Automated Process Planning System for End Milling Operation Constrained by Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)

To realize autonomous machining, it is necessary to focus on machining tools and also on the automation of process planning in the preparation stage. This study proposes a process planning system that automatically defines the machining region and determines the machining sequence. Although previous studies have explored computer-aided process planning, only a few have considered geometric tolerances. Geometric tolerances are indicated on product drawings to eliminate their ambiguity and manage machining quality. Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is a geometric tolerance standard applied to a three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) model and are expected to be used for the digitization of manufacturing. Therefore, this study developed an automated process planning system by using GD&T as a sequencing constraint. In the proposed system, the machining sequence is automatically determined by the geometrical constraints, which indicate whether the tool can approach, and GD&T, which indicates the geometric tolerance and datum in a 3D CAD model. A case study validated the proposed method of automated process planning constrained by GD&T. The result shows that the proposed system can automatically determine the machining sequence according to the geometric tolerance in a 3D CAD model.