DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION OF A PICTORIAL PLANNING SYSTEM

Pictorial Planning is a term used to describe the integration of graphics into factory planning to enhance work instructions. This paper describes the in-house development and integration of a low cost Pictorial Planning System that enables the production planner to turn out inexpensive, high quality graphics that complement the present paper planning. The heart of the system consists of a powerful consumer-grade personal workstation capable of accessing graphics from a number of sources; then manipulating those graphics along with text to produce easily understood work instructions. The workstation can directly download 2-D and converted 3-D CAD drawings, as well as receive graphics electronically from other workstations and databases throughout the existing enterprise network. Additional graphics can be originated on the workstation, scanned-in, or captured on the shop floor with electronic still cameras and camcorders, then ported directly into the workstation. The resulting pictorial is then sent to one of the previously existing Computer Aided Planning (CAP) Systems via the enterprise network for integration and printing as part of the paper plan. This system promises to lower the cost of helicopter manufacturing by reducing learning and cycle times, rework, and scrap.