CAD/CAM: 1965, Boeing to do the wiring for the 747 -- had to, it
calculated out as two or three years to make a wire loom, with 0% good.
CNC: Numberic control, 1963 or so using punch tape (my father
installed one at his job, also built automated manufacturing machines
using tape control). CNC came along in the late 60s/early 70's (after
the Apollo program).
Robots: "Dumb" ones, see NC machines. "Smart ones" 1975 at GM. Made
a huge mess. Still cannot thing, and never will.
CAD is only as good and the design engineers, and GM's system of design
stinks, that's why they build ahem, somewhat less than world class
quality. So far as I know, they still don't use unified design, nobody
doing one part knows what anyone else is doing. That's how you can end
up with a fuel pump welded into a frame section...
None of the above is new. Benz hand built cars until the W123 chassis
not because they were old fashioned but because they didn't make enough
to build a new factory -- with the popularity of the W115 chassis they
got pushed over that particular hump.
Modern profit expectations are incredibly out of line, in my opinion,
to the point of forcing major inflation and economic disruption.
Peter
