CyberCut: A Coordinated Pipeline of Design, Process Planning and Manufacture

Abstract

CyberCut is a coordinated “pipeline” of software that can be used to design a part itself, design a mould for the part, and then machine an aluminium mould from the design. WebCAD is the “front end” to CyberCut and invites a mechanical designer to use specific design tools, strongly linked to downstream manufacture. Alternatively, we also allow the designer to use a CAD system of their choice and use the “feature recognition” described in this chapter to analyse the shape for downstream planning and machining. An ACIS graphics kernel facilitates the feature recognition step from the CAD file. Automated tool-path planners and automated tool selection procedures then generate computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining code. The algorithms that we have developed eliminate manual CNC programming, thus reducing significantly the mould cutting time. We also describe an optimal tool sequencing method by finding the shortest path in a single-source, single-sink, directed acyclic graph.