System and method for selecting cutting tools

Abstract

A method of identifying a plurality of cutting tools for machining a feature having defined attributes associated therewith in a workpiece. The method comprises: assigning a characteristic to each cutting tool; receiving an indication from a user of a specific feature to be machined and at least one associated attribute; selecting a cutting tool based upon the specific feature to be machined, the at least one associated attribute of the specific feature to be machined, and the characteristic previously assigned to the cutting tool; determining if the characteristic of the selected cutting tool requires the use of another cutting tool to form the specific feature; and selecting at least one other cutting tool based at least upon the characteristic of the selected cutting tool until all of the attributes of the feature to be machined are capable of being produced by a combination of all of the selected cutting tools.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.