The Machine Tool working group of the Open Modular Architecture Control Users Group is sponsoring a pilot project to build an integrated solution, in order to accomplish intelligent control for precision machining with the STEP-NC based interoperability. This “Precise and Intelligent Control” pilot project is based on neutral application programming interface (API) architecture that is carried all the way to the tool tip. The new architecture will unlock the increased accuracy and knowledge of today’s Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines.
The implementation will start when the funding is available. The organization is encouraging companies to make tax-free contributions to the Louisiana Center for Manufacturing Science (an Internal Revenue Service 501c3 organization) on behalf of the OMAC Users Group to get this pilot project started. The goal is to start the pilot project in the first quarter of 2004, with completion in two years at an estimated cost of $2 million.
Manufacturers who wish to react flexibly, quickly and cost-effectively to changing market conditions must make product and process information available across all areas of their enterprises. Moreover, they must ensure that this information can be received, interpreted and executed upon at any level of their geographically dispersed manufacturing facilities.
STEP-NC provides benefits to streamline the product development and manufacturing life cycle. The benefits of STEP-NC have been verified by independent studies by Lockheed Martin and other manufacturers. STEP Tools Inc., a Troy, N.Y., developer of tools to integrate the STEP standard into manufacturing, has estimated, based on its Super Model Project, that STEP-NC can reduce the machine planning process by up to 75 percent. This is due to a significant reduction in the additional drawing information usually generated for producibility of the machine tool paths.
Additionally, STEP-NC can improve the efficiency of cutter path generation by up to 35 percent with the use of 3D feature recognition to reduce the programming task through automatic path detailing. Lastly, mid-sized machining jobs can actually be completed in up to 50 percent less time. However, STEP-NC does not address the precision and accuracy aspects of the tool path that is transferred to the machine and executed.
According to a recent study on interoperability costs by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and tier one manufacturers spend about $3.6 billion per year to solve problems associated with imperfect data exchange and interoperability. Moreover, these same OEMs spend about $245 million a year just to recreate or correct unusable data. STEP-NC will contribute significantly in reducing the cost of interoperability by providing a common open data format of machining features for the manufacturing community.
Recently, an OMAC group conducted a survey on the STEP-NC benefits from 35 companies. Operator utilization and interoperability are the two top benefits of deploying Intelligent and Precise Control with STEP-NC. The survey was used to help select projects that will serve the manufacturing companies within the OMAC user’s group. The proposed pilot project is aimed at addressing many of the top concerns of the user members.
