67. PROCESS PLANNING

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Process planning is the selection of operation and parameters required to manufacture a part.

A process plan is a list of operations required to manufacture a part.

This technique is quite inexact, and never perfect.

Some strategies that can be used to do process planning are,

- Technology driven features

- Most significant feature first

In general a process plan is put together in pieces, but at all times we will be trying to convert features on the design to operations on the process plan.

Many of the parameters that effect the process planning decisions are related to a part, and to a process being considered.

- lead times

- processes available

- tolerances

- feature geometry

- standard features

- surface finish/roughness

- geometry complexity

- material types

- material properties

- part shape

- largest dimension

- section thickness

- length to width ratio

- hole diameters

- corner radii

- quality control

- quantity produced

- economic batch size

- capital costs

- tooling costs

- lead time

- material waste

- production rate

- tool life

- environmental impact