Enhancing CNC Manufacturing Interoperability with STEP-NC

Matthieu Rauch (1) , Raphael Laguionie (1) , Jean-Yves Hascoët (1) , Xun W. Xu (2)

1 IRCCyN - Institut de Recherche en Communications et en Cybernétique de Nantes
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland

Despite substantial improvements CNC manufacturing is still based on dated practices and habits. This is mostly due to the use of ISO 6983 standard (G-codes) combined with vendor specific formats to exchange CAD/CAM/ CNC information. The manufacturing sector is consequently made of a collection of disconnected elements that are difficult to make communicate together. On the contrary STEP-NC approach offers many opportunities to overtake the current situation and rethink CAD/CAM/CNC numerical chains. However, the actual integration of STEP-NC in industrial concerns is quite limited. It is essential to couple this innovative approach with existing equipments. This paper shows how STEP-NC can be an efficient way to reconcile today's interoperability and efficiency demands by introducing the association of two manufacturing platforms: SPAIM, developed at IRCCyN (France), and which controls current industrial machine tools directly from STEP-NC files and IIMP from the University of Auckland (New Zealand), which realizes data portability between heterogeneous proprietary formats, process interoperability. As a result, both approaches lead to improved supervision and integration of the machining systems.

Mots clés: STEP-NC; Advanced CNC programming; CAD/CAM/CNC data interoperability

Domaines: Génie mécanique [physics.class-ph]; Génie mécanique [physics.class-ph]

Matthieu Rauch, Raphael Laguionie, Jean-Yves Hascoët, Xun W. Xu. Enhancing CNC Manufacturing Interoperability with STEP-NC. Journal of Machine Engineering, 2009, 9 (4), pp.26-37. ⟨hal-00501489⟩