Design-to-manufacturing feature mapping based on volume decomposition using half space partitioning

It is already known that the key to a successful CAD/CAM implementation is integration. Computer-Aided Process Planning (CAPP) is generally regarded as the link between CAD and CAM. Interfacing CAD and CAPP is a challenging problem because of the semantic gap that lies between their domains. The objective of this research is to integrate a feature based CAD system with a generative CAPP system by mapping features from the design domain to the manufacturing domain. Specifically this research is aimed at three most critical issues of developing a new generation of CAPP systems: recognizing undocumented features in CAD database, handling feature interactions and generating multiple interpretations of the design.;The methodology for developing an intelligent interface between CAD and CAPP has been proposed. A volume decomposition method called minimum convex decomposition by half space partitioning has been developed to recognize undocumented features in boundary representations of the solid model. A method called maximum convex cell composition is developed to systematically generate all possible machining alternatives. The composed sub volumes are classified into manufacturing features using degree of freedom analysis developed on the basis of tool-workpiece kinematics. This approach is especially powerful in mapping undocumented features, dealing with feature interactions and generating alternative machining sequences.