Expert manufacturing system

An expert manufacturing system for producing a part, the system comprising:

• a user interface to select the part for producing from a plurality of available parts;
• a part data file to store basic part data associated with the selected part;
• a manufacturing file generator to generate a manufacturing file based on the part data file and in accordance with predefined rules, wherein the manufacturing file defines part features and identifies one or more machining operations for producing each respective part feature;
• an expert system to define a manufacturing plan for producing the selected part based on the manufacturing file, the manufacturing plan specifying machining operation sequences and process conditions associated with the one or more machining operations;
• a program code generator to generate executable program code corresponding to the manufacturing plan;
• one or more device controllers to execute the program code and provide a plurality of control signals based thereon;
• and
• one or more machine tools to carry out the one or more machining operations to produce the selected part in accordance with the manufacturing plan in response to the plurality of control signals.

A method for defining a manufacturing plan for producing a part, comprising:

• selecting the Dart for producing;
• obtaining basic part data associated with the part;
• generating a manufacturing file from the basic part data and in accordance with predefined rules, the manufacturing file including manufacturing data associated with the part, the manufacturing data defining body elements, detail elements formed on the body elements, surface elements formed on the body elements, primitive geometry elements, and machining operations to be carried out by one or more machine tools for producing the body elements, detail elements, surface elements, and/or primitive geometry elements;
• based on the manufacturing data, invoking one or more expert programs for generating a manufacturing plan for producing the part, the one or more expert programs providing machining conditions and machining sequences associated with the machining operations;
• and
• generating a neutral source code corresponding to the manufacturing plan.