Minutes of 9th AP-238 testing telcon

[st-announce at steptools.com]

Minutes of the AP-238 CC1 Testing Telcon on January 28th. 
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The STEP files from the four CAM systems have been tested on the two controls. The remaining issue is the Mastercam file which is metric units. NIST will translate these units to inches before the demonstration.

The two simulators have been shipped to the conference hotel. 

There are two components in the demonstration. A writer component is  added to the CAM system to write out the CAM data as an AP-238 file without using a post. A converter component runs on the control and converts the AP-238 toolpaths to the TCP motion codes understood by the control. 

The key difference between the new method and the old is that the data is sent to the control as tool path movements organized into a set of operations, not axis movements organized into a stream of codes. This makes the data more portable and has the following consequences.

1. Simulators can be added to the control to verify the paths
   and reduce prove-out time.
2. An enterprise can start using a new CAM system without having
   to develop new post-processors.
3. The new pathway between the CAM and the CNC is considerably wider
   and more functional than the old and over time many new
   optimizations can be developed to reduce machining time and data
   preparation time.
4. Customers have many more ways to monitor the processes a shop
   uses to machine a part and can considerably reduce their costs
   for process monitoring and quality control.


Action Items 
------------ 
* The team will assemble at 4PM on Wednesday to begin testing. 
* Sid Venkatesh will arrange meetings with the control vendors
  to discuss business issues. 
* NIST will develop an inch version of its CDS model. 
* Everybody should think about the scope of the next 
  demonstration.


Meeting Attendees: 
Fred Proctor NIST 
Sid Venkatesh and Mauro Costas, Boeing Seattle 
Ming Lui, Waris Jaffrey, Boeing Wichita 
David Odendahl Boeing Tulsa 
John Witco, Carol Tierney, GDLS 
John Callen, GibbsCAM 
Chen Han Lee, UGS 
Mark Cote, Pratt and Whitney 
Martin Hardwick and David Loffredo STEP Tools

Apologies for absence: 
Donald Trotter, Siemens 

The next meeting will be in person in Orlando, Florida on February 4th and 5th.
As recorded by Martin Hardwick on January 28, 2004.