Intelligent system supporting technological process planning for machining and 3D printing

The study aimed to develop a system supporting technological process planning for machining and 3D printing. Such a system should function similarly to the way human experts act in their fields of expertise and should be capable of gathering the necessary knowledge, analysing data, and drawing conclusions to solve problems. This could be done by utilising artificial intelligence (AI) methods available within such systems. The study proved the usefulness of AI methods and their significant effectiveness in supporting technological process planning. The purpose of this article is to show an intelligent system that includes knowledge, models, and procedures supporting the company’s employees as part of machining and 3D printing. Few works are combining these two types of processing. Nowadays, however, these two types of processing overlap each other into a common concept of hybrid processing. Therefore, in the opinion of the authors, such a comprehensive system is necessary. The system-embedded knowledge takes the form of neural networks, decision trees, and facts. The system is presented using the example of a real enterprise. The intelligent expert system is intended for process engineers who have not yet gathered sufficient experience in technological-process planning, or who have just begun their work in a given production enterprise and are not very familiar with its machinery and other means of production.