Horizontally structured manufacturing process modeling: exterior linked representational embodiment

A storage medium encoded with a machine-readable computer program code for horizontally structured CAD/CAM manufacturing for large process models, said storage medium including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method comprising:

• selecting a blank for machining into an actual part;
• establishing a coordinate system;
• creating a master process model in a first file comprising:
• a virtual blank corresponding to said blank;
• and
• manufacturing features;
• virtual machining a first subset of said manufacturing features into said virtual blank, said first subset of said manufacturing features exhibiting an associative relationship with said coordinate system;
• generating a first group reference link of the first subset of said manufacturing features;
• generating a first in-process model from results of the virtual machining, said first in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with said master process model;
• storing the first in-process model in a second file, the second file associated with the first file via the first group reference link;
• virtual machining a second subset of said manufacturing features into said virtual blank;
• generating a second in-process model from results of virtual machining the second subset of said manufacturing features, the second in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with the master process model;
• storing the second in-process model in a third file, the third file associated with the first file via the first group reference link;
• and
• generating manufacturing instructions to create said actual part by machining at least one of said first and second subsets of the manufacturing features into said blank, wherein, if the first subset of said manufacturing features is altered or deleted, the second subset of said manufacturing features remains unchanged;
• creating an alternate master process model from the first in-process model, the alternate process model being created based on at least one feature of the first subset of manufacturing features;
• virtual machining a first subset of alternate manufacturing features into the alternate master process model;
• generating a first alternate in-process model from results of the virtual machining, the first in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with the alternate master process model;
• virtual machining a second subset of alternate manufacturing features into the alternate master process model;
• and
• generating a second alternate in-process model from results of virtual machining the second subset of the alternate manufacturing features, the second alternate in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with the alternate master process model,
• wherein said associative relationship between the first subset of the manufacturing features and the coordinate system is a parent/child relationship, and wherein said associative relationship between the second in-process model and the master process model is the parent/child relationship such that changes to the first in-process model as a first child and changes to the second in-process model as a second child do not affect the master process model as a parent, and wherein changes to the master process model as the parent affect the first and second child, thereby establishing a horizontal tree structure.

A method of horizontally structured CAD/CAM manufacturing process modeling for large process models comprising:

• selecting a blank for machining into an actual part;
• establishing a coordinate system;
• creating a master process model in a first file comprising:
• a virtual blank corresponding to said blank;
• and
• manufacturing features;
• virtual machining a first subset of said manufacturing features into said virtual blank, said first subset of said manufacturing features exhibiting an associative relationship with said coordinate system;
• generating a first group reference link of the first subset of said manufacturing features;
• generating a first in-process model from results of the virtual machining, said first in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with said master process model;
• storing the first in-process model in a second file, the second file associated with the first file via the first group reference link;
• virtual machining a second subset of said manufacturing features into said virtual blank;
• generating a second in-process model from results of virtual machining the second subset of said manufacturing features, the second in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with the master process model;
• storing the second in-process model in a third file, the third file associated with the first file via the first group reference link;
• generating manufacturing instructions to create said actual part by machining at least one of said first and second subsets of the manufacturing features into said blank, wherein, if the first subset of said manufacturing features is altered or deleted, the second subset of said manufacturing features remains unchanged;
• creating an alternate master process model from the first in-process model, the alternate process model being created based on at least one feature of the first subset of manufacturing features;
• virtual machining a first subset of alternate manufacturing features into the alternate master process model;
• generating a first alternate in-process model from results of the virtual machining, the first in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with the alternate master process model;
• virtual machining a second subset of alternate manufacturing features into the alternate master process model;
• and
• generating a second alternate in-process model from results of virtual machining the second subset of the alternate manufacturing features, the second alternate in-process model exhibiting an associative relationship with the alternate master process model,
• wherein the associative relationship between the first in-process model and the master process model is a parent/child relationship, and wherein the associative relationship between the second in-process model and the master process model is the parent/child relationship such that changes to the first in-process model as a first child and changes to the second in-process model as a second child do not affect the master process model as a parent, and wherein changes to the master process model as the parent affect the first and second child, thereby establishing a first horizontal free structure.