Apparatus and method for managing and distributing design and manufacturing information throughout a sheet metal production facility
First Claim
1. A system for developing a sheet metal bend sequence through the use of a graphical user interface, said bend sequence being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said system comprising:
- a bend sequence display system for generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part, said 2-D flat image of said part including representations of each bendline of said part; and
an input device for manually entering a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part, said bend sequence being entered by an operator using said input device by selecting each bendline displayed in said 2-D flat image of said part;
wherein said bend sequence display system is further adapted to generate and display a plurality of images of said part based on said bend sequence entered by said input device, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method is provided for managing and distributing design and manufacturing information throughout a factory in order to facilitate the production of components, such as bent sheet metal components. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the management and distribution of critical design and manufacturing information is achieved by storing and distributing the design and manufacturing information associated with each job. By replacing the traditional paper job set-up or work sheet with, for example, an electronically stored job sheet that can be accessed instantaneously from any location in the factory, the present invention improves the overall efficiency of the factory. In addition, through the various aspects and features of the invention, the organization and accessibility of part information and stored expert knowledge is improved.
132 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for developing a sheet metal bend sequence through the use of a graphical user interface, said bend sequence being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said system comprising:
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a bend sequence display system for generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part, said 2-D flat image of said part including representations of each bendline of said part; and
an input device for manually entering a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part, said bend sequence being entered by an operator using said input device by selecting each bendline displayed in said 2-D flat image of said part;
wherein said bend sequence display system is further adapted to generate and display a plurality of images of said part based on said bend sequence entered by said input device, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 29)
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9. A computer readable memory tangibly embodying a computer program, said computer program comprising instructions that are executable by a computer-based machine to perform a method for developing a sheet metal bending plan through the use of a graphical user interface, said bending plan being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said method comprising:
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generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part;
manually entering, in accordance with operation of an input device, a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part;
generating and displaying tooling information on said display device, said tooling information relating to a plurality of tools;
manually selecting, in accordance with operation of said input device, tooling based on said tooling information displayed on said display device; and
storing, in a storage device, said bending plan for said part based on said entered bend sequence and said selected tooling;
said method further comprising generating and displaying a plurality of images of said part on said display device based on said entered bend sequence, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 30)
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22. A computer readable memory tangibly embodying a computer program, said computer program comprising instructions that are executable by a computer-based machine to perform a method for developing a sheet metal bend sequence through the use of a graphical user interface, said bend sequence being adapted for use in the production of a part at a facility, said method comprising:
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generating and displaying a bend sequence input window on a display device, said bend sequence input window comprising a 2-D flat image of said part;
manually entering, in accordance with operation of an input device, a bend sequence based on said 2-D flat image of said part; and
generating and displaying a plurality of images of said part based on said bend sequence entered in accordance with operation of said input device, each of said plurality of images of said part relating to a representation of said part at a stage within said bend sequence. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification