The selection of tools and machines on web-based manufacturing environments

Tools and machines selection is one of the most important activities in process planning. Computer-aided tool selection (CATS) has been a vital element in Computer-aided process planning (CAPP) systems. However, the selection of tools and machines is a dynamic activity between planning and scheduling. Most CAPP systems focus on the generation of static process plans via incorporated manufacturing knowledge and they are not flexible to connect with existing manufacturing resources. In addition, there is an increased demand for CATS to frequently communicate with design in manufacturing environments for manufacturability evaluation. This paper discusses the selection of tools and machines on Web-based manufacturing environments. It helps existing CAPP systems to generate realistic and economical process plans, and lets designers efficiently undertake manufacturability evaluation. In particular, the machine selection incorporated with tool selection can generate extended strategies for economical production. An example is presented to illustrate the method proposed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.