Design/manufacturing: Integrating CAD with CAM is the major challenge for automating a complete design-to-manufacturing process

Design automation in 1982 made significant steps away from the electronic drafting board toward more sophisticated aids, with the introduction of products aimed at computer-aided engineering (CAE) for both electrical and mechanical engineers. The products, when coupled with computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems, including recent advances in robotic technology, could lead to significant increases in productivity. However, the integration of computer-aided design (CAD) with CAM is not yet complete and poses a challenge for the next several years.