An IT view on perspectives of computer aided process planning research

This paper presents current research perspectives on Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) and it covers articles and other related publications that appeared especially in the last seven years. It aims to provide a clear understanding of the directions and challenges in the field. The current research efforts on CAPP systems focus on both variant as well as generative and hybrid systems. A majority of these systems apply expert system or artificial intelligence based techniques. At the same time a strong emphasis is placed on integrating CAPP and its related activities into one system. As a bridge between Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) CAPP relies on good interfaces between these systems. Automatic feature recognition systems can be used to interface CAD and CAPP. Various methods are available to perform feature recognition using solid model of the part. This paper first provides a general introduction to CAPP along with its background. It also gives an overview of manufacturing features and feature recognition research. Recent CAPP research and systems are discussed in terms of their general characteristics. Finally, shortcomings of current systems and expected future developments are considered.