One step closer...for digital manufacturing, by burying G-codes and post-processors within compliers, STEP-NC stands poised to streamline machine tool programming

摘要

With development of the much-publicized STEP standard for product data exchange predominantly CAD-centric, it's not surprising that many engineers think STEP is just another way to transfer drawing information between customers and suppliers. However, STEP is actually much more than an advanced part geometry data exchange format. Its extension into numerical control-the STEP-NC input standard for CNC machines provides not only a full description of the part, hut the manufacturing process as well-annotating CAD design data with manufacturing information about the stock, its cutting characteristics, and tool requirements. "STEP-NC defines data representing working steps, a library of specific machining operations performed at the CNC, so that any controller will be able to calculate the tool path based on definitions contained in formatted routines integrated within the controller itself," notes Sal Spada, research director for discrete automation at ARC Advisory Croup (www.arcweb.com). "STEP-NC-compliant CNCs will result in a consistently made part independent of machine tool geometry."