Title: The integration of manufacturing systems using visualised CAPP for agile manufacturing

Authors: Qingjin Peng, Chulho Chung

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V6, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V6, Canada

Abstract: Agile manufacturing embedded in an integrated manufacturing system can drive the business for quick response to the market changes. Computer-Aided Process Planning (CAPP) has been an effective tool of integrated manufacturing systems. Existing CAPP systems were proposed generally based on traditional manufacturing systems, which cannot meet the requirement of customised production in dynamic manufacturing environments. This paper presents a visualised CAPP system to improve users| interactive ability in process planning to enhance the integration of manufacturing systems. The system is implemented using VRML, Java language and Database (DB). Structured Query Language (SQL) management module is developed to manage the customised DB. It is an enhanced CAPP system in an integrated manufacturing system for agile manufacturing. Based on the developed approach in this research, an efficient and dynamic process plan can be generated.

Keywords: agile manufacturing; integrated manufacturing; computer aided process planning; CAPP; simulation; visualisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2007.013323

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2007 Vol.11 No.3/4, pp.338 - 354

Published online: 20 Apr 2007 *

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