Method for implementing design-for-manufacturability checks

• US 10,061,299 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Plethora Corporation
• Original Assignee: Plethora Corporation
• Inventors: Herrman, Jeremy, Pinkston, Nicholas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge, Charles
• Application Number:
  US15/153,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4097 characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM G05B19/4093 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35134 3-D cad-cam
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35193 Manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

One variation of a method for implementing design-for-manufacturing checks during construction of a virtual model of a real part includes: in response to insertion of a virtual feature into the virtual model, estimating a minimum stock geometry for the real part based on the virtual feature; selecting a first material stock cross-section from a set of available material stock cross-sections of a material designated for the real part based on the minimum stock geometry; at a first time, prompting a user to adjust a dimension of the virtual feature to enable production of the real part with a second material stock cross-section in the set of material stock cross-sections, less than the first material stock cross-section; at a second time succeeding the first time, submitting, to a manufacturing facility and over a computer network, an order for production of a unit of the real part according to the virtual model.

Claims

1. A method for implementing design-for-manufacturing checks during construction of a virtual model of a real part, the method comprising, at a computer-aided drafting engine executing on a computing device:

receiving, at the computer-aided drafting engine, a manufacturing file specifying a set of available material stock-cross sections for a manufacturing facility;

in response to receipt of a first virtual feature for the virtual model at the computer-aided drafting engine, determining a first set of manufacturability scores for each of a plurality of stock orientations, comprising, for each stock orientation of the plurality;

identifying a first set of manufacturability errors associated with the stock orientation based on the first virtual feature, a corresponding material stock cross-section from the set of available material stock cross-sections, and the stock orientation, and

determining a first manufacturability score for the stock orientation based on the first set of manufacturability errors, wherein the first set of manufacturability scores comprises the first manufacturability score for the stock orientation;

generating a first ranking for the plurality of stock orientations based on the first set of manufacturability scores;

selecting a first stock orientation from the plurality of stock orientations, based on the first ranking; and

presenting, at the computer-aided drafting engine, a first manufacturability error of the first set of manufacturability errors associated with the selected first stock orientation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receipt of a second virtual feature for the virtual model at the computer-aided drafting engine, determining a second set of manufacturability scores for each of the plurality of stock orientations, comprising, for each stock orientation of the plurality;

identifying a second set of manufacturability errors associated with the stock orientation based on the first and the second virtual features, the stock orientation, and the corresponding material stock cross-section, and

determining a second manufacturability score for the stock orientation based on the second set of manufacturability errors, wherein the second set of manufacturability scores comprises the second manufacturability score for the stock orientation;

generating a second ranking for the plurality of stock orientations based on the second set of manufacturability scores;

selecting a second stock orientation from the plurality of stock orientations, based on the second ranking; and

presenting, at the computer-aided drafting engine, a second manufacturability error of the second set of manufacturability errors associated with the selected second stock orientation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first stock orientation is distinct from the second stock orientation.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising prompting the user to perform an adjustment to the first virtual feature to correct the second manufacturability error, concurrently with presenting the second manufacturability error.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein prompting the user to perform the adjustment to the first virtual feature comprises prompting the user to adjust the tolerance of a dimension of the first virtual feature based on a standard dimensional tolerance of the material stock cross-section corresponding to the selected second stock orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting a user to perform a preferred adjustment of the first virtual feature to correct the first manufacturability error at the computer-aided drafting engine, wherein the preferred adjustment of the first virtual feature increases the manufacturability score associated with the selected first stock orientation;

in response to the user performing the preferred adjustment of the first virtual feature, comparing the increased manufacturability score with a threshold manufacturability score; and

in response to the increased manufacturability score exceeding the threshold manufacturability score, estimating a cost to manufacture the real part, based on the selected first stock orientation and the adjusted first virtual feature.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein prompting the user to perform the preferred adjustment of the first virtual feature comprises:

identifying a set of adjustments to the first virtual feature, each adjustment of the set of adjustments capable of correcting the first manufacturability error;

determining a set of machining times comprising machining times for each of the set of adjustments, wherein determining a machining time for each of the set of adjustments comprises;

calculating a machining time for the real part based on the adjustment of the first virtual feature, the first selected stock orientation, and the corresponding material stock cross-section; and

selecting an adjustment from the set of adjustments, wherein the adjustment is associated with a shortest machining time of the set of machining times, and wherein the adjustment is the preferred adjustment of the first virtual feature.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing file further specifies a set of available cutting tools for a manufacturing facility, each cutting tool associated with a geometry, wherein identifying the first set of manufacturability errors is further based on the respective geometries of the set of available cutting tools.

9. The method of claim 8:

wherein identifying the first set of manufacturability errors comprises, for each of the geometries of the set of available cutting tools;

analyzing a feasibility of machining the real part using the geometry of the set of available cutting tools according to the first virtual feature, the stock orientation, and the corresponding material stock cross-section; and

wherein determining the first manufacturability score for the stock orientation comprises determining the manufacturability score based on the feasibility.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the selected first stock orientation ranks highest in the first ranking for the plurality of stock orientations.

11. A method for implementing design-for-manufacturing checks during construction of a virtual model of a real part, the method comprising, at a computer-aided drafting engine executing on a computing device:

in response to receiving a virtual feature for the virtual model, determining a first set of manufacturability scores for a plurality of stock orientations, comprising, for each of the plurality;

analyzing a machining feasibility of machining the real part based on the stock orientation and the virtual feature, comprising estimating a first cost of machining the real part according to the stock orientation and the virtual feature, and

determining a manufacturability score for the stock orientation based on the machining feasibility, comprising determining the manufacturability score based on the estimated first cost, wherein the first set of manufacturability scores comprises the manufacturability score for the stock orientation;

generating a ranking for the plurality of stock orientations based on the first set of manufacturability scores;

selecting a first stock orientation from the plurality of stock orientations, based on the ranking; and

presenting, at the computer-aided drafting engine, a first feasibility notification related to the machining feasibility associated with the selected first stock orientation, comprising presenting the estimated first cost to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the first feasibility notification further comprises presenting a user prompt to perform an adjustment of the virtual feature, wherein the adjustment of the virtual feature increases the manufacturability score associated with the selected first stock orientation, the method further comprising:

in response to the user performing the adjustment of the virtual feature, estimating a second cost to manufacture the real part, based on the selected first stock orientation and the adjusted virtual feature, wherein the estimated second cost is less than the estimated first cost.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a manufacturing file specifying a set of materials available for machining at a manufacturing facility;

prompting the user to select from the set of materials; and

receiving a user selection of a material from the set of materials, wherein analyzing machining feasibility is further based on the user-selected material.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to each manufacturability score of the first set of manufacturability scores falling below a threshold manufacturability score, determining a second set of manufacturability scores, comprising for each of the set of materials;

determining a manufacturability score based on the machining feasibility of machining the real part according to the material, the selected first stock orientation, and the virtual feature, wherein the second set of manufacturability scores comprises the manufacturability score;

generating a ranking for the set of materials based on the second set of manufacturability scores; and

identifying a suitable material from the set of materials, based on the ranking for the set of materials, wherein the first feasibility notification further comprises a suggestion to the user to select the suitable material.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising selecting a second stock orientation from the plurality of stock orientations based on the ranking, wherein the first feasibility notification is further related to the machining feasibility associated with the second stock orientation.

16. A method for implementing design-for-manufacturing checks during construction of a virtual model of a real part, the method comprising, at a computer-aided drafting engine executing on a computing device:

in response to receiving a virtual feature for the virtual model, determining a first set of manufacturability scores for a plurality of stock orientations, comprising, for each of the plurality;

analyzing a machining feasibility of machining the real part based on the stock orientation and the virtual feature, comprising identifying a set of manufacturability errors associated with the stock orientation, and

determining a manufacturability score for the stock orientation based on the machining feasibility, wherein the first set of manufacturability scores comprises the manufacturability score for the stock orientation;

generating a ranking for the plurality of stock orientations based on the first set of manufacturability scores;

selecting a first stock orientation from the plurality of stock orientations, based on the ranking; and

presenting, at the computer-aided drafting engine, a first feasibility notification comprising a user prompt to perform an adjustment of the virtual feature to correct a first manufacturability error of the set of manufacturability errors associated with the selected first stock orientation, wherein the adjustment of the virtual feature increases the manufacturability score associated with the selected first stock orientation.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to the user performing the adjustment of the virtual feature, recalculating the manufacturability score;

generating an updated ranking for the plurality of stock orientations based on the recalculated manufacturability score;

selecting a second stock orientation from the plurality of stock orientations, based on the updated ranking, wherein the selected second stock orientation is distinct from the selected first stock orientation; and

presenting, at the computer-aided drafting engine, a second feasibility notification related to the selected second stock orientation and the adjusted virtual feature.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to the user performing the adjustment of the virtual feature, calculating a machining time for the real part based on the adjusted virtual feature and the first selected stock orientation;

estimating a cost to manufacture the real part based on the machining time; and

displaying the cost within the computer-aided drafting engine.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a manufacturing file specifying a set of materials available for machining at a manufacturing facility;

prompting the user to select from the set of materials; and

receiving a user selection of a material from the set of materials, wherein analyzing the machining feasibility is further based on the on the user-selected material.

19. The method of 18, further comprising submitting, to a database associated with the manufacturing facility, an order for production of a unit of the real part, the order comprising the first selected stock orientation and the virtual model with the virtual feature.