An Intelligent Computer-Aided Assembly Process Planning System

This paper presents an intelligent computer-aided assembly process planning system (ICAAPP) developed for generating an optimal assembly sequence for mechanical parts. The system employs a graph set technique for creating an assembly model. The set includes an attributed topological graph, an attachment constraint graph, a tolerance graph and a special process constraint graph. In the generation of assembly sequences for any product, the critical problems to be addressed include determining the base part, selection of subassemblies, defining all necessary constraints, and quantifying and solving these constraints. In the ICAAPP system, algorithms have been developed for the selection of the base part, defining of the subassemblies, and determination of the constraint values. A simple mechanical assembly is used to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed algorithms.