BUILDING MRSEV MODELS FOR CAM APPLICATIONS

In integrating CAD and CAM applications, one major problem is how to interpret CAD information in a manner that makes sense for CAM. The goal is to develop a general approach that can be used with a variety of CAD and CAM applications for the manufacture of machined parts. In particular, a methodology is presented for taking a CAD model, extracting alternative interpretations of the model as collections of MRSEVs (material removal shape element volumes, a STEP-based library of machining features), and evaluating these interpretations to determine which one is optimal. The evaluation criteria may be defined by the user, in order to select the best interpretation for the particular application at hand.