Feature-Based Semi-Automatic Process Planning for Discrete Part Manufacturing

Abstract

Recently, feature-based process planning has been popular in academia and industry with its ability to rigorously integrate design and manufacturing. In spite of its benefits, it is not easy to automatically and efficiently recognize and extract even simple features from design data. Furthermore, it is more difficult to construct the temporal precedence relationships among them with regard to plan alternatives and sequence options. The objective of the paper is to present the feature-based semi-automatic process planning system that helps the users construct difficult portion and generates easy portion automatically. With the help of the developed framework, the users extract the removal features and then establish the plan graph to represent the temporal precedence among the features. To this end, the system provides the graphical symbols necessary to build the process plan graph. Once the plan graph is constructed, the information contents in each feature node, such as processes, machines, tools, cutting parameters, NC codes, are automatically generated. The paper suggests the modified feature definitions and methodologies for avoiding ambiguous interpretations of dangled features in the plan graph for efficient and robust shop floor control. The framework proposed in the paper will save cost and time in making a controller-friendly process plan. Initial results look quite promising.