The objective of the present invention is to implement highly accurate general automatic tool assignment with a sheet metal CAD/CA11 system. Once CAD drawings are generated (S102), continuous line processing. product outer lines, window cut-out lines and the like are defined (S103) and then assigned tools (S210 through S286). Automatic tool assignment is finished with precedence for priority processing shapes, such as simple shapes (arcs, triangles and the like) and shapes that can be punched out using a special tool (S210). A general automatic tool assignment process is then performed. With this process, tools are assigned by dividing each of arcs and oblique lines, which forms a processing shape unit, into shapes to which horizontally/vertically orthogonal lines are added (S250), converting the remaining shapes to rectangles, and assigning a tool to each of those rectangles (S280). Once a non-executable NC program is generated through such tool assignment (S112), the NC program is optimized (S114), and an executable NC program is then output (S116).
展开▼
