This is the
best example of MTConnect and StepNC working together.
Just as a reminder (from wikipedia):
MTConnect is a manufacturing
industry standard to facilitate the organized retrieval of process information from
numerically controlled machine tools.
STEP-NC is a
machine tool control language that extends the
ISO 10303 STEP standards with the machining model in ISO 14649,
[1] adding
geometric dimension and tolerance data for inspection, and the STEP
PDM model for integration into the wider enterprise. The combined result has been standardized as ISO 10303-238
[2] (also known as AP238).
STEP-NC was designed to replace
ISO 6983/RS274D G-codes with a modern, associative
communications protocol that connects
computer numerical controlled (CNC) process data to a product description of the part being machined.
Below are the first two paragraphs to give you a preview of this great work.
"Inspiration
When working with StepNC data our team realized that our project
could be adapted to use real machining data. MTConnect allows our
simultation to be used in much more powerful ways. We envision our
project being used in various commercial applications to provide real
time monitoring of several machines from one location. Through the use
of this software, the efficiency of the manufacturing industry could
also be improved by up to or exceeding 15%. The MTConnect data
correlates well with STEP-NC data which is our team's main inspiration.
What it does
NC.js is an open source application designed to
interpret StepNC data and create a simulation of the
described workplan. NC.js has two options that allow
the user to either drive the simulation from a StepNC file
or instantiate a live viewing instance using a machine
that streams MT-Connect data. NC.js utilizes
MTConnect data from a live machine to drive a
simulation of the machining tool. Then, through
associative kinematics, a machine or fixture can be
added to the simulation with correct movement in
relation to the tools. Real time machining information
can be easily compared to the expected result, allowing
machining mistakes to be caught in process and
corrected, with the eventual goal of mistakes being
caught before they happen. The current application is also mobile friendly so that live
machining simulations can even be viewed from anywhere by the people who need
it most."
