SIMPLE CADCAM PROCEDURES FOR COMPLEX-SHAPED COMPONENTS

The paper outlines a new approach to CADCAM compatible with the needs and skills of small toolmaking companies. The approach is directed pri marily to the production of complex shaped tooling for EDM, and embrac es the whole process from 2-D part drawings to machined graphite elect rodes. The key is to reject the notion that the CAD surface model shou ld be absolutely correct and to establish a practical balance of toler ances between the design and manufacturing phases. This leads to a new strategy for surface modelling which is virtually automatic and a new method for surface machining based on cross-sectional curves.