The development of a knowledge-based engineering tool for CNC machining

Although there are many kinds of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) packages available on the market, there is no educational system developed for the fundamental estimations of machining process parameters, such as cutting time, material removal rate (MRR), feed rate, and spindle speed. Having such a system is important for a number of reasons: cost estimation, life cycle analysis, machine programming, tool and workpiece selection, production rate, and number of machining steps, etc. In this paper a knowledge-based system (KBS) developed for the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) processes and its implementation in a junior level CNC class are presented.