Abstract

Process planning is an important bridge between design and machining in a manufacturing system. However, this process in Vietnam is mostly done manually. At that time, process planning needs quite a lot of effort and time of the engineer. In modern manufacturing, CAD/CAM/CNC integrated technology has developed so much. However, the development of computer-aided process planning (CAPP) is limited and has not caught with the rapid development of CAD/CAM technology. This article presents the methodology for developing and building computer-aided process planning systems for prismatic parts. In this system, the entire feature recognition and some basic modules of the process planning, such as equipment selection as well as operation sequences, are carried out automatically based on diversity database suitable for practical production. The system automatically generates a process planning instruction sheet directly from the solid 3D model in the SolidWorks environment. Testing of the system shows that process planning preparation time is reduced by up to 10 times compared to the manual method while ensuring technical requirements are met.