Patent ID: 7526359

Claim:
In a computer system having a computer screen, a method of horizontally structured CAD/CAM manufacturing for presentation of a model on the computer screen, the method comprising: selecting a blank for presentation on the computer screen for machining into an actual part; establishing a 3-D coordinate system on the computer screen, using a set of three references, wherein the set of three references includes datum planes, and wherein the datum planes are base datums, wherein creating the set of three references is in accordance with an existing work coordinate system that is one of an arbitrary reference coordinate system and an arbitrary measurement system; creating a plurality of process bodies in a master process model file having a data structure including: a virtual blank corresponding to said blank; a plurality of solid process model bodies; a plurality of machining features corresponding to the virtual blank and the plurality of solid process model bodies; a master process model feature tree linked to the virtual blank, the plurality of solid process model bodies and the plurality of machining features, wherein each of the virtual blank, the plurality of solid process model bodies and the plurality of machining features include an entry in the master process model feature tree, wherein each of said plurality of solid process models provide a local update based on a respective machining feature, said local update providing a new virtual blank for which subsequent machining features can be applied, wherein said virtual blank and said new virtual blank are stored in the master process model file; and virtual machining of each machining feature of said plurality of machining features into at least one of said virtual blank and said new virtual blank, said each machining feature exhibiting an associative relationship with said coordinate system, generating machining instructions to create said actual part by machining said plurality of machining features into at least one of said virtual blank and said new virtual blank.