Insights on CAD/CAM, CNC Machines, and Industrial Robots

While everyone discusses the future of smart manufacturing, most companies are still grappling with a fundamental question: How do you actually choose the right software to get there? In this latest industry study by Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions and EY-Parthenon teams, 350 component manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, medical, and other critical sectors were surveyed to uncover the real priorities driving software adoption in 2025. What they discovered challenges conventional wisdom about how manufacturers approach technology investments—and reveals game-changing trends that forward-thinking companies are already acting on.

As the manufacturing sector hurtles further into digital transformation, the cybersecurity challenges will continue to evolve. Future factories will likely be even more connected – envision fully “lights-out” facilities where AI systems coordinate robotics and machines with minimal human intervention, or widespread use of 5G wireless networks on the shop floor to link hundreds of devices in real time. This increased connectivity and automation could introduce new vulnerabilities.

How software vendors are redefining their business models by prioritizing high-value, complex machining strategies - from advanced multi-axis operations to digital twin integration - and how this strategic pivot is reshaping the economics, technology, and human roles at the heart of digital manufacturing worldwide.

Explore the fascinating evolution of Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) in machining - from its origins in 1950s military projects to today’s cloud-powered platforms. This deep-dive article traces the rise and fall of pioneering countries, companies, and technologies that shaped the global CAM landscape. Discover how innovations in NC, 3D modeling, and multi-axis machining redefined industry, and why many of today’s CAM systems still bear the legacy of a few visionary engineers.

The global market for computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software continued its steady expansion in 2024, driven by surging digitalization in product development and production. CAD/CAM tools have become indispensable across industries – from drafting factory layouts to programming precision machining - fueling consistent demand growth. This editorial analysis examines the market’s current size and growth trajectory, regional dynamics, leading vendors, key industry adopters, notable developments in 2024, forecasts through 2030, and the technological trends reshaping the CAD/CAM landscape.

Every CNC-machined part begins its life in the digital world - as a 3D model in CAD, shaped and refined through CAM strategies. Toolpaths are simulated, feeds and speeds optimized, collisions avoided. But none of this reaches the machine directly. There’s a crucial, often overlooked step in the process: post-processing.

CAM systems are among the most enduring tools in an engineer’s workflow. While the manufacturing software ecosystem is evolving rapidly - with AI, cloud collaboration, and generative automation - most users remain deeply loyal to their first CAM platform. This consistency isn't born of marketing or inertia alone. It runs deeper.

From virtual toolpaths to physical precision - an in-depth introductory exploration of how CAM systems translate digital models into executable CNC instructions for contemporary manufacturing environments.

Every object that surrounds you - from the chair you sit on to the car you drive or the device you’re holding - is likely the result of a digital process that began long before it ever touched the physical world. Behind these creations are three quietly powerful technologies: CAD, CAM, and CAE. Together, they form the triad that powers modern engineering and manufacturing. Yet despite their profound influence, these acronyms are often misunderstood by those outside the engineering world. What exactly do they mean? And why do they matter?