For the past three decades, computer-aided process planning (CAPP) has attracted a large amount of research interest. A huge volume of literature has been published on this subject. Today, CAPP research faces new challenges owing to the dynamic markets and business globalisation. Thus, there is an urgent need to ascertain the current status and identify future trends of CAPP. Covering articles published on the subjects of CAPP in the past 10 years or so, this article aims to provide an up-to-date review of the CAPP research works, a critical analysis of journals that publish CAPP research works, and an understanding of the future direction in the field. First, general information is provided on CAPP. The past reviews are summarised. Discussions about the recent CAPP research are presented in a number of categories, i.e. feature-based technologies, knowledge-based systems, artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic, Petri nets, agent-based technology, Internet-based technology, STEP-compliant CAPP and other emerging technologies. Research on some specific aspects of CAPP is also provided. Discussions and analysis of the methods are then presented based on the data gathered from the Elsevier's Scopus abstract and citation database. The concepts of 'Subject Strength' of a journal and 'technology impact factor' are introduced and used for discussions based on the publication data. The former is used to gauge the level of focus of a journal on a particular research subject/domain, whereas the latter is used to assess the level of impact of a particular technology, in terms of citation counts. Finally, a discussion on the future development is presented.

Computer-aided process planning-A critical review of recent developments and future trends

This paper presents a framework for knowledge reuse in a product-service systems design scenario. The project aim is to develop a methodology to capture, represent and reuse knowledge to support pr...

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A knowledge management framework to support product-service systems design

Conceptual process planning (CPP) is an important technique for assessing the manufacturability and estimating the cost of conceptual design in the early product design stage. This paper presents an approach to develop a quality/cost-based conceptual process planning (QCCPP). This approach aims to determine key process resources with estimation of manufacturing cost, taking into account the risk cost associated to the process plan. It can serve as a useful methodology to support the decision making during the initial planning stage of the product development cycle. Quality function deployment (QFD) method is used to select the process alternatives by incorporating a capability function for process elements called a composite process capability index (CCP). The quality characteristics and the process elements in QFD method have been taken as input to complete process failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) table. To estimate manufacturing cost, the proposed approach deploys activity-based costing (ABC) method. Then, an extended technique of classical FMEA method is employed to estimate the cost of risks associated to the studied process plan, this technique is called cost-based FMEA. For each resource combination, the output data is gathered in a selection table that helps for detailed process planning in order to improve product quality/cost ratio. A case study is presented to illustrate this approach.

Conceptual process planning - an improvement approach using QFD, FMEA, and ABC methods

The concept of smart manufacturing has become an important issue in the manufacturing industry since the start of the twenty-first century in terms of time and production cost. In addition to high production quality, a quick response could determine the success or failure of many companies and factories. One the most effective concepts for achieving a smart manufacturing industry is the use of computer-aided process planning (CAPP) techniques. Computer-aided process planning refers to key technology that connects the computer-aided design (CAD) and the computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) processes. Researchers have used many approaches as an interface between CAD and CAPP systems. In this field of research, a lot of effort has been spent to take CAPP systems to the next level in the form of automatic computer-aided process planning (ACAPP). This is to provide complete information about the product, in a way that is automated, fast, and accurate. Moreover, automatic feature recognition (AFR) techniques are considered one of the most important tasks to create an ACAPP system. This article presents a comprehensive survey about two main aspects: the degree of automation in each required input and expected output of computer-aided process planning systems as well as the benefits and the limitations of the different automatic feature recognition techniques. The aim is to demonstrate the missing aspects in smart ACAPP generation, the limitations of current systems in recognising new features, and justifying the process of selection.

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A survey on smart automated computer-aided process planning (ACAPP) techniques

This paper describes a decision support system (DSS) developed in order to offer to machining line designers a cognitive aid for early design stages. The aim of DSS is to assist the decision makers in finding the configuration of a new line that will meet quality and productivity requirements and minimize the investment costs. The current version of DSS is oriented to design of mass production machining lines composed of machines with rotary or mobile tables. This decision support system is based on mathematical models and methods which were devised to provide the designers with the optimal parameters of new line configuration including the required number of working stations of different types, the number of working positions at each station and spindle heads at each working position. The system is implemented under Autodesk Inventor and includes the modules for part modeling, process planning and machining system configuration. Its modular character and open architecture make upgrading with new mathematical tools suitable for other machining systems easy and fast. Moreover, it can be employed either as a separate software or integrated in a Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) tool.

A decision support system for design of mass production machining lines composed of stations with rotary or mobile table

Computer aided process planning (CAPP) systems have had limited success in integrating business functions and product manufacturing due to the inaccessibility and incompatibility of information residing in proprietary software. While large companies have developed or purchased complex order management and engineering applications, smaller manufacturers continue to use semi-automated and manual methods for managing information throughout the lifecycle of each new product and component. There is a need for reconfigurable and reprogrammable systems that combine advances in computer aided design (CAD/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) technology and intelligent machining with product data management for documentation and cost control. The goal of this research is to demonstrate an architecture in which customer service, CAPP and a costing methodology known as activity based costing (ABC) are incorporated into a single system, thereby allowing companies to monitor and study how expenditures are incurred and which resources are being used by each job. The material presented in this paper is the result of a two year university and industry sponsored research project in which professors and students at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology developed a software application for FEMA Industrial S.A., a local machining and fabrication shop with sixty five employees and both conventional and CNC capabilities. The final results represent not only a significant contribution to local industry and to the students' education but, also to the continuing growth of CAPP. Implementing better decision making tools and standardizing transactions in digital format would reduce the workload on critical personnel and archive valuable knowledge for analyzing company methods and expertise.

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A framework for extending computer aided process planning to include business activities and computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) data retrieval

William Burd

Papers

A framework for extending computer aided process planning to include business activities and computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) data retrieval