Machining dispersions based procedures for computer aided process plan simulation

Among the whole manufacturing cycle of a product, a sequence of manufacturing stages needs to be optimized using the increasingly available computing resources. Computer aided process planning is seen as the missing link between CAD and CAM, which relates to the translation of design tolerances into manufacturing tolerances to be executed in the shop floor. A computerized module for process plan simulation, taking into account the manufacturing dispersions, has been developed. The process plan simulation program, which consists of three procedures, uses a combination of the minimal transfer method and a modified form of the dispersions method. The first procedure performs a verification of the feasibility of the project's process plans through tolerance transfer. The second procedure performs an optimization of the tolerance distribution using the process capability data. The third procedure computes the manufacturing dimensions, which ensure the quality of the components and products. The simulation module has been validated on complex problems and shows that it gives good results in a short time. The manual work requires several days to solving this manufacturing problem.