CNC and CAD/CAM in modern cabinet making

Where the carpenter previously shaped everything by hand with saw, plane and chisel, an increasingly large part of production today is computer-controlled. It has not made the craft obsolete, but it has changed how many tasks are solved from drawing board to finished item.

§From drawing to file: CAD/CAM

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) is the digital design drawing of the part. CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) takes the digital drawing and converts it into tool paths — the actual movements a production machine must make to manufacture the part.

§CNC machine capabilities

• 01High precision in complex profiles and cut-outs
• 02High repeatability in series production of identical items
• 03Opportunity to manufacture geometries that are difficult or time-consuming to make manually
• 04Efficient use of sheet materials through optimized cutting.

§Where is it used in the trade

IT and CAD/CAM are included as part of the training-specific subjects in the main course for carpenter, along with design, form, construction and energy understanding. The CNC/machine carpenter training has an even more marked focus on CNC technology and robot use in the industrial part of the wood trade.

§Hand and machine side by side

A CNC machine is strong at repetitive, standardized tasks, but the final adjustment on the building site, assembly and finish often require craftsmanship assessment that no machine can replace. A workpiece cut perfectly on a CNC machine must still be adjusted to the actual conditions when it is to be mounted in a crooked and older building.

§Future prospects

Digitalization changes work processes and places new demands on IT and CAD/CAM skills for the modern building carpenter. But it does not replace the need for craft understanding — rather it shifts focus so the carpenter's experience is increasingly used for adaptation quality assurance and tasks that can never be fully standardized.