Validation of Standards Interfaces for Machine Control

Published

May 27, 1996

Author(s)

Frederick M. Proctor, John L. Michaloski, William P. Shackleford, Sandor S. Szabo

Abstract

Open architecture controllers offer a multitude of benefits to users of machine tools, robots, and coordinate measuring machines, ultimately reducing the life-cycle costs of installing, operating, and maintaining manufacturing equipment. Aside from those benefits resulting from basing a controller on common operating systems and computing platforms, the main feature of an open architecture is the public availability of interfaces to controller functionality. These interfaces allow third parties who are not associated with the original equipment manufacturers to provide enhancements to the functionality of the machine. Efforts to standardize the interfaces to open architecture machine tool controllers are underway both in the United States. and abroad. In the United States, the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have cooperatively undertaken this standards effort. One of the most important aspects of this program is the validation of interfaces on actual machinery in production applications. The goal of this validation process is to ensure that the interface specification is broad enough to encompass a significant portion of manufacturing applications, while still being practical to implement. This paper explores the problems resulting from defining interfaces to general controller functionality, when faced with the realities of validating the interfaces on controllers with specific operating systems, computing platforms, and control components.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Robotics and Manufacturing - The World Automation Congress ''96

Conference Dates

May 27-30, 1996

Conference Location

Montepellier, 1, FR

Conference Title

Robotics and Manufacturing - The World Automation Congress ''96

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

Control, Standards, motion control, open architecture controllers, standards

Citation

Proctor, F. , Michaloski, J. , Shackleford, W. and Szabo, S. (1996), Validation of Standards Interfaces for Machine Control, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Robotics and Manufacturing - The World Automation Congress ''96, Montepellier, 1, FR, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=820559 (Accessed April 26, 2024)