INTELLIGENT CAD/CAM INTEGRATION FOR ADAPTIVE MANUFACTURING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF AI AND IOT FRAMEWORKS IN INDUSTRY 4.0

Abstract

The union of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) systems are used in the Industry 4.0 production process. Based on the PRISMA 2020 reporting framework (Page et al., 2021), this report is a systematic literature review on the intelligent integration of CAD and CAM technologies in adaptive manufacturing. Based on a structured search of major scientific databases, a curated list of peer-reviewed studies was analysed thematically to address five research questions related to designing with AI, toolpath optimisation using AI, IoT/IIoT architectures for real-time adaptive control, interoperability standards and barriers to AI adoption in specific sectors. AI models, especially deep learning, graph neural networks and reinforcement learning, have led the way in recent research and development on automatic feature recognition and toolpath generation, while digital twins, edge computing and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensor networks are more and more being used to implement predictive maintenance and closed-loop adaptive control in the shop floor. The design phase is also starting to change with Generative AI to enable manufacturability constraints to be built in earlier in the CAD process. The literature, however, shows that there are still significant gaps that need to be addressed: AI models deployed outside of the simulation environment are not adaptable in real-time, training datasets are not standardized and openly shared, and there are interoperability protocols that are still quite disjointed, and resources for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to use these technologies are still limited. To situate these gaps in a particular developing-economy context, this review is also supplemented by a series of recently published empirical studies. The review suggests that interoperability standards, Human Safety for Industry 5.0 design principles, cybersecurity, and sustainable practice are the key factors that need to be coordinated for the intelligent CAD/CAM-IoT integration to be fully realised, and it presents a roadmap of future research directions for adaptive and connected manufacturing ecosystems.