MPMEC19

COMPUTER INTEGRATED
MANUFACTURING

Unit-3
Computer Aided Process Planning Systems
Dr. Andriya Narasimhulu
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Netaji Subhas University of Technology
Unit – 3
• Computer Aided Process Planing Systems: Approached to
Computer aided process planning (CAPP) – Generative and Retrieval
CAPP systems, benefits of CAPP, Material Requirement Planning
(MRP), and mechanism of MRP, benefits, and Capacity Planning.
Introduction
• The product design is the plan for the product and its components and subassemblies.

• A manufacturing plan is needed to convert the product design into a physical entity.

• The activity of developing such a plan is called process planning. It is the bridge between
product design and manufacturing.

• Process planning involves determining the sequence of processing and assembly steps
that must be accomplished to make the product.

• In the present chapter, process planning and several related topics are examined
• Process planning is concerned with the technical details: the
engineering and technological issues of how to make the product and
its parts.
• What types of equipment and tooling are required to fabricate the parts and
assemble the product?

• Production planning is concerned with the logistics issues of making

the product: ordering the materials and obtaining the resources
required to make the product in sufficient quantities to satisfy demand
Process Planning
• Process planning consists of determining the most appropriate
manufacturing and assembly processes and the sequence in which they
should be accomplished to produce a given part or product according
to specifications set forth in the product design documentation.

• The scope and variety of processes that can be planned are generally
limited by the available processing equipment and technological
capabilities of the company or plant. Parts that cannot be made
internally must be purchased from outside vendors. The choice of
processes is also limited by the details of the product design
• Process planning is usually accomplished by manufacturing engineers
(other titles include industrial engineers, production engineers, and
process engineers).

• They must be familiar with the particular manufacturing processes

available in the factory and be able to interpret engineering drawings.
Based on the planner’s knowledge, skill, and experience, the
processing steps are developed in the most logical sequence to make
each part.
Scope of process planning
• Interpretation of design drawings
• Choice of equipment and sequence
• Choice of equipment
• Choice of tools, dies, molds, fixtures and gauges
• Analysis of methods
• Setting work standards
• Setting of work standards
• Choice of cutting tools and cutting conditions
Process Planning Parts
• For individual parts, the processing sequence is documented on a form
called a route sheet (some companies call it an operation sheet).

• Just as engineering drawings are used to specify the product design,

route sheets are used to specify the process plan.

• They are counterparts, one for product design, the other for
manufacturing.
Figure 1 Typical route sheet for specifying the process plan.
Route Sheet Content
1. All operations to be performed on the work part, listed in the order in
which they should be performed;
2. A brief description of each operation indicating the processing to be
accomplished, with references to dimensions and tolerances on the part
drawing;
3. The specific machines on which the work is to be done; and
4. Any special tooling, such as dies, molds, cutting tools, jigs or fixtures,
and gages.

• Some companies also include setup times, cycle time standards, and other
data. It is called a route sheet because the processing sequence defines the
route that the part must follow in the factory.
Sequence Processes in Part Fabrication

Figure 1 Typical sequence of processes required in part fabrication

Process Sequence
Process planning for assemblies
• The type of assembly method used for a given product depends on
factors such as
1. The anticipated production quantities;
2. Complexity of the assembled product, for example, the number of distinct
components; and
3. Assembly processes used,
for example, mechanical assembly versus welding.
Make or Buy Decision
• An important question that arises in process planning is whether a
given part should be produced in the company’s own factory or
purchased from an outside vendor.
• If the company does not possess the equipment or expertise in the
particular manufacturing processes required to make the part, then the
answer is obvious:
• The part must be purchased because there is no internal alternative.
Factors in Make or Buy Decision
Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP)
• Problems arise when process planning is accomplished manually. Different process
planners have different experiences, skills, and knowledge of the available processes in
the plant.

• This means that the process plan for a given part depends on the process planner who
developed it.

• A different planner would likely plan the routing differently.

• This leads to variations and inconsistencies in the process plans in the plant.

• Another problem is that the shop-trained people who are familiar with the details of
machining and other processes are gradually retiring and will be unavailable in the
future to do process planning.

• As a result of theses issues, manufacturing firms are interested in automating the task of
process planning using computer-aided process planning (CAPP)
Benefits of CAPP
• Process rationalization and Standardization
• Increases productivity of process planner
• Reduced lead tie for process planning
• Improved legibility
• Incorporation of other application programs
Approaches of CAPP
1. Retrieval CAPP System
2. Generative CAPP System
Retrieval CAPP System
• A retrieval CAPP system, also called a variant CAPP system, is based on
the principles of group technology (GT) and parts classification and coding.

• In this form of CAPP, a standard process plan (route sheet) is stored in

computer files for each part code number.

• The standard route sheets are based on current part routings in use in the
factory or on an ideal process plan that has been prepared for each family.

• Developing a database of these process plans requires substantial effort.

Figure 3 General procedure for using one
of the retrieval CAPP systems
 Generative CAPP System
• Generative CAPP systems represent an alternative approach to automated process
planning.

• Instead of retrieving and editing an existing plan contained in a computer

database, a generative system creates the process plan based on logical procedures
similar to those used by a human planner.

• In a fully generative CAPP system, the process sequence is planned without

human assistance and without a set of predefined standard plans.

• Designing a generative CAPP system is usually considered part of the field of

expert systems, a branch of artificial intelligence.

• An expert system is a computer program that is capable of solving complex

problems that normally can only be solved by a human with years of education
and experience. Process planning fits within the scope of this definition.
Ingredients in a fully generative process planning system

• Technical knowledge of manufacturing and the logic used by

successful process planners must be captured and coded into a
computer program.
• A computer-compatible description of the part to be produced
• the geometric model of the part that is developed on a CAD system during
product design and
• a GT code number of the part that defines the part features in significant detail
• the capability to apply the process knowledge and planning logic
contained in the knowledge base to a given part description also called
inference engine
Concurrent engineering and Design for Manufacturing

• Concurrent engineering is an approach used in product development in

which the functions of design engineering, manufacturing engineering,
and other departments are integrated to reduce the elapsed time
required to bring a new product to market.
Figure 4. (a) Traditional product development cycle and (b)
product development using concurrent engineering.
Elements of Concurrent Engineering
1. Design for manufacturing and assembly,
2. Design for quality,
3. Design for cost, and
4. Design for life cycle
5. Rapid prototyping,
6. Virtual prototyping, and
7. Organizational changes
Design for Manufacturing and assembly
• It has been estimated that about 70% of the life cycle cost of a product is
determined by basic decisions made during product design.

• These design decisions include the choice of part material, part geometry,
tolerances, surface finish, how parts are organized into subassemblies, and the
assembly methods to be used.

• Once these decisions are made, the potential to reduce the manufacturing cost of
the product is limited.
For example, if the product designer decides that a part is to be made of an
aluminum sand casting but the part possesses features that can be achieved only by
machining (such as threaded holes and close tolerances), the manufacturing engineer
has no alternative except to plan a process sequence that starts with sand casting
followed by the sequence of machining operations needed to achieve the specified
features.
DFM and DFA
• Terms used to describe such attempts to favorably influence the manufacturability of a
new product are design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA).

• DFM and DFA are inextricably linked, so the term design for manufacturing and
assembly (DFM/A) is used here.

• It involves the systematic consideration of manufacturability and assimilability in the

development of a new product design.

• This includes
(1) organizational changes and
(2) design principles and guidelines
Organizational Changes in DFM/a
• Effective implementation of DFM/A involves making changes in a
company’s organizational structure, either formally or informally, so that
closer interaction and better communication occurs between design and
manufacturing personnel.

• This can be accomplished in several ways:

1. by creating project teams consisting of product designers, manufacturing
engineers, and other specialties (e.g., quality engineers, material
scientists) to develop the new product design;
2. by requiring design engineers to spend some career time in manufacturing
to witness firsthand how manufacturability and assemblability are
impacted by a product’s design; and
3. by assigning manufacturing engineers to the product design department
on either a temporary or full-time basis to serve as producibility
consultants.
Design principles and Guidelines
• DFM/A also relies on the use of design principles and guidelines to
maximize manufacturability and assemblability.
Guidelines

• Minimize number of components

• Use of standard commercially available components
• Use common parts across product line
• Design for ease of part fabrication
• Design parts with tolerances that are with in process capability
• Design the product to fool proof during assembly
• Use modular design
• Shape parts and products for ease of packaging
• Eliminate or reduce adjustment