Dept of Mech. Engg. IV Sem Mech.

Chapter 9
Computer Aided Design
CAD Definition: Computer aided design (CAD) can be defined as the use of computer
systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis or optimization of a design. The
computer system consists of hardware and software to perform the specialized design
functions required by the particular user firm. The CAD hardware typically includes the
computer, one or more graphics display terminals, keyboards and other peripheral
equipment. The CAD software consists of the computer programs to implement computer
graphics on the system (system software) and application programs to facilitate the
engineering functions of the user company. The application programs include stress-strain
analysis of components, heat transfer calculations, lubrication, combustion, kinematics
and dynamics of machinery, etc. The collection of application programs will vary from
one user firm to the next depending upon product lines manufacturing process and
customer markets.
Scope of CAD System:
1. to increase the productivity of the designer
2. to improve the quality of design
3. to improve communications
4. to create database for manufacturing
Benefits of CAD:

1. Improved engineering productivity

2. Shorter lead times
3. Reduced engineering personnel requirements
4. Customer modifications are easier to make
5. Improved accuracy and design
6. Reduced errors in programming
7. Easy inspection of complicated parts
8. Saves materials and machine time and also contributes in reduced wastage
9. Better communication interfaces
10. Leads to standardization of design

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Hardware in CAD

Secondary
Storage
Design Workstation

Graphics Input
CPU Terminal Devices

Output
Devices and
Peripherals

The configuration of a CAD system is as shown above

The input devices can be keyboard, mouse, lightpen, digitizer, scanners, etc., while output
devices may be printer, plotter, etc. Secondary storage devices such as tapes, discs,
floppies, pen drives, portable hard disks, etc. helps in taking the backup of drawing. The
CPU is the main controlling part of the entire CAD system. For a CAD system the
processor should be fast enough to handle huge amount of data to carry out complex
mathematical calculations.

Design Workstation:
The CAD workstation is the system interface with the outside world. It provides a mode
to communicate with the computer. The workstation must accomplish five functions:
1. it must interface with the central processing unit
2. it must generate a steady graphic image for the user
3. it must provide digital descriptions of the graphic image
4. it must translate computer commands in to operating functions
it must facilitate communication between the user and the system

The Graphics Terminal:

The graphic terminals available today generally use the cathode ray tube (CRT) as the
display device. The graphic terminals are available in different sizes.

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A CRT is shown in the sketch below

A heated cathode emits a high speed electron beam onto a phosphor coated glass screen.
The electron energize the phosphor coating, causing it to glow at points where the beam
makes contact. By focussing the electron beam, changing its intensity, and controlling its
point of contact against the phosphor coating through the use of a deflector system, the
beam can be made to generate a picture on the screen.
Operator Input Devices
Input devices are needed for graphics workstation to facilitate convenient communication
between the user and the system. A number of input devices can be grouped into three
categories. They are:
1. Cursor control devices
2. Digitizers
3. Keyboard terminals
The first two are used for graphical interaction with system and the third one is used for
input of alphanumeric commands and text.

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1. Cursor Control Devices

The cursor normally takes the form of a bright spot on the CRT screen. The computer is
capable of reading the current position of the cursor. Hence the user’s capability to
control the cursor position allows location data to be entered into the CAD system
database. A typical example would be for the user to locate the cursor to identify the
starting point of a line. Another, more sophisticated case would be for the user to position
the cursor to select an item from a menu of functions displayed on the screen. For
instance, the screen might be divided into two sections, one of which is an array of blocks
which correspond to operator input function. The user simply moves the cursor to the
desired block to execute the particular function.
There are variety of cursor control devices which have been employed in CAD systems.
These include:
a. The mouse
b. The thumbwheel
c. Joystick
d. Track ball
e. Light pen
f. Touch screen

Mouse
Mouse is the most popular input device. Mouse is a small hand held puck like instrument
which is attached to the computer. Mouse can be moved around by the operator on any
flat surface to provide graphic input. Its ability to rapidly position the cursor on the screen
is its most important advantage. Mouse is available as a mechanical or optical graphic
input device. In the case of a mechanical mouse, the rolling ball at the bottom of the
mouse causes two encoders to rotate. The movement of the mouse is thus converted into
pulses which move the cursor in the X and Y direction in proportion to the movement of
the mouse. An optical mouse works on the basis of signal generated by the reflecting light
from the plate on which the mouse is moved. The source of light is an LED located
underneath the mouse. There are no moving parts in an optical mouse and that is an

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advantage over the mechanical mouse. Slippage at the contact surfaces is a disadvantage
of mouse.

Thumbwheel
Two wheels are used to control the cursor position along the horizontal and vertical
direction. The position is indicated by a cross-hair on the screen. Thumbwheels are
mounted on the keyboard by the side. Thumbwheels are used in animation packages. Two
of them are provided for X and Y movements of the cursor.

Joystick
Joystick is a potentiometric device that contains sets of variable resistors which feed
signals that indicate the device position to the computer. These devices rely on the
operator’s sense of touch and hand-eye co-ordination to control the position of the cursor
on the screen.
Joystick devices are normally set so that side-to-side movement produces change in X co-
ordinate and front to back movements produce change in Y co-ordinates. Thus they are
best suited for pointing in tasks such as menu selection or creating simple schematics.
Three dimensional capability is possible by moving the handle up and down by twisting it
to provide data entry in the Z-axis.

Track ball
Track ball has a ball and socket construction but the ball must be rolled with fingers or
the palm of the hand. The cursor moves in the direction of the roll at a rate corresponding
to rotational speed. Its function is similar to joystick and allows closer control over the
cursor movement. These are ideal for flight simulation control through CAD software
packages.

Light Pen
The light pen is a pointing device in which the computer seeks to identify the position
where the light pen is in contact with the screen. Light pen is nothing but a detector of

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light on the CRT screen and uses a photodiode, phototransistor, or some other form of
light sensor. Selection is done by pressing a push button in the pen.

Touch Screen
Touch screens are direct devices. They are used by simply touching CRT display with
one’s finger or a pointing device. Two types of touch screens namely, mechanical and
optical are used in CAD applications.
Mechanical type is a transparent screen overlay which detects the location of the touch.
Optical touch screen systems use rows of light emitters and receptors mounted just in
front of the screen with the touched location determined by broken beams.

2. Digitizer
Digitizer boards or tablets are electro-mechanical vector graphic input devices that
resemble a drafting board. These are used together with a movable stylus called puck.
The puck can be moved over the surface to following existing lines. It is a common
technique in CAD systems for taking x and y co-ordinates from a paper drawing. The
tracking device (puck) contains a switch for the user to record the desired x and y co-
ordinates. The co-ordinates are either directly sent to the computer or stored in secondary
storage devices like magnetic tapes. Digitizers with a large board provide high resolution
and accuracy. Digitizers are more frequently used to create drawing using an interactive
drafting package to enter a sketch or a drawing which can be redrawn or edited as the
display appears on the CRT screen.
Modern day digitizers can pick 3-dimensional information from a model, moving the tip
of a wand along the model. These systems generate signals that are analysed to produce
co-ordinates. This type of digitizer is very useful for reverse engineering.
3. Keyboard Terminals
It is an alphanumeric terminal used to enter commands, co-ordinates, functions and
process data to the CAD system. The information typed is displayed on the CRT screen.
The typed information displayed on the CRT screen can be changed. CAD systems make
use of special function keyboards. These function keys are provided to eliminate
extensive typing of commands. The number of function keys varies from about 8 to 80.

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Soft and Hard Prototyping

Prototyping is the process of building a model of a system. A prototype is often used as
part of the product design process to allow engineers and designers the ability to explore
design alternatives, test theories and confirm performance prior to starting production of
a new product.
A solid model of a part, or an assembly of solid parts, provides a more complete product
definition. Boeing Commercial Airplane Group uses the CATIA solid modelling product.
The solid models let Boeing spot interference problems before expensive mock-ups are
built. This results in significant savings. One of the biggest paybacks Boeing is
experiencing is the visualization benefits of solid modelling. It gives their engineers a
realistic view of the part. They can print colour images of the parts and share them with
other groups inside and outside the organisation. The process of building a prototype and
analysing it using the computer is known as soft prototyping. When a hard copy output is
taken of the prototype it is known as hard prototyping.

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