diagram of a controller station, and figure 2-21 shows
the tool path into codes that the computer on the
a controller.
machine can understand.
The system that makes all this possible is known as
computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing
(CAD/CAM). There are several CAD/CAM software
programs and they are constantly being upgraded and
made more user friendly.
To state it simply, CAD is used to draw the part
and to define the tool path, and CAM is used to convert
We want to emphasize that this is a brief overview
of CNC. It is a complicated subject and many books
have been written about it. Before you can work with
CNC, you will need both formal and on-the-job
training. This training will become more available as
the Navy expands its use of CNC.
2-13
