An approach for interlinking design and process planning

Interlinking design and process planning plays a key role in realizing Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). Given a part geometry from a CAD system, CAPP generates a sequenced set of instructions to manufacture the specified part. In order to do that, CAPP has to recognize manufacturing features of the part and the relevant information about precision requirements such as surface roughness as well as dimensional and geometric tolerances. Since geometric models from most of the current CAD systems do not incorporate this manufacturing information, human intervention at the first stage of CAPP is inevitable. This has been a major hindrance to information flow between design and process planning. This paper proposes an approach for interlinking CAD and CAPP, and describes the relevant efforts towards it: recognition of machining features, handling of manufacturing information, and implementation of a neutral interface using ISO 10303-224. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.