Patent ID: 7505829

Claim:
A method for determining a productivity rate of a manufacturing system, the manufacturing system having first and second manufacturing cells, the first and second manufacturing cells having first and second machines, respectively, the method comprising: automatically identifying first and second features in a part by accessing first and second parameter data, respectively, stored in a feature-based CAD model of the part, utilizing a computer; predicting a first cycle time indicating a time duration that the part is disposed in the first manufacturing cell by calculating a first predicted time period for the first machine in the first manufacturing cell to perform at least one manufacturing task for forming the first feature in the part based on a first tool travel profile, and calculating a second predicted time period for loading the part into the first machine or unloading the part from the first machine, and adding the first predicted time period to the second predicted time period to obtain the first cycle time, utilizing the computer; predicting a second cycle time indicating a time duration that the part is disposed in the second manufacturing cell by calculating a third predicted time period for the second machine in the second manufacturing cell to perform at least one manufacturing task for forming the second feature in the part based on a second tool travel profile, and calculating a fourth predicted time period for loading the part into the second machine or unloading the part from the second machine, and adding the third predicted time period to the fourth predicted time period to obtain the second cycle time, utilizing the computer; and calculating a productivity rate of the first and second manufacturing system cells based on the first and second cycle times of the first and second manufacturing cells, respectively.