System and method for constructing process plans for hybrid manufacturing with the aid of a digital computer

A computer-implemented system for determining manufacturability of a part for hybrid manufacturing, the system comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable storage device configured to store:
• a model of an as-designed part;
• parameters for one or more manufacturing instruments available to the system for the hybrid manufacturing of the as-designed part;
• and
• manufacturing capabilities for the one or more manufacturing instruments;
• a hardware processor coupled to the storage device and to memory, the memory configured to store code for execution by the processor, the processor, memory, and code configured to:
• compute manufacturing primitives for each manufacturing instrument of the one or more manufacturing instruments, each manufacturing primitive comprising a shape that is manufacturable through a single manufacturing action that can be performed by the manufacturing instrument;
• determine whether atomic regions of a manufacturing workspace encompassing the manufacturing primitives can be refined into smaller regions to make a non-manufacturable as-designed part manufacturable;
• determine properties of a new manufacturing primitive needed to satisfy the refinement;
• determine that the as-designed part is manufacturable according to a manufacturing sequence described in terms of a combination of the manufacturing primitives, wherein the manufacturing sequence comprises only additive manufacturing primitives, only subtractive manufacturing primitives, or a combination of the additive manufacturing primitives and the subtractive manufacturing primitives;
• and
• form a process plan for manufacturing the part, the process plan includes a sequence of manufacturing actions that is performable by the manufacturing instruments according to the manufacturing sequence, the process plan used to manufacture the part via the one or more manufacturing instruments.

A computer-implemented method for determining manufacturability of a part for hybrid manufacturing, the method comprising:

• providing a processor with a model of an as-designed part to be fabricated by the hybrid manufacturing;
• providing the processor with parameters for one or more manufacturing instruments that are each capable of performing at least one manufacturing process;
• providing the processor with manufacturing capabilities for the one or more manufacturing instruments;
• computing, by the processor, manufacturing primitives for each manufacturing instrument of the one or more manufacturing instruments, each manufacturing primitive comprising a shape that is manufacturable through a single manufacturing action that can be performed by the manufacturing instrument;
• providing the processor with semantics for interchangeability of an as-manufactured part;
• determining, by the processor, whether there exists a union of a subcollection of canonical intersection terms that matches the as-designed part with respect to the semantics for interchangeability, each canonical intersection term defining a three-dimensional region that is completely inside or completely outside each of the manufacturing primitives;
• and
• determining, by the processor, that the as-designed part is manufacturable according to any manufacturing sequence described in terms of a combination of the manufacturing primitives, wherein the manufacturing sequence comprises only additive manufacturing primitives, only subtractive manufacturing primitives, or a combination of the additive manufacturing primitives and the subtractive manufacturing primitives;
• and
• forming a process plan for manufacturing the part, the process plan including a sequence of manufacturing actions that is performable by the manufacturing instruments according to the manufacturing sequence, the process plan used to manufacture the part via the one or more manufacturing instruments.