Process Planning

Definition:
- The act of preparing detailed instructions to produce a part.
- How to realize a given product design.

Ultimate Goal of P.P. Systems

To integrate design and production data into a system that
generates useable process plans.
A process plan is prepared based on the design data (the
goal) and the process knowledge (the intelligence).
The PPS is the decision-making mechanism.

Two approaches in CAPPS (Computer Aided Process Planning Systems)

1. Variant Processing Planning
-this approach uses a data retrieval system to receive
existing process plans.

2. Generative Process Planning

-a system that synthesizes process information in order to
create a process plan for new parts automatically.

Variant Process Planning

 Uses similarity among components to retrieve existing
process plans (called a standard plan).

Standard Plan –
a process plan that can be used by a family of
components.
- permanently stored in a data base (the family
number as its key).
- it must also contain a sequence of fabrication steps
(operation plan).
 When a process pan is retrieved, a certain degree of
modification is required to adopt it to a new component.
 Retrieval method and logic is dependent on the grouping of
parts into family. Common manufacturing method can be
identified to a family.

Family – represented by a family matrix (includes all possible

members).
Variant Process Planning Stages:
1. Preparatory stage
Procedures:
1. Existing component are coded, classified and
grouped into family.
2. A family matrix is constructed
3. Summarizing process plan (existing) of
components in the family.
4. Storing the standard plan in the data base and
indexed by the family matrix.

Step 1

Step 4

Step 2

Step 3

2. Production stage

2. Production Stage:
- occurs when system is ready for production.
- planning for new components.
Procedures:
1. Incoming component is coded.
2. Code is input to a part family search routine to
find a family to which it belong.
3. The family number is used to retrieve standard
plan.
4. Human planner may introduce modification to
satisfy component design.
 5. (Optional): Parameter selection and standard time
calculation.

Step 2
Step 1

Step 4
Step 3

An Example of a Variant Planning System

Problem statement:
Using a simple coding table ( S –code table) we will construct a
our planning system that we will call VP (variant planning system) to be
used for a small machine part that can manufacture a wide range of parts
(from simple to complex parts).

VP (system) Construction Sequence:

1. Family formulation
2. Data base Structure
3. Search algorithm
4. Plan Editing
5. Process Parameter selection

Problem solution:
Step/sequence 1:
Family formation
 This will be based on production parts and
manufacturing features.
  Components requiring similar processes are grouped
in the same family.
General rule: “ All parts in a family must be related and
must require the same process plan.”

Typical considerations:
- parts with same process sequence.
- Parts using the same machines.

Consider the following before grouping:

- information on design processing of all existing
components from parts and processing files.
- S-code (the grouping code) and the OP code
(operation code).

Operation code – represents a series of operation on one machine and

/or workstation.
- used to represent a logical group of operations on
machine so that process plan can be generated in a
much more concise manner.

Two methods to group parts into family:

1. Observation
2. Computerized method ( using PFA)

Production Flow Analysis (PFA) – used to solve family formation problem

for manufacturing cell design.

Note: There are many algorithms developed to solve the family

grouping problem.

- in a PFA, a large (incidence matrix) matrix is constructed where

rows represents OP codes and columns represents the
components.

- the objective of PFA is to bring together those components that

need the same or a similar set of OP codes in clusters.
1 if component j has OP code i.
The matrix is defined as Mij =
0 otherwise.
 King’s algorithm – a rank order cluster algorithm to determine
component families and can be stated as follows:

Step 1: For calculate the total weight of column :

j wj

w j   2i M ij
i

Step 2. If is in ascending order, go to step 3. Otherwise,

wj

rearrange the column to make fall in an ascending order.

wj

Step 3. For i , calculate the total weight of row wi :

wi   2 j M ij
j

Step 4. If wi is in ascending order, stop. Otherwise, rearrange the

rows to make wi fall in an ascending order. Go to step 1.
Note: King’s algorithm can only handle problems with few machines and
components. The number of rows and columns are dependent on
computer hardware and software.

Step 2: Data base construction

Data base: a group of cross reference data files contatining all
necessary information for an application that can be accessed by
several programs.

3 Approach to construct a data base:

1. hierarchical
2. network
3. applications

Currently, there are many available commercial high level

programming language for data base construction and manipulation.
This includes: CODASYL, MARKIV, SPIRES and others.
Figure 4.9 to 4.12 shows a generic hierarchical approach to
construct a data base for the problem. The family matrix, standard plan
and operation plan are all indexed and accessed using the family number
and names which are dependent both on the hardware and software
ability. Forward and backward linking algorithms are usually
constructed.
Step 3-4: Search Procedure and editing
These are in the production stage in the process planning cycle.
Search algorithms are typically dependent on the data base structure. A
family matrix search can be seen as the matching of the family matrix
with a given code. The algorithm resembles a mask matching sequence.