If the smarter machine tools now being researched could also communicate in the vernacular, here's what they could be saying to their computer numerical control (CNC) or some higher level computer on the plant network:

"Hey, you've sent me this part program, I've analyzed it and from what I can tell, you need to change what you've programmed and here are my limits. And by the way, if you want me to hold five-tenths tolerance, I will not be able to do that because I am having a problem with my x drive. It's not running smoothly and you need to send maintenance down here to look at that drive."

Translate those words into computerese and that will be an example of the kind of small talk between the machine tools and controls of tomorrow, says Paul R. Warndorf, vice president, technology with the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), based in McLean, Va. AMT is part of the Smart Machine Platform Initiative (SMPI) established by the Coalition for Manufacturing Technology Infrastructure (CMTI).

The following companies and organizations comprise the Advisory Team for the Smart Machine Program Initiative: Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT) BAE Systems Benet Labs, Watervliet Arsenal Caterpillar Cincinnati Machine Defense Logistics Agency Delphi Automotive Ex-One Ford Motor Co. General Dynamics Land Systems General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems GE Aviation Hurco Cos. Lockheed Martin NIST-Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory NNSA Y-12 National Nuclear Complex Picatinny Arsenal Pratt & Whitney Remmele Engineering Rolls Royce Sikorsky Aircraft TechSolve The Boeing Co. U.S. Army Research

The government-funded initiative is a collaboration among commercial firms, government agencies and a variety of machine tool and equipment vendors. The program grew out of two workshops sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology -- a Smart Machine Workshop in 2000 and a First Part Correct Workshop in 2002, says TechSolve's John Kohls, director, Smart Machine Program, Cincinnati.

Now in its second phase, SMPI is much more than a cost-cutting effort to pare operating costs. Look at it as a fundamental repositioning on how machine tools are applied, emphasizes Kohls. Cincinnati Machine, an SMPI advisory team member, emphasizes the competitive value. "The project's objective is to provide better information that will enable management to achieve the goal of making parts better, faster and at lower cost," says Richard Curless, vice president, engineering and development for the Hebron, Ky.-based machine tool maker.

Kohls describes the enhanced functionality: "A smart machine is one that can make decisions about the manufacturing process in real time. A smart machine knows itself. It is one that understands how to make a part. It can monitor, diagnose and correct when deviations occur. And it can learn for optimizing in the future. It would also tell us the remaining life of the cutting tools, the spindles, the bearings and the slides so we would know how long it could continue without a degradation in quality."

SMPI's intent is to rapidly accelerate the evolution of machine tool intelligence that began with the introduction of punched tape numerical control in the 1960s, followed by ever smarter computer numerical controls, adds Kohls. One example of current progress by vendors is the monitoring and analysis solution introduced by GE Fanuc Automation Inc. at last September's IMTS trade show. Proficy Machine Tool Efficiency 4.0, a Web-based solution, is designed to provide insightful, actionable analysis by collecting comprehensive root cause data from machine tools and other equipment. It also provides a suite of remote diagnostic tools to maximize mean-time between failures and minimize mean-time to repair, and it can be used to populate fields in computer maintenance management systems.

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