Research Initiation: Automated Process Planning from a Feature Graph

本研究通过从三维CAD零件描述自动生成制造工艺计划来解决CAD和CAM的集成问题。这个项目的目标有四个方面。首先，将开发一种方法来定义对制造（如孔，螺纹等）重要的形状特征，使CAD数据库中的特征能够自动识别。其次，研究人员将实现先前开发的算法来分离零件腔中连接的形状特征，并将其描述存储在称为特征节点的数据结构中。第三，根据制造每个特征所需的必要信息定义特征节点的详细结构。这些特征节点将被链接到一个更大的全局结构中，称为特征图。链接表示部件中各特性之间的关系。第四，也是最重要的，将开发一种通过遍历特征图自动生成零件生成工艺计划的方法。这最后一步将涉及到一个专家系统的接口工艺规划与实体建模计算最佳加工参数和机床排序。软件的评估将通过广泛的测试与工业提供的部分描述和工业用户的评论。

This research addresses the integration of CAD and CAM through the automatic generation of a manufacturing process plan from a 3-D CAD part description. The objectives of this project are four-fold. First, a method will be developed to define form-features important to manufacturing (such as holes, threads, etc.) that enables automatic recognition of features from a CAD database. Second, researchers will implement previously developed algorithms to separate joined form-features in a part cavity and store their descriptions in a data structure called a feature node. Third, the detailed structure of a feature node will be defined according to the necessary information required to manufacture each feature. These feature nodes will be linked into a larger global structure called a feature graph. The links represent relationships among the features in the part. Fourth, and most important, a method will be developed to automatically generate a generative process plan for the part by traversing the feature graph. This final step will involve interfacing an expert system for process planning with a solid modeler to calculate optimal machining parameters and machine tool sequencing. Evaluation of the software will be through extensive testing with industry supplied part descriptions and comments from industrial users.