A compact and practical CAD/CAM system for the blanking or piercing of irregular shaped-sheet metal products for progressive working

This paper describes research work into developing the computer-aided design and manufacturing of stator and rotor parts with blanking or piercing operations. An approach to a CAD/CAM system is based on knowledge-based rules. Knowledge for the CAD/CAM system is formulated from plasticity theories, experimental results and empirical knowledge of field experts. The program for the system has been written in AutoLISP on the AutoCAD for strip- and die-layout and in customer tool kit on the SmartCAM software for modeling and post-processing with a personal computer. It is composed of nine modules, which are input and shape treatment, flat pattern-layout, production feasibility check, blank-layout, strip-layout, die-layout, data-conversion, modeling, and post-processing modules. Based on knowledge-based rules, the system is designed by considering several factors, such as the material and thickness of product, the complexities of blank geometry and punch profile, the diameter and material of a wire, the working conditions, and the availability of a press. It is capable of generating automatically NC data to match tooling requirements by checking dimensions according to the drawings of the die-layout module. Results obtained using the modules enable the design and manufacturer of stator and rotor parts to be more efficient in this field.