Introducing CAD/CAM and CNC machining by using a feature based methodology in a manufacturing lab course, a conceptual frame work

In a continuous effort to develop and incorporate innovative teaching styles in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), a new lab course titled Advanced Manufacturing Lab (ME-407) has been introduced, wherein the senior students are exposed to Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM). The main objective of this course is to inculcate the knowledge in the area of CAM software, its application in computerized numerical controlled (CNC) machining, metrological study and data generation for statistical analysis. For doing so, a comprehensive project is being developed which integrates all the above elements. This paper outlines a proposed strategy to accomplish these targets and a set of carefully selected activities to follow when this new course starts.