System Insights Sees Innovation in the MTConnect Robotic Interface from Machine Tool Perspective

Dec. 27, 2013 - PRLog -- Will Sobel, CEO of System Insights, the leading global supplier of manufacturing software in machining based, discrete and process industries, discussed robotic interface on the companies blog. Sobel explained, “From the machine tool perspective, the Robot is an external entity that loads and unloads material into and from its work-holding. This function can be carried out by a person, a robot, a mobile material handler, an operator, or a highly trained golden retriever. The machine does not care how the material is supplied, just that the task has been completed so it can start its cutting cycle.”

Sobel reported that the innovation in the MTConnect interface is the ability to abstract the task being performed from the underlying implementation necessary to complete the task. To load material into a machine tool, the robot has to have knowledge of the location of the work-holding and the necessary approach angles as well as any collision domains within the machine enclosure. From the machine tools perspective, this is all inconsequential as long as it gets its material.

Once complete, the machine tool needs to be able to ask for the material to be removed. This is also accomplished at the higher level by requesting the material get unloaded. At that point, the machine tool does not care where the material is going; it only needs to request another piece of material for subsequent processing. It is up to the Robot sequence the material to the next station.

“From the Robot’s perspective, it knows how to pick up a new piece of material and place it in the machine tool and where to place the material once it has removed it. It has two needs that need to be fulfilled from the machine tool, opening and closing the door and opening and closing the chuck,” noted Sobel.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.manufacturingbigdata.com/blog/2013/06/07/mtconnect-ros-i-robot-cnc-integration/.

This work was conducted under Grant Opportunity Number 2012-NIST-MSE-01 for the Intelligent System Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with the collaboration of System Insights, SwRI (Southwest Research Institute), NCDMM (National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining), AMT (Association for Manufacturing Technology) and Mazak USA for help with connectivity of the machine tool used in the demonstration.

About System Insights

System Insights, (www.systeminsights.com) based in Berkeley, California, with offices in Chennai, India, is a leading global supplier of manufacturing software in both machining based, discrete and process industries. The SI flagship product - vimana - delivers predictive analytics solutions to improve client’s efficiency, productivity, and profitability. vimana provides these data while enabling customers to realize sustainable manufacturing objectives. The vimana software platform delivers a unique combination of Cloud Computing and Big Data capabilities that sets out to revolutionize the economics of manufacturing. System Insights is a proud member of both AMT (Association for Manufacturing Technology) and NTMA (National Tooling and Machining Association). Follow System Insights on Twitter @systeminsights.

System Insights

www.systeminsights.com

William Sobel

CEO

pr@systeminsights.com

510-684-6400