Computer Aided Engineering

Current solutions in Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) can be time consuming, complex and costly to employ and still require the input of an experienced planner. Implementations can require a high degree of configuration, particularly when preexisting knowledge within the company needs to be incorporated. This means due to the time and expense many companies, particularly smaller ones, do not employ CAPP systems. Within the process planning domain of machining, decisions need to be made regarding routing and processes, with each choice making a significant impact on the final cost and quality of the product. Existing CAPP systems need to be carefully configured as they rely on artificial intelligence or existing data to find the best routes and processes. These systems tend to be very specialised and their configuration can be tper presents a prototype haptic virtual machining application where machining operations are simulated whilst visual and tactile information is fed back to the operator to enhance their experience. As they generate their maching sequence the operator input is logged. By logging their activities it is shown that specialist knowledge can be accumulated unobtrusively and formalised such that the system can immediately generate usable process plans without the need for lengthy configuration and formalisation. Experimental findings show how using a virtual reality (VR) environment can clearly represent a machining task and that relevant knowledge and data can be quickly captured during a simulation. Simulating machining tasks in this way offers a unique non-intrusive opportunity to collect important information relevant to a machining process; this information can then be used further downstream during manufacturing.