Setup planning for machining processes is a part of fixture planning which is also a part of process planning. A setup of a part is defined as a group of features which are machined while the part is fixtured in one single fixture. Setup planning includes a number of tasks such as the selection of setup, sequence of setups and datum frame for each setup. Setup planning is an important function in fixture planning which must be able to support and to clamp a workpiece to prevent deflections caused by machining and clamping loads. This paper presents setup planning system using expert system approach(SPES) for prismatic parts which can be machined on vertical milling machine. SPES consists of preprocessing module and main processing module. Preprocessing module executes the conversion of feature data to frame type data and the determination of setups, and main processing module executes the determination of datum frame of each setup and sequance of setups. Preprocessing module is coded by C language and main processing module is a rule-based expert system using EXSYS pro. The performance of SPES is evaluated through case studies and the results show successful work except for operation sequence of machining holes. This is due to the limited rules for machining holes.