A method of horizontally structured CAD/CAM manufacturing with horizontal coordinate systems including selecting a blank for machining into an actual part, establishing a coordinate system; and establishing an other coordinate system. The other coordinate system exhibits an associative relationship with the coordinate system. The method also includes creating a master process model including a virtual blank corresponding to the blank, a manufacturing feature, virtual machining of the manufacturing feature into the virtual blank, the manufacturing feature exhibiting another associative relationship with at least one of the coordinate system and the other coordinate system, and generating manufacturing instructions to create the actual part by machining the manufacturing feature into the blank.