COMPUTER-ASSISTED EVERYTHING - TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

This article discusses applications of computer-assisted technologies in both product design/development and manufacturing. The intent is to explore the capabilities - and limits - of computer-automated engineering and manufacturing, and examine the impacts on international competitiveness. The conclusions in brief: 1. Computer-assisted everything, or CAX, will prove to be a receding goal for the foreseeable future. Many technical limitations, typically associated with computational complexity, must still be overcome; as one set of problems is solved, others will appear. No end is yet in sight. 2. Although the United States has led for many years in the development of CAX technologies, American firms have not been able to use the resulting capabilities to establish substantial competitive advantages. There are two primary reasons. On the product side, computer-aided engineering remains mostly a matter of analysis (that is, solving complicated mathematical problems) rather than conceptualization and design, while it is design decisions that largely determine both product performance and manufacturing costs. Second, effective application of CAX in manufacturing requires effective integration of people and machines; US capabilities in computer applications do not extend to making the best use of people's skills and abilities on the factory floor.