Food Forum - CAD/CAM in food

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What counts as CAD and CAM in food technology?

What is CAD and CAM in food technology?
ICT is an exciting and fast moving area within food product design and manufacture. Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture are just one part of this. Students should learn about such applications as part of understanding food in the modern world. But as well as learning about CAD and CAM students should have some practical experience with it.

Computer aided design - using a computer, or computer-aided devices, to aid design
Examples include:

use of graphics packages for developing and communicating food product ideas, plus packaging and labelling design

modelling on computer (spreadsheets and databases) including costing, recipe quantities and ratios, nutritional analysis, HACCP, planning and systems diagrams - all part of product design and development

use of Internet and software for research and investigation to support the development of ideas for food products

There are numerous resources available to support teaching about the applications of CAD and CAM in food technology, egs. books, videos, CD-Rom, websites including many of the materials in the F-files section of this site. Teachers can use the industry case studies in the F-files with students and to improve their own subject knowledge.

Computer aided manufacture - using a computer, or computer-aided devices, to aid manufacture
Ensuring that students make use of CAM in their own making is more dependent upon specialist resources that may not yet be available in all schools. However, there are a number of economical solutions.

It counts as CAM, ie. using a computer to aid the making process, if students:

show an awareness in their coursework about where CAM could be used, egs. how CAM would be used to control a production system

consider how taste, texture, appearance and aroma are controlled

carry out controlled testing for quality checks, egs. temperature, pH monitoring and datalogging, linked to a computer (eg. Economatics Datalogger - does your science department have one?)

create digital images using a digital camera and scanner, or an Intel electronic microscope - see Economatics

work out temperature and cooking times for a product they are developing using ovens and microwaves that can be electronically set and controlled

use accurate electronic scales, and work within set parameters of accuracy, when developing and trialling recipes and specifications

work out a HACCP flowchart on computer, then check it out in practice, modifying plans where necessary

simulate computer controlled manufacturing processes, egs. with an electronic bread making machine or cake decorating software such as Deco Cake Designer

manufacture with tunnel/conveyor ovens which are now available from Framptons or ABK

Tips on meeting the curriculum requirements
Start by planning exactly which CAD and CAM elements you are going to introduce into your teaching, what software and hardware you need and how you are going to acquire it. Jot your ideas down in a table with these headings to prompt your thinking. Depending on funds you might have to consider the absolute minimum you will need to meet the KS3 and KS4 curriculum requirements. However, you can no longer teach the subject adequately without some access to ICT. The more accessible the ICT the better.

If you do not have access to computers within your teaching area, you will need to consider how you are going to facilitate students' learning through ICT. In a food lesson, it should be possible for students to access a computer if needed, egs. to carry out some nutritional analysis or look something up on the Internet, then return to their work. If this is not the case, then the ICT fails to provide a resource to students' learning, because it is not situated where the learning is taking place.

Whilst students' use of computers at home might supplement their access to them at school, schools are nevertheless required to ensure adequate provision and access. It is a bonus if students have home access, but this is not an alternative to rely upon.

You do not necessarily need specific software packages, but having some may make it easier to teach industrial practices and modelling concepts, as well as being more interesting for the students. All curriculum areas need to build up a bank of software that has specific applications in their teaching, so teachers are advised to do so for food technology. Senior managers need to understand that the resource needs of curriculum areas are changing. They can respond better if you make particular requests. Start with one or two carefully chosen pieces of software, eg. a nutritional analysis programme, and plan for the later purchase of others. Other than that, make use of resources, egs. books, journals, video and what's on the Internet for free.

Investigate DATA's Pro-desktop CAD/CAM scheme - free industry standard software for schools who sign up and attend 2 days training at minimal cost. Since students are being taught how to use this in many schools, they could be using it in food technology too. Phone DATA for details on 01789 470007.

There is some specialist CAM equipment available for use in schools, including bread and ice cream makers, tunnel ovens, pasteurisers, plate freezers etc. The latter may be useful to have in schools, but they are not everyone's priority, nor necessarily the most cost effective solution. Schools in your area could purchase and lend such equipment to one another, or keep it centrally within the LEA, a consortium, EAZ or City Learning Centre (CLC). Education Business Partnership (EBP) funding might be available to support this.

Alternatively, a visit to a local FE college that teaches food, even if it is a catering college, would be worthwhile. Providing students with some practical experience of using CAD and CAM, which they refer to in their coursework, would show that they had used it and were aware of its role. These are not always easy things to organise, but can be cost effective and worthwhile. It does not need to happen within the school - industry links are an obvious way of making it possible. Some schools set up remote manufacturing arrangements with industry whereby students have industrial mentors with whom to discuss their design ideas. They may have their designs trialled in a factory and returned with feedback which further informs the development process. Virtual factory visits are another option - available on CD-ROM and Internet.

A word of warning!
Don't decide that the equipment and facilities needed for ICT are unaffordable and out of your league (if you do, you will never move forwards!). They are needed in all curriculum areas, in all schools. Adopt the mind set that these resources are now needed and make plans for how you are going to access them.

Specific useful resources for CAD and CAM
'CAD/CAM in Practice' - CD-ROM from DATA provides useful examples and teacher generated materials for teaching CAD&CAM across D&T. For food technology, these include templates for packaging, design development and presentation of research.
'Implementing CAD and CAM in Food Technology' - booklet from BNF and DATA, register for a free copy at www.nutrition.org.uk
'Interactive Food Facts' CD-ROM from BNF - includes virtual reality footage of industrial practices and a cake modelling facility
'New Foods' CD-ROM from Ridgwell Press for researching, analysing and modelling food product attributes ad ideas.
'HACCP' CD-ROM from Economatics provides a modelling facility for students to learn about HACCP procedures and help in applying them to their own work.
'Behind the Scenes' CD-ROM from DATA is a fun way for students to explore and interact within a virtual factory setting.
'Food for a PC' from Linnet - a popular and flexible nutritional analysis tool, including costing and labelling functions.

For full details on these resources and more, go to the Resources section.