Industrial electronics: Our computers aren´t speaking: Innovation in computer-based manufacturing has led to a pressing need for interface standards

Discusses the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES), a project of the US Air Force ICAM (integrated computer-aided manufacturing) program intended to meet the need for interface standards. IGES offers a solution to the interface problem for CAD equipment using wire-frame figures from different manufacturers. IGES is a communication file structure for data produced with and used by CAD and CAM systems. It serves as a receptacle for the data generated by interactive graphics design-drafting systems and is a common basis for the automatic interchange of data between these systems, for the transfer of data to and from external application programs.