Data Execution Module of the Vertical Workstation of the Automated Manufacturing Research Facility at the National Bureau of Standards

摘要

In the Vertical Workstation (VWS) of the NBS Automated Manufacturing Research Facility, metal parts are machined automatically from a feature-based design. A simple two-and-a-half dimensional part may be designed and machined within an hour, allowing half the time for design input. Workstation activity may be divided into design, process planning, data execution, and physical execution stages. Data execution is performed by the Data Execution Module. The module goes through a process plan and builds a model of a workpiece as machining steps from the plan are carried out. In addition, the module has five independent options, any combination of which may be carried out simultaneously: generate NC-code to make the part, enhance the process plan, emulate machining of the part by updating a picture of the part each time a step of the plan is executed, verify the process plan, and save the finished workpiece model.