MANUFACTURING COST ESTIMATOR
First Claim
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1. A computer-based automatic cost estimation system for automatically estimating a manufacturing cost of a physical component, the system comprising:
- i. a geometry assessment module, using a microprocessor, adapted to;
identify a representation of a starting configuration of a component and a desired final configuration of the component;
identify differences between the starting configuration of the component and the desired final configuration of the component;
determine a plurality of transformation steps to transform the component to the desired final configuration of the component;
ii. a process routing engine, using a microprocessor, adapted to;
determine at least one process for executing each of the plurality of transformation steps; and
identify manufacturing equipment for carrying out the determined at least one process for each of the transformation steps;
iii. a model of equipment capabilities for a plurality of pieces of manufacturing equipment, the model stored in a non-transitory medium;
iv. a physics based mechanistic module operating on a microprocessor and adapted to estimate a time required on each piece of equipment for the at least one process for each transformation step identified by the transformation analysis module using the model of equipment capabilities;
v. a cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment, the cost model stored in a non-transitory medium; and
vi. a transformation cost estimation module, using a microprocessor, adapted to;
estimate a cost given the time required for using each piece of manufacturing equipment for each transformation step using the cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment;
estimate a cost of tooling required for each piece of manufacturing equipment for each step for which tooling is required;
aggregate a total cost for the at least one process for all the determined transformation steps; and
estimate a total cost for manufacturing a specified quantity of the desired final configuration of the component.
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Abstract
Computer-based methods and systems are provided for improved recognition and presentation of parts, such as machine parts, as well as methods and systems for modeling and predicting the cost of such parts.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-based automatic cost estimation system for automatically estimating a manufacturing cost of a physical component, the system comprising:
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i. a geometry assessment module, using a microprocessor, adapted to; identify a representation of a starting configuration of a component and a desired final configuration of the component; identify differences between the starting configuration of the component and the desired final configuration of the component; determine a plurality of transformation steps to transform the component to the desired final configuration of the component; ii. a process routing engine, using a microprocessor, adapted to; determine at least one process for executing each of the plurality of transformation steps; and identify manufacturing equipment for carrying out the determined at least one process for each of the transformation steps; iii. a model of equipment capabilities for a plurality of pieces of manufacturing equipment, the model stored in a non-transitory medium; iv. a physics based mechanistic module operating on a microprocessor and adapted to estimate a time required on each piece of equipment for the at least one process for each transformation step identified by the transformation analysis module using the model of equipment capabilities; v. a cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment, the cost model stored in a non-transitory medium; and vi. a transformation cost estimation module, using a microprocessor, adapted to; estimate a cost given the time required for using each piece of manufacturing equipment for each transformation step using the cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment; estimate a cost of tooling required for each piece of manufacturing equipment for each step for which tooling is required; aggregate a total cost for the at least one process for all the determined transformation steps; and estimate a total cost for manufacturing a specified quantity of the desired final configuration of the component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer-based automatic cost estimation system for automatically estimating a manufacturing cost of a physical component, the system comprising:
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i. a geometry assessment module using a microprocessor adapted to; identify a first configuration for a component represented by a first data structure within a 3-D CAD model and a final configuration of the component represented by a second data structure within a 3-D CAD model; identify differences between the first configuration and the final configuration; determine transformation steps to transform the component to the final configuration of the component; ii. a process routing engine, using a microprocessor, adapted to; determine at least one process for each of the transformation steps; and identify manufacturing equipment for carrying out the determined at least one process for each of the transformation steps; iii. a model of equipment capabilities for a plurality of pieces of manufacturing equipment, the model stored in a non-transitory medium; iv. a cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment, the cost model stored in a non-transitory medium; and v. a transformation cost estimation module, using a microprocessor, adapted to; estimate a time required on each piece of equipment for the at least one process for each transformation step using the model of equipment capabilities for each piece of manufacturing equipment; estimate a cost given the time required for using each piece of manufacturing equipment for each transformation step using the cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment; estimate a cost of tooling required for each piece of manufacturing equipment for each step for which tooling is required; aggregate a total cost for the at least one process for all the determined transformation steps; and estimate a total cost for manufacturing a specified quantity of the final configuration of the component. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A computer-based automatic cost estimation system for automatically estimating a manufacturing cost of a physical component, the system comprising:
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i. a geometry assessment module using a microprocessor adapted to; identify a representation of a starting configuration of a component and a desired final configuration of the component; identify differences between the starting configuration of the component and the desired final configuration of the component; determine transformation steps to transform the component to the desired final configuration of the component; determine at least one process for each of the transformation steps; and identify manufacturing equipment for carrying out the determined at least one process for each of the transformation steps; ii. a model of equipment capabilities for a plurality of pieces of manufacturing equipment, the model stored in a non-transitory medium; iii. a cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment, the cost model stored in a non-transitory medium; and iv. a transformation cost estimation module, using a microprocessor, adapted to; estimate a time required on each piece of equipment for the at least one process for each transformation step using the model of equipment capabilities for each piece of manufacturing equipment; estimate a cost given the time required for using each piece of manufacturing equipment for each transformation step using the cost model for each piece of manufacturing equipment; aggregate a total cost for the at least one process for all the determined transformation steps; and estimate a total cost for manufacturing a specified quantity of the desired final configuration of the component. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification