A conceptual framework for interactive and blackboard based CAPP

Abstract

This paper gives an extensive overview of the data models and the knowledge sources that form the back-bone of an interactive Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) kernel. The CAPP kernel is based on a blackboard system architecture. The paper describes the information that resides on the blackboard and how this information is instantiated: the blackboard approach provides the human process planner with assisting 'expert modules', each capable of performing a specific automated process planning task. In each process planning step that is performed by such expert module, the human operator has full control over the generation of the process plan and can always change the solution proposed by the expert modules.