Teaching approach to free-form surfaces and milling tool paths aimed at demonstrating CAD/CAM integration based on open-source software

The widely used approach to teaching computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM) integration in undergraduate courses, based mainly on the offer of didactic-textual materials and classroom activities, has not been well received by engineering students. The main reasons are that the method is dependent on specific resources in the software, which promotes highly time‐consuming operations, and the algorithms and operations that run in background are invisible to the students. The objective of this study was to use open-source software to demonstrate how the CAD/CAM software programs are integrated, based on parametric curves and surfaces, linear transformations, offset surfaces and transparent algorithms. To achieve this goal, a free-form surface was created and strategies to generate milling tool paths were investigated, to help undergraduate engineering students understand how the proprietary solution works inside commercial software programs. Real-time visual results were obtained with GeoGebra® and the students were encouraged to apply knowledge from previous basic engineering courses, which allows an intuitive insight. This increases interest in the engineering fields and enhances the development of the student’s professional skills. A proposed approach is the combination of theoretical and practical issues, allowing distance learning and the use of technology-based tools in classroom teaching.