Integration of design, planning, and manufacturing subsystems in sheet metal processing

The elements and integration are described of a prototype manufacturing system which achieves a fully automated link between all CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing) functions from design to machine output. A generative computer-aided process-planning module operates directly on CAD exchange files, supplying part process information to a master production compiler. The compiler, in turn, combines small parts into standard sheet metal sizes and then issues efficient NC process instructions to a punch-and-shear machine series.<>