A CORBA-based manufacturing environment

A CORBA-based distributed object software system was developed for Sandia`s Agile Manufacturing Testbed (SAMT). This information architecture supports the goals of agile manufacturing: rapid response to changing requirements; small lot machining; reduction in both time and cost of the product realization process; and integration within a heterogeneous, wide-area networked enterprise. Features of the resulting software-controlled manufacturing environment are: (1) Easy plug-and-play of manufacturing devices. (2) Support for both automated and manual operations. (3) Information flow both into and out of manufacturing devices. (4) Dynamic task sequencer. Each of the heterogeneous physical objects (lathe, milling machine, robot arm, etc.) has a corresponding software object that supports a common IDL interface called IDevice. This interface provides operations for material processing, material movement, status monitoring, and other administrative tasks. CORBA objects allow for the encapsulation of a machine tool, its controller, and the network interface to the controller. Both manual and automated operations are supported by the software system. If an IDevice object receives a request for a non-automated operation, it uses an associated Console object to affect the operation by communications with a human machinist. A design goal of the Console object for a machine is to provide an information-intensive environment for the machinist, rather than just the transmittal of instructions to be carried out. In addition to the flow of information into manufacturing devices (e.g., control and NC code), the software architecture supports the easy extraction of data (e.g., sensor data or inspection reports) back out of the machine and into the broader information processing environment The task sequencer object dynamically locates devices, accepts jobs, and dispatches tasks in the manufacturing cell. A job script captures setup operations, material movement, and processing