Industry-Developed CAD/CAM Software

Between the late 1950s and mid-1980s, some major automotive and aerospace companies developed their own CAD/CAM programs. They wanted to leverage the programs to replace manual drafting and design practices to improve productivity, produce better designs, and accrue both technical and economic advantages. Frequently, these internal systems featured proprietary 3-D surface modeling, numerical control program generation, and engineering analysis capabilities. While shipbuilding, architecture, petrochemical, and electronics companies also moved from manual to CAD/CAM methods, they typically trailed the automotive and aerospace companies.