AUTOCAP—A dialogue system for planning the sequence of operations for turning components

Abstract

The object of the work is to produce a computer aid for the operation sequence planning of turned parts, which reduces the skill required, the planning time and the cost and improves the quality relative to manual programming. A Fortran IV programme was first written for a CDC7600 computer [1], in a batch mode which produced a complete planning sheet suitable for the shop floor, for any turned part in a family from planner oriented data input. This was demonstrated successfully. It formed the basis of a dedicated interactive mini-computer based system called AUTOCAP using PDP8 with a 256K byte disc pack. This system is within the financial reach of the smaller company. The system is designed to be controlled and extended by shop floor staff. It is interactive so that appropriate tasks can be carried out by operator or computer to optimise the overall system performance. The system has now been extended to run on a CYBER 72. The operator has to determine the sequence of production of different features in the part. He has to enter original and final dimensions, tolerance and surface finish for each feature, the appropriate codes for the cutting tool material (1 grade of tungsten carbide and 1 grade of High Speed Steel) and workpiece material (data for seventy types is at present incorporated). More than 100 comparative planning tests have been done which show that planning sheets produced by this method are acceptable, and that there is saving in time and cost of approx. 10:1 in producing a planning sheet, and that planning sheets produced by AUTOCAP are more consistent than those produced by manual methods.