Studies on process plan representation in CAPP systems

Process planning establishes the methods and means of converting the raw material into a finished part. The planning function interacts with the manufacturing system through (a) the design specification, (b) manufacturing resources, and (c) the process plan. Similarly, computer aided process planning (CAPP) establishes the links with its application environment through the analogous models. Though much attention is paid to the modelling of the part and manufacturing resources, modelling of the process plan has been an ignored topic to-date. The present paper discusses the need for modelling the process plan, and proposes a framework for process plan internal representation (PPIR) for the effective integration of CAPP and CAM functions. The implementation of the proposed framework in GIFTS — a CAPP system for rotational parts — is also discussed.