JP2000222441A - Device for estimating working cost - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for automatically estimating the working cost of a product worked by a machine. SOLUTION: A CAD system 10 sets up roughness attributes with respect to respective working faces of CAD data 12 for a product. A working cost estimating processing part 14 extracts the faces whose roughness attributes are set up from the CAD data 12 and groups these faces based on adjacent relation. The shape type of each face group is judged by referring to a shape type judging rule data base(DB) 21. The unit working time of the face group is found out from the combination (called as a working type) of the shape type and the finishing roughness or the like of the face group. The working time of the face group can be found out by multiplying the unit working time by the area of the face group. The working cost can be found out by multiplying the working time by a working unit cost related to each working type retrieved from a working unit price DB 29. The total working cost can be calculated from the sum of working costs of respective face groups.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a machined product C
The present invention relates to an apparatus for estimating a machining cost of machining when manufacturing a product using AD data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to reduce design time and labor, CA
The use of D (Computer Aided Design) is increasing. In addition, CAD / CAM (Computer Aided Manufactu) that attempts to use the data created by the CAD system to control machine tools in the manufacturing process in anticipation of automation up to the manufacturing process.
ring) systems have also emerged. In general, three-dimensional shape data is required for manufacturing and processing.
With the advancement of D technology, a CAD system that can handle three-dimensional data such as a solid modeler appears, and CAD / CA
M is realized.

[0003] CAD / CAM is being put to practical use in the field of mold design and manufacture, for example. In particular, in recent years, parametric solid CAD, which can change the model shape in conjunction with the change of the dimensional parameter of each part, has been used, and it has become possible not only to improve design efficiency but also to share data with the manufacturing process. I have.

[0004] In order to meet the demand for reduction of manufacturing cost, there is a demand for a machined product design in consideration of the processing cost (time required for processing, cost for processing, and the like). However, as a practical matter, it is difficult even for a skilled designer to satisfy the required level of processing cost by one design. Therefore, in practice, once a design is performed by CAD or the like, a technician estimates a processing cost and creates a process chart based on the design drawing, and gives feedback to the design as necessary. Extensive and accurate knowledge of machining is required for estimating the machining cost and preparing the process chart, so that a skilled technician is required.

[0005]

In such a manual operation, it takes several days to obtain an estimation result, no matter how skilled the operator is. Therefore, it may take an enormous amount of time to obtain an appropriate design by repeatedly modifying the design according to the estimate. If there is no schedule margin at the design site, it is difficult to reflect the estimation result in the design. In addition, in order to continue manual estimation, it is necessary to continuously train and maintain skilled personnel who can make reasonable estimates.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. An apparatus for automatically estimating the machining cost required for machining from the information of a product model of a CAD / CAM system is provided. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to the present invention comprises a roughness setting means for setting a roughness attribute for each surface to be machined in a CAD model of a machined product; A cost estimating means for calculating a processing cost of the group of processing target surfaces of the product based on the roughness attribute set for each processing target surface.

In machining for forming a product by cutting, polishing, or the like, the finish roughness (accuracy) has a great influence on the processing cost. In the present embodiment, by setting a roughness attribute on each processing target surface of the CAD model, the processing cost can be automatically calculated from the roughness attribute. Here, the processing cost includes both concepts of the time required for processing and the cost required for processing.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cost estimating means groups adjacent machining target surfaces in the CAD model into one or more surface groups by grouping the machining target surface groups included in the CAD model. Grouping means for separating, for each surface group obtained by the grouping means, type determining means for determining which of the predetermined shape types the surface group belongs to based on the shape formed by the surface group, and shape type A cost database storing processing cost calculation rules according to the combination of a surface attribute and a roughness attribute; for each surface group, the shape type of the surface group determined by the type determining means; A processing cost calculation rule corresponding to the combination with the surface roughness attribute is obtained from the cost database, and Hazuki and a separate cost calculation means for calculating the processing cost of the surface groups.

In this embodiment, the processing contents (tools and procedures to be used) differ depending on the shape of the processing portion, and this affects the processing cost. In consideration of not only the roughness attribute but also the shape, the processing is performed. Costs are now required. In this embodiment, a processing cost calculation rule is determined for each combination of the shape type and the roughness, and this is stored in a database (cost database). A processing part is defined as a group of adjacent processing target surfaces. For example, depending on the number of faces belonging to this face group and their arrangement relationship,
The shape type can be determined. Then, from the shape type and the roughness attribute, a cost calculation rule can be specified from the database, and the processing cost of the surface group can be obtained using the rule. In addition,
As the processing cost calculation rule, for example, a rate per unit area or per unit processing time can be used. For example, when using the rate per unit area, multiply the rate by the area of the surface group,
Processing costs are required.

In the machine tool, the main machining direction is determined by the way of setting the work, and the machining speed is maximized in the main machining direction. On the other hand, when the processing direction at the time of forming the processing part is different from the main processing direction, the processing speed is reduced. In particular, when the processing direction is oblique to the main processing direction, the processing speed becomes considerably slow. In consideration of the above, it is also preferable to subdivide the processing cost calculation rule according to the orientation of the surface group with respect to the main processing direction.

In addition, for a part having a standard shape which can be processed by the same processing method and appears relatively frequently in a product, the processing cost is determined if the type of the part is determined. Therefore, if these standard parts are classified by type, a processing cost calculation rule is made into a database for each type, and if the type is set as an attribute in the special processing part of the CAD model at the design stage, the database is obtained. From this, the processing cost of the special processing part can be obtained. The above-described method based on the roughness attribute of the surface to be processed has an advantage that it can be applied to a part having any shape, but the special processing part method is simpler in calculation processing. Therefore, an efficient estimation process can be realized by combining the two methods.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the following, a description will be given of an example of a processing cost estimation system in designing a press die. However, as is apparent from the following description, the method of the present embodiment is applicable not only to a metal mold for press working but also to general products manufactured by machining such as cutting and polishing.

[System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing cost estimation system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a CAD system 10 is a solid modeler whose model shape can be changed parametrically. The CAD data 12 of the mold created by using the CAD system 10 includes data of a solid model representing the shape of the mold and attribute data set for each component of the solid model.

<Processing Attributes> As is well known, in a solid model, the components constituting one product (object) are defined by vertices, edges (edges), surfaces, and shells (regions surrounding a space; a plurality of surfaces). ) Are organized and managed for each hierarchy of geometric concepts. Each component is provided with unique identification information (hereinafter referred to as “ID”).
Can specify and refer to each component.

The CAD system 10 has a mechanism for setting various types of attribute data for the constituent elements of such an object. Various types of attribute data can be set for the components, but the roughness attribute and the special machining region type attribute related to the cost estimation of machining which is the object of this embodiment.

The roughness attribute is a target surface roughness when processing the surface, and is also called finishing accuracy. Therefore, a roughness attribute is set for the surface. However, the roughness attribute is not necessarily set for all surfaces of the solid model, but is set only for the surface to be processed. In the case of a mold, each surface is formed from a casting by machining such as cutting and polishing, but the roughness attribute is set only for the surface on which such machining is performed.

The special machining region type attribute is an attribute given to a component corresponding to a predetermined special machining region type among the components of the solid model.

The mold is provided with standard portions having a fixed shape and size, such as guide post holes and press mounting seats. The processing contents of such a standard part are determined, and the time required for the processing is known. In the present embodiment, such a standard part is called a special processing part, and is classified into types such as a guide post hole and a press mounting seat. When such a standard part is provided in the design of the CAD system 10, a special machining part type such as a guide post hole is set as attribute data of the part.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data content of the roughness attribute included in the CAD data 12. In this data, an ID (surface ID) in CAD data and a set value (▽, ▽▽, etc.) of the roughness attribute in the CAD data are set for each processing target surface. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data content of the special machining region attribute included in the CAD data 12. As shown in FIG. This data includes, for each part, the ID (part ID) in CAD data and the type of special machining part (guide post hole, etc.)
Is set. Here, the roughness attribute and the special machining region attribute are shown in separate figures, but this is not necessarily the case with CA.
This does not mean that the roughness attribute and the special machining region attribute are separately stored in the D data 12, but they may be collectively stored in the attribute data area of each component in the CAD data.

<Processing Cost Estimation Processing Unit> The processing cost estimation processing unit 14 processes a processing database (hereinafter “DB” to “DB”) based on CAD data in which such a roughness attribute and a special processing region attribute are set. The processing cost (processing time and processing cost) of the mold is estimated with reference to 20). The processing DB 20 includes a shape type determination rule DB 21, a surface processing part DB 23, a special processing part DB 2
5, a work code DB 27 and a processing unit price DB 29. In the estimating process of the machining cost estimation processing unit 14, machining costs are calculated for each of a surface group in which a roughness attribute is set (ie, a surface to be machined) and a group of sites in which a special machining site attribute is set. The total is taken as the overall processing cost of the mold.

(1) Processing Cost of Processing Target Surface Group The processing cost of the processing target surface group is basically obtained from the roughness attribute and area of each surface. This takes into account that in machining, the unit price (time and cost) required for processing per unit area varies depending on the value of roughness (finishing accuracy). More strictly, the shape and size (area or volume to be cut) of the processing part, the direction of the processing part with respect to the main processing direction (called the main processing direction) of the machine tool, or the type of the die to be designed ( Depending on the type of tool, lower die, pad, etc.), the cutting tool used, the processing procedure (such as how to move the machine tool), and the machine tool differ, which leads to a difference in cost.

A processing portion is defined as a group of adjacent processing target surfaces. Such a group of adjacent processing target surfaces is called a surface group. The shape of the processing portion is the shape of this surface group. In the present embodiment, the shapes of the surface groups are classified into a plurality of predetermined shape types. This is a classification of shapes that appear in the manufacture of a mold, taking into account the processing method and the like necessary to form the shapes.

For example, there are various types of shape types, such as a "wallless surface" shown in FIG. 4 and a "carved" shown in FIG. The determination of the shape type is determined based on the number of surfaces constituting the surface group, the topological arrangement of each surface, the shape and size of each surface, and the like. For example,
If the number of surfaces in a certain surface group is 1 (that is, there is no adjacent surface) and the shape of the surface is flat, the shape type of the surface is “wallless surface”. In addition, the shape type “engraving (3 surfaces)” illustrated in FIG. 5 is a shape formed when a corner portion where two surfaces intersect is squarely engraved,
A vertical group adjacent to one surface in a certain surface group is 3
If there is one, this face group will be “carved (3
Surface) ". The rule for determining such a shape type is a shape type determination rule D.
The processing cost estimation processing unit 14 refers to this DB 21 and determines the shape type of each surface group.

In the present embodiment, the processing parts are classified into a plurality of processing types based on the shape type of the processing part, the orientation with respect to the main processing direction, the finish roughness and the size (area), and a unit is set for each processing type. A processing time per area (referred to as a unit processing time) is determined, and this is stored in a database. This DB is the surface processing part DB23. In order to calculate the processing time of a certain processing part (face group), a unit processing time may be obtained from the shape, orientation, finish roughness, and size of the processing part, and the unit processing time may be multiplied by the area of the processing part. .

FIG. 6 shows an example of the data content of the surface machining site DB 23 in a table format. In this table, each machining type is assigned a number for identification, and each machining type has four factors of shape type, “direction” with respect to the main machining direction, finish roughness, and size (area). Classified by combination. When these four factors are determined, the type of processing (that is, the cutting tool used for processing, the processing procedure, etc.) is determined, and accordingly, the processing time per unit area (unit processing time) can be determined.

That is, the shape type is the shape of the processing portion, and greatly affects the difficulty of processing. In this regard, the “direction” with respect to the main processing direction is the same. The “direction” here is the direction of the processing direction when processing the processing portion with respect to the main processing direction. For example, in the case of a surface without a wall (see FIG. 2), the direction perpendicular to the surface is the processing direction, and if this direction is the same as the main processing direction, the surface is “front” and the direction is the main processing direction. "Side" if vertical
become. When the processing portion is a hole such as a drill hole or a through hole, the direction of the center axis of the hole is the processing direction, and the direction of the hole with respect to the main processing direction is the “direction” here.
The processing is easiest when the processing direction of the processing part coincides with the main processing direction, and the time required for the processing is short. Then, when the processing direction is perpendicular to the main processing direction, processing is generally easy next. When the machining direction is oblique to the main machining direction, the control of the machine tool becomes the most complicated and the time required for the machining becomes the longest.

The finish roughness affects the cutting tool used, the feed speed thereof, the processing procedure, and the like, and thus also affects the processing time. Naturally, the rougher the finish roughness, the shorter the unit processing time. It is well known that the cutting tool used and the processing conditions change depending on whether the area of the processing part is large or small, and the size of the processing part also affects the unit processing time.

In FIG. 6, as the unit processing time, the processing time required per unit area (for example, 100 cm ² ) is expressed in “hour” units. According to the table of FIG.
For example, for a processing part (face group), the shape type is “no wall”, the orientation is “front”, and the finish roughness is “▽
If it is found that the size is “サ イ ズ” and the size is “less than 100”, it can be understood that the unit processing time in processing the part is 0.08 hours. By multiplying this by the area of the processing part (for example, the total area of the surface group constituting the processing part), the processing time required for processing the part is obtained. Then, by summing the processing times obtained for all the surface groups, the processing time for the entire processing target surface group of the product is obtained.

In the above description, the machining types are classified by four factors. However, it is not necessary to consider all combinations of these four factors. . For example, in the case of a product that does not engrave a hole diagonally, the direction “diagonal” does not need to be considered for the shape “hole”. Therefore,
The machining type corresponding to such a combination is the surface machining site DB
23 need not be registered.

The classification of the machining types based on the four factors described above is merely an example, and various modifications are possible. For example, in addition to these four factors, it is also possible to further classify according to the material of the work. Since the cutting tools and other processing conditions change depending on the material,
This is because the unit processing time also changes. When designing a plurality of products having different materials, it is necessary to consider the materials.

The processing time has been described above. In the case of the processing cost, another factor is added. that is,
This is the type of the die component to be designed (upper die, lower die, pad, etc. This classification is called die component type). That is, different types of mold parts have different conditions such as a machine tool to be used and a method of setting a work, which leads to a difference in processing cost. For example, relatively large mold parts such as upper mold and lower mold are machined almost automatically by a large NC machine tool, while small mold parts are machined manually by a small machine tool. Often. Here, a case where the former and the latter process the same processing type portion is considered. In this case, the processing time is the time required for physical processing such as cutting and polishing, so that if the processing type (contents of processing) is the same, the rate (unit processing time) hardly changes even if the machine tool is different. On the other hand, in the case of processing costs, the rate (processing unit price) changes depending on the type of machine tool used, particularly whether it is automatic or requires manual operation. In other words, the latter requires more labor costs than the former, which makes a difference in the processing unit price. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the types of work are classified according to the processing type and the mold part type, and the processing unit price is determined for each type of work. The work code DB 27 registers the information for classifying the work type, and the processing unit price DB 29 registers the processing unit price for each type of work.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the data contents of the work code DB 27 in a table format. The work code is a code uniquely assigned to each type of work, and is preferably determined so that it can be used in a CAM system that is a downstream of the present system. As can be seen from the figure, a work code is determined for each combination of a machining type and a mold part type. The mold part type is a code assigned to each type of mold part. For example, mold part types “52” and “62” indicate an upper mold and a lower mold, respectively. When the processing type is “001” (without walls, front side...) And the processing target is the upper die “52” or the lower die “62”, the work code is both “J22”. This is the same machine tool for the machining type “001” in the upper mold and the lower mold.
This is because the work can be carried out under the working conditions, so that the contents of the work are the same. On the other hand, if the mold part type becomes the pad “32” even with the same machining type “001”, the machine tool or machining conditions used for machining changes, so the type of work changes and it is classified into a different work code “DT”. Will be.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the data contents of the processing unit price DB 29. As shown in the drawing, the processing unit price (that is, the processing cost per unit time) is registered in the processing unit price DB 29 for each operation code.

Therefore, a certain processing part (surface group)
In order to determine the processing cost, the operation code is obtained by referring to the operation code DB 27 from the processing type and the mold part type of the part, and then the processing unit price corresponding to the operation code is obtained from the processing unit price DB 29. May be multiplied by the processing time of the processing portion obtained by the above-described method.

As described above, the processing unit price per unit time is used for obtaining the processing cost because the processing cost includes a cost factor, such as a personnel cost, which is a factor of time. On the other hand, since the processing time is purely the time required for physical processing by the machine tool, it can be determined from the processing content (ie, processing type) and the amount of processing (ie, processing area).

In the above description, the unit machining time is determined for each machining type. However, if the machining type is common, the machining time per unit area may be different even if conditions such as the type of machine tool used are different. Were almost the same. On the other hand, if there is a case where the unit machining time varies greatly depending on the type of machine tool even in the same machining type, in such a case, the unit machining time is determined not for each machining type but for each work code. . Such a case is also included in the scope of the present invention.

(2) Processing Cost of Special Processing Site Group Next, a method of obtaining the processing cost of the special processing site group will be described.

The processing cost of the surface group to be processed is determined by the processing type and the processing area determined by the shape and orientation of the part, the finish roughness, the size, etc., and the processing time is determined by the processing type and the die. Determined from the work code and machining time determined by the part type. As described above, in order to obtain the processing cost of the processing target surface group, the processing target surfaces are grouped, the shape is determined for each surface group, and the processing type is further determined from the conditions such as the shape and the finish roughness. Many steps were needed.

On the other hand, the processing of the special processing portion can be further simplified because the shape, size, and other processing conditions are determined. For example, in the case of a special processing portion of the type “guide post hole”, since the shape, size, finish roughness, and orientation are determined, the processing time per one portion is also known. If the machining time (per unit area, not per unit area) for each type of special machining area is stored in a database,
As long as the type of the special processing part is known, the processing time can be obtained from it. This database is the special machining site DB 25 in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the data contents of the special machining site DB 25. As shown in FIG.
In the table, the machining time for each special machining region type is registered. This DB can be made more detailed. For example, when there are a plurality of sizes for the guide post holes, it is only necessary to consider the sizes as different types and register the processing time for each type.

Therefore, if the CAD data 12 includes a specially machined part, the machining time can be determined by referring to the specially machined part DB 25 from the specially machined part type of that part. If there are a plurality of special machining parts of the same type, the total machining time of a group of special machining parts of the same type can be obtained by accumulating machining times of that type by the number of times.

As can be understood from the above description, it can be said that the special machining portion type is equivalent to a combination of the machining type and the area of the machining portion in the surface machining portion DB 23 (see FIG. 6). It is of course possible to apply the same method as the above-described cost calculation of the surface group to be machined to the specially machined region, but in the present embodiment, in order to reduce the estimation processing time as much as possible, for the standardized region, The calculation was made easier.

As for the machining cost of the special machining site group, it is necessary to consider the type of the mold component as in the case of the above-mentioned machining target surface group. That is, in the case of the special machining site group, similarly to the case of the machining target surface group, the work codes are classified according to the machining type (that is, the special machining site type) and the mold part type, and the machining unit price is determined for each work code. . The reason for this is the same as in the case of the cost calculation of the processing target surface group described above, and therefore, the description is omitted.

Therefore, in the system of this embodiment,
A table similar to that in FIG. 7 is registered in the work code DB 27 also for the special processing part group (in this case, the special processing part type corresponds to the “processing type” in FIG. 7), and the processing corresponding to each of these operation codes is performed. Unit price is processing unit price DB29
Registered in. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the special processing part type is indicated by a name such as “guide post hole”, but this type may be represented by an identification number similarly to the processing type.

The processing cost can be obtained by multiplying the processing unit price obtained from the work code DB 27 and the processing unit price DB 29 by the processing time obtained by the above-described method. By summing up the processing costs thus obtained for all the special processing portions, the processing cost for the preceding special processing portion is obtained.

[Processing Procedure] Next, the procedure of processing for estimating the processing cost in this embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart.

<Overall> First, an overall processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the designer designs the shape of the mold using the CAD system 10 capable of changing the shape parametrically (S10). Next, on this CAD system 10,
A designer sets a roughness attribute and a special machining region attribute for a solid model formed by shape design (S1).
2, S14). The roughness attribute is set for the surface to be processed among the surfaces of the model, and the attribute value is the level of the finish roughness. The special processing part attribute is set for a part corresponding to any one of the special processing part types, and the attribute value is the special processing part type. The attribute data set as described above is held in the CAD data 12. The above is the processing in the CAD system 10.

When the shape design, the setting of the roughness attribute, and the setting of the special processing portion attribute are completed, the estimation processing in the processing cost estimation processing section 14 is started. In this estimation process, first, the operator inputs prerequisites for the estimation, such as the mold part type and the main machining direction (S16). In other words, whether the mold to be estimated corresponds to any of the mold types, such as the upper mold, the lower mold, and the pad, and which direction the main machining direction for the machining operation is with respect to the solid model, Is entered. Since the mold part type and the main machining direction cannot be automatically determined only from the CAD data (shape and various attribute data), they are manually input. Of course, these estimation conditions may be set in the CAD system 10 in advance.

When the input of the estimation condition is completed, the estimation process is started. In the present embodiment, the estimation for the surface group with the roughness attribute set (that is, the group of processing target surfaces) and the estimation for the group of parts with the special processing site attribute set are conceptually performed separately. Here, the former is called surface machining estimation processing (S20), and the latter is called special machining estimation processing (S30). These S20 and S3
Details of the process of 0 will be described later. In any case, according to S20, the total machining cost for the surface group with the roughness attribute set can be obtained, and according to S30, the total machining cost for the group of parts with the special processing site attribute set can be calculated. be able to. Since the processes in S20 and S30 can be performed completely independently, the execution order of the processes is not limited to the illustrated order.

When both the surface machining estimation process (S20) and the special machining estimation process (S30) are completed, the estimation results of both are integrated to determine the machining cost of the entire mold (S40). This gives the total cost of the machining process to make the mold. This is output as the processing cost of the mold.

The system according to the present embodiment outputs, in addition to the total processing cost, original data for creating a process chart for manufacturing a mold. The process table original data may simply be a list of combinations of operation codes and processing times for each processing portion. Regarding special processing parts, even if there are a plurality of parts of the same type, the routine processing is repeated only. Therefore, the work code and the processing time may be totaled for each type rather than for each processing part. Since the information on the work code and the processing time can be obtained in the course of the estimation processing, this is used as the original data for the process chart. In the downstream process design, the designer determines an appropriate work sequence and creates a process chart while viewing the original data.

According to such a series of procedures, the processing cost and the original data 30 for the process chart when processing the die (see FIG. 1).
Is required.

The overall flow of the estimation process according to the present embodiment has been described above. When the total processing cost of the mold is obtained by such processing, by comparing this with the target amount, it can be determined whether or not the given CAD model has a design that satisfies the requirements of the processing cost.

Next, the surface machining estimation processing (S2
0) and the details of the special machining estimation process (S30) will be described in order.

<Surface processing estimation> The detailed procedure of the surface processing estimation processing (S20) is shown in FIG. In this procedure, first, a processing target surface is extracted from the CAD data 12 (S202). The processing target surface is a surface on which a roughness attribute is set. The processing cost estimation processing unit 14 checks attribute data of each surface of the CAD data 12 (solid model),
A surface on which the roughness attribute is set is extracted as a processing target surface.

Next, the processing cost estimation processing section 14 groups the extracted processing target surface groups by focusing on the adjacent relationship between the surfaces (S204). In this process, for each extracted processing target surface, the CAD data 12 is referenced to extract a processing target surface adjacent to the processing target surface. Thereby, for each processing target surface, that surface (referred to as a reference surface)
Then, a surface group consisting of a group of processing surfaces adjacent to the surface (referred to as an adjacent surface; sometimes not, sometimes one or more) is obtained.

In this step S204, since the adjacent face groups are grouped for each processing target face, the same face may be included in a plurality of face groups. The plane group at this stage is called an extracted plane group. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data content of the extraction plane group group. In this example, the ID of the reference plane (the ID of the plane in the CAD data) is indicated for each plane group, and the ID of the adjacent plane adjacent thereto is shown.
Are listed. Since a surface group of an adjacent surface is obtained for each processing target surface extracted in S202, each processing target surface is a reference surface of one of the surface groups. For example, consider a surface group of a processing target surface forming a processing portion of “3 engraving surfaces” shown in FIG. 5 as an example. The number in parentheses on each surface in FIG. 5 indicates the ID of that surface. In this region, the surface group when focusing on the surface of ID 45 is Group 1. In this case, the surface of ID45 is a reference surface, and the surfaces of ID62, 75, and 76 are adjacent surfaces. On the other hand, when attention is paid to the surface of the ID 62, a group k is formed. In this case, only the surfaces of ID45 and ID75 are adjacent to the reference surface of ID62 (ID7).
The surface No. 6 is not an adjacent surface when viewed from the surface of the ID 62).

As described above, when a group of adjacent surfaces is formed by focusing on each processing target surface, a case where one surface belongs to a plurality of surface groups appears (the group 1 and the group k in FIG. 12). See). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the face group to which the same face belongs is decimated, and one face becomes 1
It is made to belong to only one face group (S206).
This is because, in the present embodiment, one surface group is regarded as one processing portion that performs the same processing content. S2
The thinning processing of 06 is performed based on various conditions.

As one of the conditions, there is a condition that a surface group having a large number of surfaces constituting a surface group is left. This condition can be understood from the comparison between Group 1 and Group k in FIG. 12 (see FIG. 5 for the shape of the corresponding part). That is, group 1 and group k are
The only difference is whether or not the surface of ID 76 is included, but the other components are exactly the same. In this case, the group k is thinned out under the above conditions. If the shape shown in FIG. 5 is to be processed, only the surface of ID 76 cannot be processed separately from the other three surfaces (if this is the case,
(Very inefficient), the validity of the above conditions will be understood.

As another thinning condition, a condition relating to the orientation of the reference plane with respect to the main processing direction can be used. This condition is as follows: a surface group whose normal direction coincides with the main processing direction has the highest priority, a surface group perpendicular to the main processing direction has the second highest priority, and a diagonal to the main processing direction This is a condition that only the surface group having the highest priority is left as the third priority. This condition can be used as a condition for determining which of a plurality of surface groups having exactly the same constituent surface is to be left. For example, in the case of the shape of FIG.
The surface group using the 45 surface as the reference surface (group 1 in FIG. 12) and the surface group using the ID 75 as the reference surface have exactly the same number of surfaces and the surfaces that make up the group. In such a case, since the normal direction of the reference plane (ID45) coincides with the main machining direction (that is, the group 1 has the highest priority), the group 1 is selected, and the group having the plane of ID75 as the reference plane is an intermediate group. Will be drawn.

The reason why the orientation of the reference plane with respect to the main machining direction is taken into account in the thinning-out condition is to keep the one with the lowest machining cost (less machining time and cost). In other words, the shape shown in FIG. 5 can be processed by processing along the main processing direction or processing along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the ID 75, but can be processed along the main processing direction. Machining speed is faster (moreover, work such as re-setting of the work is less likely to occur).
The face group that matches the direction is selected.

When the thinning processing according to such thinning conditions is completed, the shape type is determined for each remaining surface group (referred to as a thinned rear surface group) (S20).
8). This determination is performed according to the rules described above in accordance with the rules of the shape type determination rule DB 21. By this processing, the shape type is determined for each surface group (that is, a processing portion). At this time, the finish roughness of the surface group is determined from the roughness attribute value of each surface constituting the surface group. Also, the “direction” of the surface group can be determined from the relationship between the normal direction of the reference surface of each surface group and the main machining direction.

When the shape type is determined, a processing area is determined for each thinned-out rear surface group (S21).
0). The processing area is, for example, the total area of the surface group constituting the surface group. The processing area can be obtained from information on each surface of the CAD data 12. In addition,
Determination of shape type (S208) and calculation of machining area (S2)
10) may be performed first.

When the shape type and the processing area of each thinned-out rear surface group are obtained, the processing time of each group is obtained (S212). As described above, the processing time is obtained by calculating the unit processing time in the surface processing portion DB 23 from factors such as the shape type, orientation, finish roughness, and processing area (these are obtained in the steps so far). It can be obtained by multiplying the unit machining time by the machining area. In this step, in the process of obtaining the processing time of each surface group, the processing type of each surface group can be specified.

When the processing time and the processing type of each of the thinning-out rear surface groups are obtained, an operation code is assigned to each of the surface groups (S214). In this step,
As described above, the operation code to be assigned to each surface group is determined by referring to the operation code DB 27 based on the machining type of each surface group and the type of the mold component to be designed (upper die, lower die, etc.).

After the assignment of the work codes is completed, the machining cost is calculated from the work codes of the respective thinned back face groups and the machining time of each face group obtained in S212 (S2).
16). In this step, the processing unit price corresponding to the work code of the group is obtained from the processing unit price DB 29 for each of the thinned back surface groups, and the processing unit price is multiplied by the processing time of the surface group. As a result, the processing cost of each surface group is determined. By summing up the processing costs of these individual face groups, the processing costs for the entire mold to be designed (excluding costs for special processing parts)
Is required.

According to such a processing procedure, the total processing cost required for processing the group of surfaces to which the roughness attribute has been set is obtained. In addition, as a by-product of this processing procedure, the work code and the processing time can be known for each surface group. If these information are output as a list, for example, it can be used as the original data on which the process chart is created. Can be.

<Special Processing Estimation> Next, a detailed procedure of the special processing estimation (S30) will be described with reference to FIG.

This procedure starts by extracting a part with a special processing part attribute set from the CAD data 12 (S302). In the special processing part attribute, a special processing part type such as “guide post hole” is set, and in this step, the type is obtained for each special processing part.

Next, based on the information on the type of each special machining part, the machining time is calculated with reference to the special machining part DB 25 (S304). Since the special processing part DB 25 holds information on the processing time per piece for each special processing part type, the processing time for each special processing part can be known by referring to this information. In addition, the special processing part is a standard shape, and if the type is the same, the processing contents are exactly the same, so if there are multiple special processing parts of the same type in the mold to be designed, It is more efficient to process all at once. Therefore, the processing time in this step is
Aggregate for each special machining part type. That is, for each type, the processing time for each type is obtained by multiplying the processing time for each type by the number thereof.

When the machining time is obtained, the work code to be assigned to each special machining site type is determined from the special machining site type and the type of the mold part to be designed with reference to the work code DB 27 (S306). . This process
The same processing content as that in S214 of the above-described surface machining estimation may be used.

When the work codes are assigned in this way, the processing cost is calculated from the work codes of each special processing part type and the processing time of each type obtained in S304 (S308). In this step, from the work code of each special machining region type, the machining unit price corresponding to the code is obtained by referring to the machining unit price DB 29, and this machining unit price is multiplied by the machining time of the type to obtain the individual type. Ask about the processing cost. And
By summing the machining costs thus obtained for all the special machining site types, the total machining cost of the special machining site group can be obtained. Also in this procedure, the original data for the process chart can be obtained as a by-product of the total processing cost calculation.

The surface machining estimation processing described above (S2
0) and the result of the special machining estimation process (S30), the total machining cost of the mold to be designed can be obtained.

[Mold design support integration system]
A system for processing cost estimation has been described. Next, an integrated mold design support system incorporating the estimation system will be described.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram showing the overall image of the integrated mold design support system. In this system, the processing cost estimation processing unit 14 and the processing DB 20 constitute the processing cost estimation system described above. This integrated system has a purchase cost estimation system in addition to the processing cost estimation system, and can obtain the total cost (referred to as mold cost) required for manufacturing a mold.

That is, in the mold, the main part is manufactured by machining a casting or the like, but other small and standard parts such as a fixture are required. These parts can be covered by purchasing off-the-shelf products. Whether or not a mold can be manufactured within a budget must be determined not only by processing costs but also by mold costs including purchase costs. This integrated system is a device for checking such a mold cost.

In this integrated system, the mold cost estimating section 13 is composed of a machining cost estimating mechanism and a purchase cost estimating mechanism. The former is a CAD system 10,
It is composed of the CAD data 12, the processing cost estimation processing section 14, and the processing DB 20, and the procedure is as described above, and thus the description is omitted here.

On the other hand, the purchase cost is estimated by the purchase cost estimation processing section 15 with reference to the purchase item DB 40. The unit price of each off-the-shelf component is registered in the purchased product DB 40. The purchase cost estimation processing unit 15 detects the name of each off-the-shelf component from the CAD data 12, obtains the unit price of each off-the-shelf component from the purchase item DB 40 based on the name, and sums up the unit prices of all the parts. Ask for the total purchase cost. It should be noted that depending on the part, additional processing may be requested from the supply source, and the cost of such additional processing is estimated by the operator and input to the purchase cost estimation processing unit 15, for example, and this is reflected in the total purchase cost. Is done.

The total processing cost and total purchase cost obtained in this way are summed up by the die cost check processing section 16 to obtain the die cost. Then, the mold cost check processing unit 16 compares the obtained mold cost with the mold cost target registered in advance.
When the mold cost is within the allowable range of the mold cost target, the mold cost check processing unit 16 determines that the design indicated by the CAD data 12 satisfies the target, and determines a part specification sheet or a process sheet original. It outputs result data 50 such as data and mold cost. Conversely, if the obtained mold cost exceeds the allowable range of the mold cost target, a message to the effect that the CAD data 12 should be corrected is sent to the CAD system 10.

With such an integrated system, it is possible to quickly determine whether or not the mold design satisfies the target budget, and to give feedback to the design so that the design can be kept within the budget.

Here, since the CAD system 10 is a solid modeler whose shape can be changed parametrically, when the target budget is exceeded, the design can be easily changed by changing some dimensions.

[Others] The embodiments of the processing cost estimation system according to the present invention and the mold design support integration system incorporating this system have been described above.

As described above, in this embodiment, C
A roughness attribute is set on the processing target surface of the AD model, and the processing cost (processing time and processing cost) is determined based on the information of the roughness attribute.
Ask for. In particular, in the present embodiment, by focusing on the shape type and the roughness attribute of each processing portion and making a database of processing contents (processing type) required for each portion, the processing of each processing portion is automatically performed from CAD data. The type can be determined. Since the rate of the processing time and the processing cost are determined according to the determined processing type, the processing time and the processing cost can be obtained from the rate. In the present embodiment, the processing cost rate (processing unit price) is determined in consideration of not only the processing content but also the type of the mold part. As a result, it is possible to perform a fine processing cost calculation that can cope with a case where a machine tool to be used is different depending on a feature of a manufacturing target.

Further, in this embodiment, for a part (special processing part) which can be formed by the standard processing contents, a more simplified rate per part is used instead of the above-mentioned estimation based on the roughness and area. , The processing cost can be quickly estimated.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the machining cost and the mold cost can be automatically estimated, and the estimation result can be fed back to the design, so that the machining cost and the mold cost can be reduced. It becomes possible.

Further, the roughness attribute of the processing target surface and the special processing portion attribute set in this embodiment can be used for NC calculation in the CAM system downstream of the system.

In the above-described embodiment, the processing cost rate, that is, the unit processing time and the processing unit price are stored in a database, but this is only an example. In order to estimate the processing cost, it is only necessary to know the calculation rule of the processing cost, and it is also preferable to make the calculation formula and the like into a database. For example, when a certain processing is repeatedly performed, a uniform initial cost and a metered cost according to the repetition are required, the processing cost cannot be calculated on a simple unit price basis. Instead, the calculation rule may be registered in the database.

In the above example, one processing type (processing content) is associated with one work code. However, a plurality of operations may be required when forming one processing type portion. For example,
In the case of a part that requires extremely precise finishing, several stages of finishing polishing may be required in addition to rough processing. In such a case, one machining type may be mapped to a plurality of operation codes representing a plurality of necessary operations. For such a machining type, for example, a rule for calculating a unit machining time for each operation may be registered in a database such as the surface machining site DB 23.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing cost estimation system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of data content of a roughness attribute included in CAD data.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of data contents of a special machining region attribute included in CAD data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a shape type.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of a shape type.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of data content of a surface machining part DB in a table format.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of data content of a work code DB in a table format.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data contents of a processing unit price DB.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of data contents of a special machining site DB.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an overall processing procedure of the estimation system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a surface machining estimation process.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of data content of an extraction plane group.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a special machining estimation process.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a mold design support integration system incorporating the processing cost estimation system of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 CAD system, 12 CAD data, 13 mold cost estimation section, 14 machining cost estimation processing section, 15 purchase cost estimation processing section, 16 mold cost check processing section, 20
Machining DB, 21 Shape Type Judgment Rule DB, 23 Face Machining Part DB, 25 Special Machining Part DB, 27 Work Code DB, 29 Machining Unit Price DB, 30 Machining Cost and Process Table Original Data, 40 Purchased Goods DB.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor: Satoshi Kato 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Kazura Fujita 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Seishun Ochiai 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Takayuki Hiramatsu 1 Toyota Town Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Hirotaka Mizuno 1-3-10 Higashisakura, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in Toyota System Research Inc. (reference) 5B046 DA02 KA05

Claims (6)

[Claims] A roughness setting means for setting a roughness attribute for each processing surface in a CAD model of a machined product, and a roughness attribute set for each processing surface,
A cost estimating means for calculating a processing cost of the surface group to be processed of the product; 2. The cost estimating means includes grouping means for dividing a group of processing target surfaces included in the CAD model into one or more surface groups by grouping adjacent processing target surfaces in the CAD model. For each surface group obtained by the grouping means, type determining means for determining to which of the predetermined shape types the surface group belongs based on the shape formed by the surface group; and a shape type and roughness attribute. A cost database storing processing cost calculation rules according to the combination of: a shape type of the surface group obtained by the type determination means for each surface group; and a roughness attribute of each surface constituting the surface group. A processing cost calculation rule corresponding to the combination with is determined from the cost database, and based on this rule, Processing cost estimation device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a separate cost calculation means for calculating the processing cost of up, the. 3. The processing cost calculation rules of the cost database are further classified according to the orientation of the surface group with respect to a preset main machining direction, in addition to the shape type and roughness attribute of the surface group. 3. The processing cost estimating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the calculating means searches the processing cost calculation rule from the cost database in consideration of the orientation of each surface group. 4. The processing cost estimating apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a surface processing cost calculating means for calculating a total processing cost by summing the processing costs of each surface group. 5. A means for setting a special processing attribute representing a type of a special processing part to a part corresponding to a predetermined special processing part in the CAD model; a means for extracting each special processing part from the CAD model; A special processing cost database in which processing cost calculation rules for each type of processing part are registered; and a processing cost calculation rule for each special processing part extracted from the CAD model are obtained from the special processing cost database.
Means for calculating the total machining cost for the special machining area by summing them up; and summing up the total machining cost for the special machining area and the machining cost obtained by the surface machining cost calculation means, thereby obtaining the CAD data. The processing cost estimating apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: means for calculating a total processing cost of the entire model. 6. A machining unit price database in which machining unit prices are registered for each combination of machining type and roughness attribute, means for extracting a surface with a roughness attribute set from CAD data representing a product, Means for forming a surface group by grouping based on the adjacency relationship, and for each of the surface groups, means for determining a machining type of the surface group based on a shape formed by the surface group; The processing unit price corresponding to the combination of the processing type and the roughness attribute is obtained from the processing unit price database, and the processing cost of the surface group is calculated from the processing unit price and the area of the surface constituting the surface group. Means for calculating the machining cost of the entire surface group to be machined by summing the machining costs of the respective face groups. Location.