A process planning strategy for multi-axis hybrid manufacturing process

Abstract

This paper outlines a process planning strategy for a multi-axis hybrid manufacturing process that includes a metal deposition system and a multi-axis CNC machining system to rapidly manufacture precision metal parts. Different from the current layered manufacturing processes of which build direction is fixed throughout the process, the orientation of the part can affect the non-support buildability in the multi-axis hybrid manufacturing process. However, each orientation that satisfies the buildability and other constraints may not be unique. In this case, the final optimal orientation is determined based on build time. The build time computation algorithm for multi-axis hybrid system is presented in this paper. To speed up the exhaustive search for the optimal orientation, a multi-stage algorithm is developed to reduce the search space. A case study is used as an example to show the process planning strategy.