[step-manufacturing] Minutes of December 12th conference call

[Martin Hardwick]

Attendees
--------------
Martin Hardwick, STEP Tools, USA
Mikael Hedlind, Scania, Sweden
Magnus Lundgren, KTH, Sweden
Quiling Huang, KTH, Sweden
Yuijang Li, KTH, Sweden
Bengt Olsson, Sandvik, Sweden
Bob Erickson, Pratt & Whitney, USA
Fred Proctor, NIST, USA
Vincent Marchini, Ameritech, USA
Sid Venkatesh, Boeing, USA
Leon Xu, Boieng, USA
Rudi Gruteke, ISCAR, Israel
Doron Cohen, ISCAR, Israel
Alain Brail, Albavis, France

The CAM to CAM Data Exchange Forum meetings will be open. We discussed 
the schedule for the first six months. The forum will start by creating 
a library of resources and definitions. The vendors and users will then 
make models of Boxy in their CAM systems. We will then have our first 
face to meeting - proposed for March 20 and 21st at Boeing or NIST 
(TBD). At the meeting we will machine the CAM models, give tutorials on 
the internal data structures of STEP-NC,  and finalize the plans to 
write the first STEP-NC files in the next three months.

ftp://www.steptools.com/private/CAM_exchange/Cycle_1/CAM_to_CAM_Data_Exchange_Cycle_1.gif

Iscar gave a presentation on their usage of the ISO 13399 Cutting Tool 
standard. Their approach is model based. Each component has MCS, CSW and 
PCS definitions. The PCS defines the local coordinate system of the 
component. The MCS defines the interface of the component to its parent. 
For example, how a cutting item is connected to its tool, or how a tool 
is connected to its tool holder. Each component has only one PCS and one 
MCS but it may have multiple CSW definitions. Each CSW defines where a 
parent is connected to a child. For example, one for each insert  in a 
tool that has multiple cutting inserts. The MCS, CSW and PCS definitions 
are well suited to STEP because each can be represented as an axis 
placement on a STEP model.

ftp://www.steptools.com/private/ISO13399/iscar_0.11.pptx

A cutting tool scenario is being proposed for the CAM to CAM Data 
Exchange Forum. The suggestion is for a contractor to send a request for 
solutions to the cutting tool vendors as a STEP-NC file. The sent file 
will include definitions of the machine setup and the volume to be 
removed. The cutting tool vendor will then return a STEP-NC file with an 
operation and cutting tool defined. The cutting tool will be in the 
setup and the machining operation will include the tool paths and 
technologies recommended by the vendor.

An advanced version of the cutting tool scenario can use the new edition 
of Part 21 to link the workpiece defined by the OEM, to the setup and 
feature defined by the supplier, and the operation and cutting tools 
recommended by the vendor. A simulation system can then verify that the 
recommended tool and operation will meet the tolerances required by the 
OEM on the machines selected by the contractor. In an even more advanced 
version the OEM, Contractor and Vendor can iterate their designs until 
the most cost effective solution is found.

KTH gave a demonstration of tolerance data exchange. A set of tolerances 
were created in IDA STEP and exported as a STEP AP242 file. They were 
read into NX using a translator developed by KTH. The lower limit of one 
of the tolerances was altered using the NX user interface. The new data 
was exported as another AP242 file. The second file was read into 
ST-Machine and the new lower limit was displayed in its user interface.

ftp://www.steptools.com/private/Interoperability_costs/KTH_demo_of_STEP_semantic_GDT_editing_in_Siemens_NX8.mp4

The demonstration showed a new level of integration between presentation 
and semantic tolerances. In previous demonstrations the presentation 
tolerances were implemented as monolithic presentation graphics. In the 
new demonstration the values in the presentation tolerances are 
represented as numbers in the STEP data structures. The same numbers are 
stored in the semantic tolerances and a single integrated value is shown 
in both sets of user interfaces.

The next conference call will  take place at the regular times on 
Wednesday January 9th. A recording of this conference call is available 
at the following ftp site:

ftp://www.steptools.com/private/Interoperability_costs/stepmanuf_telecon_20121212.wmv

Martin Hardwick
Team Leader ISO STEP-Manufacturing