CONVERSION OF BOX-SHAPED FEATURES FOR MANUFACTURING APPLICATIONS

The mapping of design intent to the subsequent downstream application features, such as machining planning, setup planning, engineering analysis, assembly planning, etc., is an important area of research in CIM. Feature technology is recognized to have the potential for automating and integrating design and downstream applications in the CIM environment. Much research effort in features has been contributed in the area of linking design and a downstream application such as manufacturing process planning using either feature recognition or the design by features approaches. However, only a limited number of feature based systems can link up more than one application. This paper describes a prototype feature conversion system for integrating feature based design with multiple downstream applications. In the prototype system, there are two types of features: neutral features and application features. The system is armed with algorithms to convert between neutral features and application features.