DRIVING CAD/CAM IN DISCRETE INDUSTRY VIA ADDITIVE

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING COMBINED WITH CAD/CAM WILL MAKE THE LARGEST ECONOMIC IMPACT ON DISCRETE MANUFACTURING

- SUJATHA VISHNURAJ

DISCRETE MANUFACTURING IS THE PRODUCTION of separate, distinct items. It is often characterized by individual or separate unit production. The processes deployed in discrete manufacturing are not continuous in nature. Each process can be individually started or stopped and can be run at varying production rates. The final product may be produced out of single or multiple inputs. These products are increasingly produced by global, distributed networks that are increasingly decentralised from OEMs. Distributed production paradigms have proliferated as OEMs have transformed to system integrators that assemble and integrate their products and manage their supply chains.