Features based multi-agent distributed process planning methods

The manufacturing industries are turning a way from heavy industry to service industry where orders are processed in small quantities and are varying all the time. This tendency leads to a virtual shop floor that consists of several machining centers that are dispersed on a shop floor. This paper presents some basic concepts and methods, uses agents relationship structure and feature connectivity architecture to cope with the particular problem for Distributed Process Planning (DPP). Feature connectivity aspects of a component model are crucial in an application such as process planning. In developing the component process plans, the inheritance of features is important for the machine tools and cutting tools selection. This result in optimal process plans was presented.