An automatic process planning system for the quick generation of manufacturing process plans directly from CAD drawings

Abstract This paper describes the philosophy and design of an automatic process planning system (APPS) that is able to generate process plans rapidly from CAD drawings. APPS extracts the design features that are represented by a special code based on a new group technology (GT) classification coding scheme. An intelligent knowledge-based system is then employed to generate optimal process plans according to the code, that represents all the form features of the component. APPS reduces the normal process planning time and therefore enhances the productivity of manufacturing operations.