally, CAD/CAM/CAE system development should occur both through the implementation of new versions released by the vendor and from internal developments linking it to other systems in the company. Great advances have been made in improving the capabilities of CAD/CAM/CAE systems over the last 30 years, and it can be expected that important advances will also be made in the future. A company should ensure that it selects a system with a potential for future development. With a few exceptions, it appears that individual CAD/CAM/CAE systems have a limited lifetime (of about 10 years) after which it becomes very difficult to maintain them at the level of advancing technology. Among new technologies which have caused problems to the smooth development of CAD/CAM/CAE systems are the change from 16 bit to 32 bit computers, the change from vector to color raster graphic screens, the introduction of surface and solid modeling, implementation of stand-alone engineering workstations, and new software, data management, and numerical analysis techniques. During the initial selection process it is important to evaluate the development history and potential of a system and its vendor. By looking at the developments made to a system over the last few years, it is possible to learn something about the ability of the vendor to develop the system. Existing users of a system can be asked about the relationship between a vendor's development plans and the actual developments released. It is also useful to look at the development plan proposed for the coming years, although this information may be of little use if the vendor has failed to meet targets in the past. Developments to the CAD/CAM/CAE system made by the company generally fall into one of two categories. The first category includes the addition of specific functions not available within the system. As more and more functions become available within CAD/CAM/CAE systems there is much less need for small- to medium-sized companies to develop their own functions. The second category of developments is mainly concerned with interfacing the CAD/CAM/CAE system to other systems in the company. Improvements in productivity result from the reuse of computer-based product data. They will not occur if the CAD/CAM/CAE system is seen as a closed system into which all data is entered by hand, and from which data can only leave in the form of drawings. Most companies have a need to interface other systems to the CAD/CAM/CAE system. Interfaces invariably involve data transfer, and problems may well arise with vendors loath to disclose where and how data is stored in their systems. Company-developed interfaces must be well documented. All too often they are not, and knowledge of how they work remains in the head of one person. Such interfaces are very difficult to operate and maintain. |