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A method and apparatus for fabricating sheet metal parts using workpiece manipulators to transfer a workpiece from one work station to another and position the workpiece for each operation to be performed. The invention eliminates the need of individual operators and can be managed under microproces

A method and apparatus for fabricating sheet metal parts using workpiece manipulators to transfer a workpiece from one work station to another and position the workpiece for each operation to be performed. The invention eliminates the need of individual operators and can be managed under microprocessor control using known positions along selected X and Y axes about which programming is performed. A unified design and manufacturing system includes a computer-aided design (CAD) system and a microprocessor-controlled fabrication system consisting of a plurality of manufacturing stations which perform manufacturing and transporting operations upon a workpiece. Design information for a part is entered through the CAD system and includes a reference point. The design information is combined with manufacturing process planning information to produce a part definition data file which is used by the microprocessor-controlled fabrication system to perform machine operations upon a workpiece to produce the part according to the design information. In the microprocessor-controlled fabrication system, the reference point, as entered in the CAD system, is associated with a specific point upon the workpiece. During all times, the manufacturing stations maintain a known orientation between the specified location on the workpiece and axes of the microprocessor-controlled fabrication system.

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A method for fabricating parts on a unified design and manufacturing system including a computer-aided design terminal having an input, and a plurality of manufacturing stations located with respect to a plurality of axes and programmed with a set of manufacturing commands to execute manufacturing a

A method for fabricating parts on a unified design and manufacturing system including a computer-aided design terminal having an input, and a plurality of manufacturing stations located with respect to a plurality of axes and programmed with a set of manufacturing commands to execute manufacturing and transport operations in accordance with part definition data records, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a reference point at the input of the computer-aided design terminal; entering into the system the configuration of a part desired to be fabricated, the configuration being expressed with respect to the reference point and being entered at the input of the computer-aided design terminal; entering into the system manufacturing process planning data; generating from the configuration and the manufacturing process planning data a set of part definition data records corresponding to a part desired to be fabricated, each of the part definition data records being expressed in relation to the reference point and corresponding to one of the manufacturing stations; supplying to a first one of the manufacturing stations material to be machined into a part, in response to a command to fabricate the part; associating the reference point with a specified location on the material; transmitting to the first one of the manufacturing stations a first part definition data record from the set of part definition data records corresponding to a part desired to be fabricated, the first part definition data record corresponding to the first manufacturing station; executing a set of manufacturing instructions at the first manufacturing station in accordance with the manufacturing commands programmed into the first manufacturing station and the first part definition data record to transport the material to the first manufacturing station and to machine the material while maintaining a known orientation between the specified location on the material and the axes; transmitting to a subsequent manufacturing station a subsequent part definition data record from the set of part definition data records corresponding to the part desired to be fabricated, the subsequent part definition data record corresponding to the subsequent manufacturing station; executing a set of manufacturing instructions at the subsequent manufacturing station in accordance with the manufacturing commands programmed into the subsequent manufacturing station and the subsequent part definition record to transport material to the subsequent manufacturing station and to machine the material while maintaining a known orientation between the specified location on the material and the axes; and repeatedly performing the immediately preceding two steps while maintaining a known orientation between the specified location on the material and the axes until manufacturing and transport operations corresponding to all part definition data records in the set have been executed.