US GOES BACK TO SCHOOL ON MANUFACTURING.

U. S. industry has invested billions to modernize and automate manufacturing lines in which computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM) is an essential ingredient. But manpower trained in CAD/CAM is scarce. Although some university faculties earlier attempted to introduce computer-aided engineering (CAE) and CAD/CAM into their curricula, they were stymied by the high cost of buying and operating computing equipment. Industry, fortunately, recognized the problem and took action. IBM made a 50-million grant to introduce CAD/CAM into the engineering curriculum in 1983-84. High-tech industry gave hardware and software to universities and pressured the federal government for programs supporting university CAD/CAM research. In spite of some problems, efforts to introduce CAE/CAD/CAM are succeeding. The computer-aided engineering, design, and manufacturing facility at Michigan State Univ. has been used in over 70 courses in mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical and agricultural engineering, metallurgy, and mechanics. Washington State Univ. uses CAE and CAD in most of its electircal engineering courses. Recently Stanford Univ. established a graduate program in manufacturing systems engineering to help fill the need for manufacturing engineers who combine management and design skills.