Automated manufacturability assessment of rotational parts by grinding

Automated manufacturability assessment of a given design is a key requirement in realizing complete integration of design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM). The paper deals with a system developed for automated manufacturability assessment by machining processes. The purpose of this system is to assist designers in their effort to come up with manufacturable parts economising in terms of cost and time. Unlike most of the work done in the past, which concentrates on assessment by primary machining processes such as turning and milling, the present work deals with grinding operation. The present system uses geometric reasoning to extract manufacturing specific information from a part model. It uses a knowledge base consisting of grinding process knowledge and control rules, which are activated by the designer. It also has a provision to account for company-specific manufacturing resources to come up with meaningful assessment for part manufacturability. The use of the proposed system is demonstrated for the assessment of axisymmetric parts to be manufactured by cylindrical and internal grinding processes.