COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING I

INTRODUCTION 
The technology that has the greatest impact on the production system over the last decades is
computer technology. For any meaningful technological, or industrial design, or manufacturing
breakthrough in developing countries like Nigeria, it is time to abandon the old traditional ways
of manual preparation in favour of more consistent and faster tool as Computer-Aided
Design/Drafting/Manufacturing/Process Planning/Computer Aided Engineering
(CAD/CADD/CAM/CAPP/CAE), so that fast accurate data drawings and manufactured products
can be correctly obtained in good time.
The basic concepts, challenges and motivation of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) in
developing countries like Nigerian is looked at in this paper using twenty six (26) Industries
scattered in the Southern part of Nigeria.
National and International competition in manufacturing is causing industrial leaders to look at
new strategies for remaining competitive and improving quality in their products.
Developments in the computer industry are having profound impact on the manufacturing
industries from design to machine processing as well as the management and marketing
components.
Governments of all industrialized countries place great emphasis on the development of their
manufacturing sectors. It is great importance, not only as a means of supporting sustainable
growth, but also because of the nature of the technological developments that have taken
place particularly over the last decade. Industrialization has a particular significant role to play
in the amelioration of power and unemployment. Acceleration of industrial development of any
nation depends on maximum utilization of Industrial Automation and Computer Aided
Engineering (CAE). Therefore, the Nigerian Industries will have to imbibe the Computer Aided
Engineering and its entire facet for improved productivity and rapid product development
The trend in manufacturing call for the development of the following modern day
manufacturing systems. There are:
- Global competition in the manufacturing market;
- Customers now demanded high-quality goods, with low production cost and timely
delivery of manufacturing products.
- Increase in the variety of products produced, thereby choosing the product life
cycles to be shorter.
Therefore, the modern day technology that manufacturing systems make use of are discussed
in this write up..
Manufacturing system entails a large number of interdependent activities consisting of distinct
entities such as materials, tools, machine, power, and human beings. It is a complex system
because it is comprised of many diverse physical and, human elements. The choice are manyso the manufacturing engineers should be able to select correct which one to choose, that will
profit the whole manufacturing system.

 BASIC CONCEPTS 
Computers are widely used throughout manufacturing industry. Hence in this paper
introduction is made to all the relevant basic concepts of the computer applications to
COMPUTER
Computer is a machine that handles information with amazing speed. It works with such
information as names and address hook titles, lists of item sold in stores, mathematical
problems and weather forecasts. It handles information in the form of numbers. It solves
problems dealing numbers. The fattest computers can do millions of problems in a few seconds
(4,5,6).
A computer by definition simply adds, subtracts, compares and store data. Computers are
universally recognized as the most powerful and effective tool for improving productivity in
industry, which is the single, most important concern of every manufacturing manager.
Computers excel in three areas of manufacture namely:
- Collecting information:
- Reaching a decision; and
- Issuing and order. 

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Computer Aided Quality Control or CAQC

What is Computer Aided Quality Control or CAQC?

The use of the computers for quality control of the product is called as the computer aided quality control or CAQC. The two major parts of quality control are inspection and testing, which are traditionally performed manually with the help of gages, measuring devices and the testing apparatus. The two major parts of computer aided quality control are computer aided inspection (CAI) and computer aided testing (CAT). CAI and CAT are performed by using the latest computer automation and sensor technology. CAI and CAT are the standalone systems and without them the full potential of CAQC cannot be achieved.

The main objectives of the CAQC are to improve the quality of the product, increase the productivity in the inspection process and reduce the lead times in manufacturing. The implementation of CAQC in the company results in the major change in the way the process of quality control is carried out in the company.

Important Points and Advantages of Computer Aided Quality Control or CAQC

Here are the advantages and the highlights of the computer aided quality control process:

1) 100% testing and inspection: In the traditional manual process the testing and inspection is done by the sampling process out of the hundreds and thousands of products or parts manufactured by the company since it is not feasible to check each and every product. With CAI and CAT hundred percent inspection and testing can be accomplished without much difficulty. With 100% inspection the company does not have to depend on statistical quality control method in which it is assumed that anything less than 100% of quality is acceptable. With computer controlled inspection, it is not necessary for the quality control department to settle for less than perfection.

2) Inspection integrated with manufacturing process: In the traditional process there is separate quality control department where the manufactured product is taken for the inspection and testing. In CAQC the inspection process is integrated with the manufacturing process and it is located along the production line. Thus as soon as the product is manufactured it is tested immediately by the computerized process without moving it to some other location. This helps in reducing the overall time required for manufacturing the product.

3) Use of non-contact sensors: In the traditional process the product or the part to be inspected is handled manually since it has to be positioned properly for inspection on the desk or suitable location. In CAQC non-contact sensors are used for the inspection purpose and they inspect the product without coming in contact with the product. The non-contact sensors operated by the computer are kept along the production line and they can check the product very quickly in the fraction of seconds. In future with further advancements in the technology, the robots would be used to carry-out the inspection process thus further automating and speeding the process.

4) Computerized feedback control system: The data collected by the non-contact sensors is sent as the feedback to the computerized control systems. These systems would carry out the analysis of the data including statistical trend analysis. This helps in identifying the problem going on in the manufacturing line and find appropriate solution to it. For instance, the results from non-contact sensors may indicate that the parts manufactured are not within the acceptable tolerance limits. This would help the production or quality control personnel to find out the precise location of the problem and its exact cause. The corrective action taken quickly saves lots of time and money due to reduced wastages and also improves the quality of the product.

5) Computer aided quality control and CAD/CAM integration: Apart from inspection and testing, computers are used in a number of other areas of the quality control. All the applications of CAQC can be integrated with CAD/CAM to make the whole process of designing and manufacturing controlled by the computers converted into fully automated process.

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