Objectives in Developing CAPP

During the last 15 years, researchers world wide are developing CAPP systems for sheet metal parts. Many among them are customized in terms of part/process domains and their functional capabilities [3-6].

Broad objectives in developing a CAPP system for sheet metal forming are listed below :

1. Efficient Computer aided design of sheet metal parts.

2. Accurate blank development.

3. Layout planning for efficient material utilisation.

4. Computer Aided Design of Dies.

5. Preparation of Die drawings and BOM.

6. Preparing CNC part programs for Die manufacture.

CAPP systems essentially aim at automating the activities of human process planner/tool designer. Most CAPP systems are based on empirical rules, formulae or data derived from standard handbooks and industry shop practices. Recently some attempts have been made to integrate Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software with CAPP to analyse the stresses developed during forming, particularly at the critical areas on the part where failure may occur. However these studies are at the research level and are out of scope for most general purpose CAPP systems.