Integration of laser material processing into the computer-aided product and process development

摘要

Many high-tech products consist of laser-manufactured products Therefore one of the most important demands is the integration of data necessary for laser material processing into computer-aided (CA) product and process development This paper focuses on technical data exchange to improve communication, especially in areas where simultaneous engineering is applied The aim is the integration of CA systems providing information about processes as well as laser-manufactured products. Attention is mainly paid to laser welding, although laser beam processing can be applied to many machining methods in the manufacture of products. By using the product data technology of STEP and special laser welding features, an advanced, neutral data exchange is possible. In this paper the development of laser-manufactured products is first analyzed. Afterwards, the data integration with STEP is described.