A roadmap for implementing new manufacturing technology based on STEP-NC

Manufacturing is changing. New ideas of control, the maturity of CAM techniques and computer technology have enabled the definition of an advanced machine tool control standard, STEP-NC. STEP-NC is one part of a larger manufacturing picture with links to different manufacturing applications using the STEP suite of standards. STEP-NC is the key to a door behind which there is a rich field of research on manufacturing techniques and opportunities for lean, intelligent and flexible manufacturing. The problem is to pass through that door. Many potential users are waiting for a lead from control developers. Control developers are waiting for market interest. Existing legacy machinery and investment in traditional machining add inertia. Instead of having a clear development path, manufacturing has become something of a Gordian knot waiting to be disentangled. New research projects are addressing these issues as well, but this paper takes a different route in showing how strategic planning can lead to adoption of the new techniques in a phased way, a so-called 'Roadmap'. The contribution of this paper is the manner in which the overall task of implementation has been subdivided into tasks and phases to achieve the introduction of the new technology.

STEP-NC digital thread for additive manufacturing: data model, implementation and validation

Pascal Mognol, Ian Anthony Stroud

Substantial progress and development in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been realised during the last decade but have hardly been implemented on AM systems due to old numerical solutions still used by the AM digital thread, for instance STL (1987) and G-code (ISO 6963, 1982). In this field, more traditional processes like machining have challenged this issue by adopting the Standard for the Exchange of Product model data compliant Numerical Control (STEP-NC) standard that enables advanced and intelligent manufacturing by taking advantage of the full computing performance of numerical controllers in manufacturing machines. This standard integrates the whole digital chain (CAD-CAM-CAPP-CNC-CMM) in a unique file with information on design and manufacturing and enables manufacturing of high-value products directly without numerical data conversion or post-processing. This study presents a new STEP-NC data model for AM technologies developed with the ISO TC184/SC1/WG7 committee. A STEP-NC platform initially developed for machining processes has been adapted to implement and validate the AM data model. It enables AM directly from a STEP-NC file, as well as hybrid manufacturing (AM and machining), and allows integration of several optimisation and simulation modules that extend the possibility of advanced and intelligent AM, for instance in-process manufacturing optimisation.

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD2018

Factory planning system considering energy-efficient process under cloud manufacturing

Yong Chan Choi, Ian Anthony Stroud, Jumyung Um

Cloud computing sets to make a change in business between enterprises over the Internet based on services providing dynamically reconfigurable and virtualized networks. It is difficult for an aircraft manufacturer to consider the performance and status of each factory (i.e., capacity, inventory, order, technology, etc.) because of the huge amount of suppliers. In legacy environments, the supplier consumed a long time to identify the machine and process required and the energy to be consumed in order to satisfy a new customer demand. If the process occurred with a new order should be optimized, additional time and cost were needed. Cloud computing can enable the relationship between the manufacturer and suppliers of aircraft, which is representative of mass customized products, to be flexible and efficient. In order to enhance the response time during contracting with suppliers, this paper focuses on an architecture, providing a service for a decision with the concerns about the time and cost as well as energy with regard to process planning. For realizing this service the manufacturer provides the process plan described using neutral language for numerical controllers called 'STEP-NC' which is independent from a specific machine tool. On the supplier side, the machinability check, tool path generation and energy use estimation should be identified with machine tool specifications described by STEP-NC. In the Cloud computing environment, the analysis is performed to check the possibility that a supplier can complete a new order from the manufacturer on the due date with the analysis of machine tools and on-going production schedule. This function is developed in a system which can be installed on a virtual platform and provided by a cloud service. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Elsevier Science Bv2014

Factory planning system considering energy-efficient process under cloud manufacturing

Yong Chan Choi, Ian Anthony Stroud, Jumyung Um

Elsevier Science Bv2014