A Method for Efficient Flexible Process Planning by Mathematical Optimization Available to Purchase

Computer support technology for modern manufacturing should deal with variable situations to accomodate to high-mix low-volume manufacturing. Computer-aided process planning (CAPP) has been discussed from this point of view, and a method for flexible CAPP, which generates a new proper process plan easily when manufacturing situation has changed, was proposed for rough milling by a three-axis vertical machine. This method was enhanced to handle millings by a multiaxis vertical machine and by both vertical and horizontal machines. The basic idea of these methods is to generate all process plans and then choose the best one. In the choice process of the best plan, all of the generated plans are evaluated. However, this process requires a large computational power when employed in actual machining where products of complex shapes have to be produced. For this computational problem, this paper discusses application of the mathematical optimization framework to this choice process.