Integration of commercial CAD/CAM system with custom CAPP using Orbix middleware and CORBA standard

This paper discusses the issues of integrating the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) programs in commercial software. Integration was achieved through implementation of a computer-aided process planning (CAPP) system within the commercial software. The part model was imported into, or designed in, the commercial CAD system. Manufacturing information was then extracted from the part model by the CAPP system using commercial Application Programming Interfacing (API) methods. The CAPP system then uses the extracted information to produce a process plan consistent with the requirements of the commercial CAM module to produce Numerical Control (NC) code. The internal integration was accomplished using commercial API methods that dynamically bind the CAD, CAPP, and CAM into a single continuous application. These APIs are implemented using the Orbix middleware following the CORBA standard. A case study demonstrating the integration is presented. Strengths and weaknesses of integrating the CAD and CAM domains using APIs and middleware are discussed.