- [Instructor] CAD designs represent
the ideal geometry of a part.
When that part is manufactured,
the reality of machine physics
and material properties will impact
how closely the manufactured part matches the CAD design.
Computer-aided machining software
or CAM software translates the CAD design
into instructions that can be sent to a CNC machine tool
to control how that machine tool fabricates a part.
These instructions correspond to a list
of movements that the machine will be commanded to make.
Although the surface of a physical object
may form continuous lines and curves,
the tool paths generated by CAM software
are made up of a collection of points
that the machine will move through.
The more points used in a tool path,
the smoother the profile of the movement will be
but the slower the machine will move.
This represents a trade-off
between speed and precision.
Since the tool path and machine control instructions
generated by the CAM software
may not incorporate information about expected tolerances
of the part to be manufactured,
it is up to the operator
to understand how tool paths and feed rates
may impact the tolerances of the final manufactured part.