FLEXIBILITY IN CAPP THROUGH SYSTEM DESIGN

Currently available Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) systems exhibit severely limited portability. Their inability to embrace a wide range of products and processes compartmentalises their implementation within individual organisations and so fragments their industry wide adoption into the design to manufacture process. This work describes the design and operation of a CAPP system which places a premium on flexibility without cost penalty. The resultant system is applicable to a wide variety of process planning environments.