Computer aided manufacturing CAM

Computer aided draughting (CAD sometimes referred to as computer aided design) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) has allowed computer numerical control (CNC) of highly-automated end-to-end component design and manufacture.

Computers can produce files that translate design information into commands to operate machines, singularly or collectively, to perform pre-set sequences of tasks in the production of building components.

Modern machinery can be multi-functional, combining a number of tools in a single cell, or may deploy a number of different machines programmed to operate when the component is moved from machine to machine, either by human intervention or by computer control. In either case a series of steps are programmed to produce highly-automated components that closely match the original design.

The following functions lend themselves to this technology:

• Hole punching or drilling.
• Sawing.
• Laser cutting.
• Flame and plasma cutting.
• Bending.
• Spinning.
• Routing and milling.
• Pinning.
• Gluing.
• Fabric cutting.
• Picking and placing.
• Tape and fabric placement.

It can be relatively 'low-tech', such as the WikiHouse initiative, which enables users to generate cutting files for components that can be manufactured from standard sheet materials such as plywood using a CNC router. The components can then be assembled, forming joints with pegs and wedges to create a basic dwelling.

However, the movement from 2D CAD to 3D BIM may enable the manufacture of entire assemblies using rapidly advancing robotic technology long established in the automotive industry. However, this is expensive technology and requires a protected, predictable environment. It also requires repetition and high numbers of units to make the investment in the robotics technology required viable. Consequently, CAM is most likely to be taken up in off-site pre-fabrication facilities for the development of repetitive building types such as in the residential market.

It may however, develop with the emergence of 'flying factories', temporary facilities used to manufacture prefabricated components. They are different from conventional off-site factories in that they only operate for the duration of a project and are then closed. Operations may then 'fly' to a new location to service another project. See flying factory for more information.

Computer aided manufacturing may also be transformed by the emergence of economically-viable 3D printing (sometimes referred to as Additive Manufacturing (AM)). This the computer-controlled sequential layering of materials to create 3 dimensional shapes. It is particularly useful for prototyping and for the manufacture of geometrically complex components. See 3D printing for more information.

Neural CAD is a further development that is likely to impact CAM moving forward. The term is likely to have first been used (in relation to a specific commercial application) by Autodesk during their Autodesk university event in September 2025, in particular Mike Haley, leader of the machine intelligence group at Autodesk Research.

Neural CAD refers to a new category of generative AI foundation models which are designed to directly reason with and create CAD geometry through prompts. Autodesk defines this as where AI models are trained to understand and generate editable Boundary Representations (BREP) geometry, which are ready to edit parametric models rather than static forms, from text prompts. This work moves beyond simple Large Language Model (LLM) integration into completely new CAD engines, where by initial base models can be created from prompts such as 'design a chair' whereby the creation is an editable 3D CAD model as opposed to a 3D form or image that can then be fed to a CAM machine. see AU 2025 The Design & Make Conference

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Advanced construction technology.
• Building drawing software.
• Building information modelling.
• COBie.
• Collaborative practices.
• Common data environment.
• Computer aided design.
• Computers in building design.
• Computers in tendering.
• Computers in the management of construction.
• Industry Foundation Classes.
• Information manager.
• Information and communications technology.
• LEXiCON.
• PAS 1192-2:2013.
• Production information.
• Rapid prototyping.
• Robots.
• Uniclass.