A computer-based intelligent system for automatic tool selection

This paper presents a computer-based intelligent system for the automatic selection of cutting processes and tools within a concurrent engineering environment. The main objective of the research work was to develop a procedure for the selection of cutting tools, develop a dynamic programming-based system that utilises mathematical modules and heuristic data to determine and calculate cutting parameters and total component cost. This will help the designers and manufacturing planners to select an optimal set of cutting tools and cutting conditions for different material properties and to give users alternatives on how to reduce cost and time. The system comprised of several modules; the knowledge acquisition module, the knowledge base module, the inference engine, the user interface, and the database. The developed system, which was designed to cover different component shapes including cylindrical, prismatic, different types of machining techniques, conventional and less conventional, has the potential to deal with complex products that are made up of multiple components. The system is capable of selecting cutting tools. It calculates cutting conditions and estimates component cost, based on the properties of the work piece material and features attributes, which include surface finish and tolerances, as well as using a number of production criteria such as material removal rate, tool life, machining time, and cost.