Architecture of an integrated process planning and tool management system

This paper describes the architecture of an integrated system for process planning and tool management, as part of a wider platform comprising all the manufacturing functions. It results from the development of a generative process planning system and a methodology for work-planning and manufacturing resources set-up in a simultaneous engineering environment, using commercial available applications and specially designed interface modules. The work developed at INETI, IST and ITEC, contributes io the integration of product, process and production planning and aims the increase of productivity, flexibility and consistency of manufacturing processes through the use of information technologies. The integration of both, a generative and a variant CAPP (Computer Aided Process Planning) system, with a tool management system and a tool pre-setting machine was partially achieved and is presented in this paper. The integrated system is suitable for typical machining job-shops of SME's characterised by small or medium batch production.