Computer-aided process planning, digital twin, and smart manufacturing: interconnections and integration in CNC machining processes

The integration of emerging technologies such as computer-aided process planning (CAPP), digital twin (DT), and smart manufacturing (SM) is revolutionising the machining process by enhancing the efficiency, flexibility, and capability of anticipating prospective manufacturing trends. This paper presents a comprehensive review of each technology and provides insights into how they interact to further advance machining industries. The review begins with the explanation of basic concepts, scopes, and functionalities for each technology while highlighting the potential future advancements and its transformative impact. The role of CAPP for bridging the gap between design and machining, the virtual twinning of physical systems for real-time monitoring along with decision-making in DT, and the framework with the foundation blocks of SM infrastructure are critically reviewed in the discussion. Moreover, the analysis of interconnections between CAPP, DT, and SM is emphasised to show how their integration leads to a more efficient, flexible, and intelligent machining process. The enabling technologies, current landscape, and future potential of the technologies are discussed to call for increased collaboration between academia and industry to fully realise the benefits and outline future work that can advance smart manufacturing systems.