ASPAN is an integrated CAD-CAM program. Users draw their production parts quickly and easily in the CAD environment and then transfer these to the CAM environment to prepare the optimized machine programs needed to actually produce the part.
A set of easy to understand commands (e.g. Draw Holes, Draw Grooves) and automatic routines (e.g. Assign tools, Optimize machining sequence) make it easy for users to define the machining operations to be performed on the unfinished parts.

The subdivision of the working environments allows the user to be easily guided throughout all development and operation phases:
SUPERVISOR:
The main or Supervisor environment, which appears after the program has started, displays the preview image of the current drawing, on the right, and the list of the current archive along with search and selection options. If the drawing has been processed in the CAM environment, machine efficiency is displayed at the top right of the screen (ratio between empty shifts and real operations). From this environment it is possible to carry out import or edit procedures for machine configuration and tooling and to run all other program environments.
CAD:
This is the drawing environment used to create graphic entities such as various types of hole (e.g. standard, countersunk, in lines, angled, hole barriers, ect.) and routings (e.g. straight grooves, arcs, ellipses, rectangles, points, , ect.). Standard commands (e.g. Join, Rotate, Auto-join) and advanced functions (e.g. Text,Empty area, Inclined surfaces) are used to create the desired drawings.
CAM:
This is the environment where drawings are converted into machine programs by using a series of utilities for operations such as automatically assigning tools and optimizing machining sequences. A series of special commands (e.g. Inputs/Outputs, Multi-machining) makes it possible to configure the machine program with the exact specifications (e.g. tools, speed, worktable) of the machine currently being used.

In addition to being a very easy to-use and quick program, ASPAN provides the most advanced user with an efficient internal language, APL (AutoSoftware Programming Language). With APL users can create new CAD and CAM commands to optimize their design procedures.

ASPAN can be linked to a variety of external programs such as AutoCAD, IMOS, KDCw, Pattern System,Cabinet Ware and Drill Mate by using ASC, an AutoSoftware proprietary format, and DXF files. This means that users can prepare designs with their drawing program of choice and then use Aspan functions to generate the machine programs necessary. Linking one program to another is made easy by a series of Aspan utilities such as the Import CSV file.