• Question: what is CAM

    Asked by 632rbtm28 to Aisling, Cara, Dino, Graham, Patrick on 6 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Patrick Lynch

      Patrick Lynch answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      I think the CAM that you are talking about is an acronym for Computer Aided Manufacture. It is a very common way to manufacture something. It usually involves a mill or a drill or some other tool which is controlled very accurately by motors which are then controlled by a computer. Its a very fast and efficient way to make things

    • Photo: Graham Cullen

      Graham Cullen answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) is basically the opposite of 3D Printing. In 3D printing you start with an empty base plate and you ‘add’ material (plastic/metal/ETC…) to create the part. In CAM you start with a big block of material (Plastic/Metal/ETC…) and a drill ‘subtracts’ parts of the material to create the part.

    • Photo: Aisling Lee

      Aisling Lee answered on 7 Mar 2018:

      I take it when you say CAM you mean Computer Aided Manufacturing.
      This is when you design something and need it produced. Instead of you having to hand make it you can re-create your design in a computer software suite refered to as CAD or computer aided design (check out google sketch-up for free for 3D drawing https://www.sketchup.com/) and have the machine produce it for you.
      A lot of modern products are made using CAMs. When I was in secondary school we had a CAM machine and it made cutting out 2D and 3D designs much easier and more precise. you could consider any machine that automates a task that humans used to do as a CAM from 3D priters to sewing machines.

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