Integration of CAD/CAM using intelligent process planning

Abstract

Process planning translates design information into the process steps and instructions to efficiently and effectively manufacture a product. Computer-Aided Process Planning (CAPP) bridges the gap between Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). CAPP integrates the design representation of CAD systems with the manufacturing process representation of CAM systems. In this paper we describe how we have implemented an Automated Process Planning System that automatically generates a process plan based on the design information, available resources and expert's knowledge. The system is built by creating knowledge base that contains manufacturing knowledge specific rules. The rules cover the whole manufacturing process from raw material selection to finishing operations. The inference engine then selects the appropriate rules and executes them in order to generate a process plan.