A feature-based design for manufacture: CADCAM package

Describes a method by which manufacturing constraints can be incorporated into the detailed design stage of a part through using CADCAM software. The method has been implemented in a software package which brings certain manufacturing constraints to the attention of a detail designer as a part is created on a CADCAM screen. By making the designer aware of these constraints, the part being designed should be designed for manufacture. The software developed relates to the detailed design of prismatic parts which subsequently need machining on machining centres or in a machining centre-based FMS. The designer specifies his part in terms of machined features which are then related in the software to the machine/system tooling available to produce them. By designing and using such a package, leadtimes and costs in both manufacture and manufacturing planning should be significantly reduced