A WWW computer integrated manufacturing environment for rapid prototyping and education

This paper describes an overview dagger of a system integration project in which the development of a multimedia educational tool for designing simple mechanical parts has resulted in new procedures for Computer Integrated Ma nufacturing (CIM). The new procedures utilize the Internet for seamless int egration of Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Process Planning (C APP), and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). The result is a WWW-based CIM environment that not only promotes Design for Manufacturability, but seeks to decrease manufacturing time in a rapid prototyping service based on mil ling (Sarma 1995, Sarma et at, 1996). Furthermore, the environment utilizes multimedia to display process histories which are generated through the fe edback of sensor data collected during fabrication. Remote designers can us e this knowledge to monitor the manufacturing process and to redesign if ne cessary. The paper begins with the description of a specific case study cal led Reuleaux!, which allows students to design interesting parts while at t he same time simplifying some of the downstream process planning and fixtur ing issues that occur in machining.