TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1991
NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM TO BENEFIT MANUFACTURERS
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MANUFACTURERS WILL BENEFIT FROM A NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT ALMOST FOUR YEARS DEVELOPING WITH THE TWO UNIVERSITIES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
HE SAID THE COMPUTER-AIDED-DESIGN (CAD)/COMPUTER-AIDED- MANUFACTURING (CAM) RESEARCH PROJECT HAD COMMENCED
OCTOBER 1987, ON THE ADVICE OF THE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD AND WOULD BE INTRODUCED TO INDUSTRIALISTS AND TRADING AGENTS ON FRIDAY (JUNE 7).
HE SAID THE CO-ORDINATED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ON CAD/CAM TECHNOLOGY HAD BEEN FUNDED WITH $4.2 MILLION FROM THE GOVERNMENT WITH THE PURPOSE OF ASCERTAINING WHETHER AN INDIGENOUS CAD/CAM SYSTEM WAS FEASIBLE TO MEET THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF LOCAL INDUSTRY AND BUILD UP LOCAL EXPERTISE.
HE SAID THE NEWLY-DEVELOPED SYSTEM COULD HELP INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY, REDUCE COSTS, SHORTEN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CYCLES AND IMPROVE QUALITY.
APPLICATIONS INCLUDED COMPUTER NUMERICAL CONTROLLED (CNC) MACHINING, COMPUTER-CONTROLLED INJECTION MOULDING AND PICK-AND-PLACE ROBOTICS.
HE SAID IT HAD TWO MAIN COMPONENTS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.
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THE HARDWARE, THE IDB CAD/CAM WORKSTATION, HAD BEEN DEVELOPED BY THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, WHILE THE SOFTWARE HAD BEEN JOINTLY DEVELOPED BY THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS OF HONG KONG UNIVERSITY.
HE SAID FRIDAY'S PRESENTATION, IN THE RAYSON HUANG THEATRE AT HONG KONG UNIVERSITY AT 10 AM, WOULD EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF LICENSING THE SYSTEM'S PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION.
FUNCTIONS OF THE SYSTEM WILL BE INTRODUCED AND ITS UNIQUE FEATURES DEMONSTRATED. PROTOTYPES WILL BE DISPLAYED AND OPERATION ARRANGED ON REQUEST.
HANDS-ON
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