A STEP-NC complaint and feature-based solution for intelligent process planning

Computer-aided process planning, as the link between designing and machining, is expected to move towards being of more automation and intelligence with the current trend of intelligent manufacturing. Hence, a solution with STEP-NC and feature-based technology for intelligent process planning is proposed based on the analysis of the mainstream enabling technologies in process planning, making full use of the data advantage of the STEP-NC standard and integrating process planning unit module from the content. More automated operations will be implemented through taking machining features as planning units and developing integrated built-in models as well as algorithms to aid decision-making. The solution is implemented by developing a process planning prototype system, wherein key implementation techniques and model-based planning algorithms are introduced. To verify the feasibility of the solution, two test parts of the industrial application level are applied to the prototype system. The application results show that the solution has promising application prospects and reference value for improving the automation and intelligence of the whole planning process.