Representation and reasoning in computer aided process planning

This article is concerned with part representation and reasoning algorithms for automatic process planning in CADCAM (computer aided design and manufacture). Process planning involves the translation of a part description into instructions for a sequence of operations for the manufacture of the part. Part representations in CADCAM are reviewed, and a hierarchical representation is introduced which describes parts as the set-theoretic union of positive (protrusion) features, with the set-theoretic union of negative (depression) features subtracted. The model information hierarchy also incorporates topological relationships among features (adjacency, ownership and intersection), tolerances and links to a boundary representation (B-rep) geometric model. The hierarchical part representation is used as the basis for a reasoning scheme that uses topological relationships between features to restrict the search space of operation sequences. A recursive algorithm produces candidate operation sequences that are then ranked by applying manufacturing heuristics in a process called machining regularization. The representation approach is illustrated by an example, and possible extensions to the scheme are briefly discussed.