CADCAM
CAD/CAM refers to the integration of Computer-aided design (CAD) and Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).

CAD/CAM refers to the integration of Computer-aided design (CAD) and Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Both of these require powerful computers. CAD software helps designers and draftsmen; CAM "reduces manpower costs" in the manufacturing process
CAD
One goal of CAD is to allow quicker iterations in the design process; another is to enable smoothly transitioning to the CAM stage. Although manually created drawings historically facilitated "a designer's goal of displaying an idea," it did not result in a machine-readable result that could be modified and subsequently be used to directly build a prototype. It can also be used to "ensure that all the separate parts of a product will fit together as intended."[citation needed]
CAD, when linked with simulation, can also enable bypassing building a less than satisfactory test version, resulting in having "dispensed with the costly, time-consuming task of building a prototype."
CAM
In Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), using computerized specifications, a computer directs machines such as lathes and milling machines to perform work that otherwise would be controlled by a lathe or milling machine operator. This process, which is called Numerical Control (NC OR CNC), is what came to be known as 20th century Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and it originated in the 1960s.[citation needed] Early 21st century CAM introduced use of 3D printers.
CAM, although it requires initial expenditures for equipment, covers this outlay with reduced labor cost and speedy transition from CAD to finished product, especially when the result is both timely and "ensuring one-time machining success rate."