United States

Department of Commerce

Technology Administration

National Institute of

Standards and Technology

TOWARD 21 st

CENTURY

INFORMATION-BASED

MANUFACTURING

QC

100

U57

NO. 913

997

NIST SPECIAL PUBLICATION 913
MISSION OF THE NIST MANUFACTURING

ENGINEERING LABORATORY

The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) is the leading federal laboratory for measurement and standards-related research and development focused

on the technical needs of the nation's manufacturers. MEL's mission is:

To improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by working with industry

to develop and apply infrastructural technology, measurements, and standards.

To learn more about the work of MEL and its five divisions, visit the laboratory's home page on the World Wide Web at: http://www.nist.gov/mel/.
M. A. Bello

Public and Business Affairs Division

and

R. J. Densock

D. A. Swyt

J. L Land

D. C. Stieren

A. J. Wavering

M. A. Donmez

N. B. Christopher

G. R Carver

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

September! 997

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

William M. Daley, Secretary

Technology Administration

Gary R. Bachuld, Acting Under Secretary for Technology

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Robert E. Hebner, Acting Director

% \ /

NIST SPECIAL PUBLICATION 913

TOWARD 21 st

CENTURY

INFORMATION-BASED

MANUFACTURING
National Institute of Standard and Technology U.S. Government Printing Office

Special Publication 913 Washington: 1997

Natl. Inst. Stand. Techno!.

Spec. Publ. 913

24 pages (September 1997)

CODEN: NSPUE2

For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, DC 20402
ABSTRACT

The National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed

(NAMT), recently begun by the National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST), is designed to help

U.S. industry speed the transition to 21st century

manufacturing capabilities. Through the NAMT—

distributed testbed built on a state-of-the-art, highspeed computing and communications infrastructure

scientists and engineers from industry, NIST, academia, and government agencies are working together to

solve measurement and standards issues that impede

companies and industries from making the most of

their information technology. Initiated by NIST's

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, this unique

"collaboratory" is both an Information Age workbench

and showcase for demonstrating how machines, software, and people can be networked together, efficiently

and effectively, to improve productivity and foster

innovation at all levels of a manufacturing enterprise.

This report describes the vision, goals, and initial projects of the NAMT program. It also describes ways for

outside organizations to participate in the program.

KEY WORDS

collaboratory, communications infrastructure;

distributed enterprises; high-speed computing; information technology; manufacturing; National Advanced

Manufacturing Testbed; simulation; standards

DISCLAIMER

Any identification of commercial firms and trade names in this publication is not intended to imply

endorsement or denigration.

Certain commercial equipment or materials are

identified in this publication. Such identification does

not imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST,

nor does it imply that the items identified are

necessarily best for the purpose.
NAMT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Seizing the Information Technology Advantage 1

The AMRF: Successful Partnering

New Challenges, New Opportunities 3 Why the NAMT

The NAMT: Opening the Way to Advanced Capabilities 5 An Example of NAMT-Enabled Collaboration

Leveraging the NAMT: How to Participate 9

Appendix A: Computing and Communications Infrastructure 11

Appendix B: Nanomanufacturing of Atom-Based Dimensional Standards 13

Appendix C: Characterization, Remote Access, and Simulation of Hexapod Machines 15

Appendix D: Framework for Discrete Parts Manufacturing 17

Appendix E: Machine Tool Performance Models and Machine Data Repository 19

iv
NAMT

SEIZING

THE INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGE

From interchangeable parts toward interchangeable factories, from mass production toward mass customization, and from trial-and-error

experimentation toward modeling and simulation,

the transition to information-based manufacturing is under way. As the timely capture, sharing, analysis,

and management of information grow in importance

as value adding elements of manufacturing, companies are changing the way they organize and operate.

The National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed

(NAMT), recently begun by the National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST), is designed to

help U.S. industry speed the transition to 21st century

manufacturing capabilities. Through the NAMT

a distributed testbed built on a state-of-the-art, highspeed computing and communications infrastructure—scientists and engineers from industry, NIST,

academia, and government agencies are working

together to solve measurement and standards issues

that impede companies and industries from making

the most of their information technology. (See fig. 1.)

Initiated by NIST's Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory (MEL), this unique "collaboratory"* is

both an Information Age workbench and showcase

for demonstrating how machines, software, and

people can be networked together, efficiently and

effectively, to improve productivity and foster innovation at all levels of a manufacturing enterprise.

For U.S. manufacturing organizations, the NAMT

offers a tremendous opportunity to pool resources and capabilities, to share risks, and, most important,

to efficiently build the technical underpinnings of an advanced information infrastructure. Such a foundation of communication and computing facilities,

services, and standards will yield sectorwide benefits,

while enabling individual companies to leverage their

own information technology investments.

Altogether, the nation's manufacturers now spend more than $16 billion on information technology

software, hardware, and data collection—and total

Figure 1. NAMT Focus: Measurements and Standards for Distributed, Information-Based Manufacturing

Integration Framework Advanced Metrology

Interface Standards for

Virtual Manufacturing

Measurement

Standards

Simulation Testing Machine Tool Modeling

Computing and Communications Infrastructure
THE AMRF: SUCCESSFUI PARTNERING

The NAMT is the next-generation successor to NIST's highly successful Work at the AMRF led to about 30 new or emerging voluntary standards,

Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF), which was partly 20 patented inventions, and 25 process and product applications. More

sponsored by the U.S. Navy Manufacturing Technology Program. In this important, the AMRF demonstrated a path for computer integrated manufacNIST-based laboratory, collaborators from NIST, U.S. companies, universities, furing at the factory level. It helped catalyze the transition to today's

and other government agencies developed the means to integrate individual manufacturing model. Nearly 100 guest researchers worked at the AMRF,

machine tools, workstations, and production functions into a smoothly making significant contributions to its legacy of technical accomplishments,

operating whole.

ThfJ AMRp £| ose(j jn ] 995 Qs N , ST an(j Qn Q()vjsory gro(jp of jn(Justry Qn(j AMRF researchers developed automated manufacturing control techniques government representatives were completing plans for the NAMT. Though

that were among the most advanced in the world, yet used off-the-shelf this new distributed research facility is geared to meeting a more advanced

components. They demonstrated the power, flexibility, and practicality of set of technical needs, it will benefit from the AMRF's demonstrated

standard interfaces that enabled equipment from many different suppliers successes in fostering productive collaboration,

to operate together. These researchers also established the basis for software-based, accuracy-enhancement methods that integrated measurement

into the manufacturing process. This accomplishment led to increased precision, quality, and productivity in U.S. manufacturing, as well as a competitive

market advantage for equipment makers that adopted the technology.

annual expenditures are increasing at nearly doubledigit rates. ^ These investments, however, may not

yield full value. Targeted performance improvements

and competitive advantages may not reach their full

potential. The reason: the means to flexibly integrate

processes, systems, and companies on geographic

scales are lacking.

Without interface standards, communication

protocols, and other key infrastructural technologies,

efforts to integrate new equipment and processes into

existing operations and systems will continue to con- sume inordinately large amounts of money, time, and

staff. Beyond the internal operations of individual

firms, opportunities to leverage the capabilities of

partners and to develop closer relationships with

customers may go unrealized.

The NAMT is an important vehicle for building

information-based manufacturing's equivalents of

roads, bridges, interchanges, and even mass transit

rails—the means to transform information technology

and its applications into highly productive inter- and

intraorganizational linkages. In this distributed, multiproject testbed, which links people, facilities, and

resources at sites around the country, collaborators

from NIST, companies, universities, and government

laboratories have begun the critical task of developing,

demonstrating, testing, and refining prototype standards for achieving integration and interoperability

within and across systems, factories, and enterprises.

Boxl

Effective collaboration is key to accomplishing

the testbed's ambitious technical goals. Successful

partnering is a long-standing tradition at NIST and its Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory. The NAMT's

predecessor is the Automated Manufacturing Research

Facility, launched in the 1980's to focus on standards

and measurement issues in factory-floor automation.

(See box 1.) This research factory of the future

fostered a new, productive style of collaboration that

delivered useful technical results to U.S. industry.

Times have changed, and the NAMT is responding

to new challenges that confront the U.S. manufacturing

sector. To respond effectively, it is pioneering new

modes of collaboration. By enabling long-distance

collaboration, the NAMT serves as a platform for

fostering industry consensus on sorely needed information technology standards. Together, through the

capabilities and resources accessible through the

NAMT, manufacturing organizations can join forces to

eliminate shared technical obstacles to next-generation

manufacturing capabilities. NIST invites all organizations concerned about the future of U.S. manufacturing

to learn more about the NAMT and to participate in

efforts designed to accomplish the industry-driven

objectives of the testbed.

2
NAMT

NEW CHALLENGES,

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Advances in the performance of computing,

communication, and networking technologies

are delivering opportunities for tremendous

improvements in manufacturing processes and practices. These technological advances are occurring

alongside other equally significant changes that are

reshaping the world of manufacturing and business

competition: Markets are fragmenting, customer

demands are becoming more specialized, and product

life cycles are shrinking. The importance of suppliers

is growing, accounting for an increasing share of the

value-added content of finished products. World-class

manufacturing capabilities are sprouting in newly

industrializing countries around the globe, while

established, export-minded companies are building

production facilities close to growing foreign markets.

These and other fluid conditions present major

challenges and major opportunities. They also are a

prescription for action, as summarized by a representative of the nation's aerospace manufacturing sector:

We must determine a new way of doing business. In order

to succeed in global competition, we need to find a way to accommodate low-rate production . . . affordably. We need

to be flexible so that we can build the latest technology

and developments into our processes and into ourfactories

to reduce costs. . . . We need to shorten the product development cycle, reduce risks through application of all elements

of virtual prototyping, modeling, and simulation with

integral cost analyses, and, finally, provide world class

quality . . . at the lowest cost. ^

Figure 2: What's Next in Manufacturing?

Ui-^iii Ui;si;ui£<; LilUii^uii L^ii/U^U

"Information Technology is the Key Enabler"

3
The Future. In all sectors, manufacturers are

seeking to identify and develop the fundamental attributes of a successful 21st century enterprise. A general

conceptual consensus on the hallmarks of future manufacturing competitiveness has emerged, as illustrated

in figure 2. All require capabilities enabled by effective

applications of information technology. Especially

critical capabilities include operational and product

flexibility, cost-effective product-customization,

modularity of equipment and processes, knowledgebased operational and strategic decision making, and

integration within and among enterprises.

The Present. Today, companies are not fully realizing these capabilities. Examples in box 2 illustrate some of the difficulties and obstacles that manufacturers—from the smallest to the largest—are confronting.

All are symptomatic of major voids in the infrastructure needed to support manufacturing applications

of information technology.

Without an underpinning foundation of communication protocols, interfaces, and other industry-adopted

standards, even companies that are investing large sums in information technology will eventually reach

a dead-end. "The use of advanced technologies within

our company," an automotive company executive has

noted, "will have only a marginal impact on our competitiveness if our supply base does not have access

to the same technologies.

Today, this access is largely restricted because of

the lack of interoperability among competing vendors'

systems and subsystems. As pointed out recently by

a panel of manufacturing experts, better standards

are fundamental to building the technological acumen

and capabilities of suppliers and original equipment

manufacturers alike, while reducing the costly risk of

premature technological obsolescence. (See the

recommended response in box 2.)

WHY THE NAMT

COSTS OF INCOMPATIBILITY AND

LACK OF INTEROPERABILITY . .

.

A 1993 study found that the higher the level of computerization, the

less flexible a plant's ability to make a large range of products or to change

swiftly between products. A prime impediment: Difficulty in adapting

software to accommodate unanticipated changes.

To avoid disruption and minimize retraining costs, a U.S. manufacturer

recently decided to refurbish 100 machine tools with controllers identical

to the decade-old versions that the company was replacing, rather than

introduce more advanced and more capable controllers with a different

"look and feel."

In 1995, U.S. industry is estimated to have spent about Si.6 billion

for contractor- provided control system integration services.^

Suppliers may have 10 or more different types of CAD systems to satisfy

specifications peculiar to the equipment of each of their major customers.

Within companies, databases with incompatible formats have evolved

to serve particular production and management needs, even though many

require much the same information. The consequences are redundant

inputting, data management nightmares, and lack of up-to-date information

to support decision making.

Modernization efforts by capital-pinched smaller manufacturers are

impeded by the lack of interoperability among off-the-shelf hardware and

software, limiting their choices and flexibility and increasing the risk of

premature obsolescence of their technology.

^ Maruca, Regino Fazio, "Manufacturing Flexibility—Practice Makes Perfect." Harvard Business

Review, p. 10, Nov.-Oec. 1993.

2 "Control System Integrators Mark Major Growth." Control Engineering,

pp. 36-37, June 1996.

... AND A RECOMMENDED RESPONSE

"Research is needed to develop better manufacturing architecture,

standards, and interfaces, including research to develop standard equipment

control architectures and generic functionality within the architectures, to support general manufacturing information standards, and to lower the cost of

more open, less proprietary architectures. Especially desirable would be

architectures whose standards accommodate some upgrade capability, so that

technology vendors could worry less about premature freezing of technology

and the locking out of potential competitive advantages, while customers

could worry less about intrinsic obsolescence." —Committee to Study Information Technology and Manufacturing, National Research Council,

Information Technology for Manufacturing: A Research Agenda, p. 122, National Academy Press,

Washington, D.C., 1995

Box 2

4
THE NAMT: OPENING

THE WAY TO ADVANCED

CAPABILITIES

The vision for 21st-century manufacturing presumes

that interconnecting manufacturing applications will be

as simple as connecting household appliances—one need

only know how to run the application . . . and manage the

interface . . . The ease of interconnection and interoperation extends from devices found on the factory floor to

applications connecting the factory to the product design

facility to applications connecting an enterprise to its

suppliers and customers . .

Through an evolving set of advanced manufacturing R&D projects and by means of a state-of-theart computing and communications infrastructure,

the NAMT provides a vehicle for realizing this vision

of 21st-century manufacturing. Planned and developed

with the encouragement and participation of industry

and government executives, the NAMT enables crossdisciplinary, collaborative research on standards-related

and metrology issues.

The overall goals of the NAMT are to: Enable and accelerate development of standards for

facilitating the interoperability of manufacturing

systems and the rapid insertion of new

technologies into these integrated systems.

Facilitate on-site and remote collaborations and

to enable access to geographically distributed

resources.

Serve as a research testbed for developing and

evaluating information-based manufacturing

capabilities and applications.

Results of NAMT research and demonstrations,

such as measurement and process-control techniques,

interfaces, information models, and architectures,

speed the development and validation of infrastructural

technologies necessary for information-based manufacturing. Because these results will be obtained in a

research environment akin to that envisioned for nextgeneration manufacturing operations, they will be in a form that can be readily refined and adapted to the

Figure 3. NAMT High-Speed Network

Molecular Beam

Epitaxy Laboratory

Scanning Probe

Microscope Laboratory Hexapod

Machine Tool

Laboratory

ATM Network

Wide Area ATM Connections

To Collaborators

Internet Connection

NAMT Laboratory Inspection

Laboratory

Ethernet Switch

5
ItAMT

needs of particular companies and industries.

Prototype standards can be advanced as starting points

for committees and working groups of national and

international standards bodies.

The Infrastructure. Like state-of-the-art manufacturing enterprises of the future, the testbed has geographically distributed partners and emphasizes virtual

technology. That is, the equipment, expertise, and

capabilities of NAMT partners are electronically connected through the testbed's common infrastructure.

Moreover, collections of resources and personnel can be easily configured—and reconfigured—in response

to changing research needs and objectives. The virtual

technology elements of the testbed will support

research on applications of simulation and modeling

methods that are essential to rapid prototyping and

fast fabrication, among a host of other key capabilities. Work at the NAMT will be devoted not only to developing and validating models and simulations of

individual processes, but also to ensuring the integrity

and accuracy of computerized representations of the

performance of entire manufacturing systems.

The NAMT infrastructure supports real-time

interactions among collaborators and real-time access

to hardware and software. (See fig. 3.) It integrates

voice, video, and data on the same network to create

a cohesive collaborative environment. Today, in contrast, organizations use separate networks dedicated

to particular uses, such as telephone networks for

voice communication, packet-switching networks

for data transmission, and closed circuit television

for videoconferencing.

Information technology resources available to NAMT partners are:

Physical communications components, such

as networking gateways, routers, and networking

software, that provide collaborators with access

to equipment, documents, databases, project information, test data, and testing suites. Commercial and experimental software

applications, such as design, engineering, and

simulation packages that are remotely accessible,

as well as advanced capabilities, including

teleoperating physical devices.

Multimedia communications, such as videoconferencing, groupware, and e-mail exploders,

to facilitate effective collaboration among

remotely located partners, as well as security

and safety mechanisms.

Advanced machine tools and research

equipment that might otherwise be unavailable

to collaborators.

Vast and varied technical expertise that is immediately accessible through the national

network.

The NAMT as Collaboratory. The value of

information technology lies largely in connections,

in links between applications, resources, and facilities.

This is why NAMT projects emphasize developing the means to quickly assemble—and, as competitive cir- cumstances dictate, reassemble—these linkages. This

also is why collaboration is so essential. Standards

the means to achieving interoperability, modularity,

and reconfigurability—cannot be developed in isolation. Developing robust, technically sound standards

requires the participation and expertise of original

equipment makers, parts suppliers, machine-tool

makers, and software and hardware vendors, as well

as contributions from manufacturing researchers in

government and universities.

(b
Through the NAMT's computing and communications infrastructure, geographically dispersed collections of people, resources, and capabilities can be

configured to accomplish the research tasks of NAMT

projects. Without leaving their home facility, collaborators have access, for example, to NIST's hexapod

machine tool or its Next Generation Inspection

System Laboratory, as well as to highly specialized

and highly capitalized equipment housed at the sites

of other testbed partners in industry, academia or at

other sites. They can also share data and software

tools, teleoperate remotely located physical devices,

and work cooperatively, using multimedia capabilities

that enable direct interaction among electronically

linked colleagues.

NAMT-facilitated linkages enable partners to develop the technical basis for integration and interoperability standards required for distributed and

virtual manufacturing capabilities. Just as important,

the NAMT is used to demonstrate and test prototype

standards, necessary for achieving broad industry

acceptance and for paving the way to subsequent

adoption and application.

Individual NAMT Projects: Part of the Whole.

For NIST and its partners, the NAMT provides a

highly leveraged opportunity to address technical

issues across the breadth of manufacturing and, at the same time, to respond to process-specific problems

and needs. All current and future NAMT research will

contribute to an open set of standards, interfaces,

architecture specifications, and other infrastructural

elements that enable varied sets and subsets of

manufacturing systems to work together.

Individual projects, however, often focus on

specific process technologies and capabilities, such as

intelligent machine control, machine characterization

AN EXAMPLE OF NAMT-ENABLED COLLABORATION

Distributed manufacturing, intelligent control, supply-chain optimization,

these and many of the other advanced capabilities expected to drive manufacturing competitiveness in the 21st century will require an unprecedented

degree of interoperability, on unprecedented scales. One NAMT project,

undertaken with consortia, voluntary standards groups, and other organizations, aims to develop and demonstrate an enterprise framework, a common

environment for integrating software applications and sharing information

across activities, functions, and organizations.

Such a software infrastructure, with standardized modular elements,

would permit individual companies and groups of companies to rapidly

develop - and, just as rapidly, revamp - products, processes, and systems.

Consortia contributing to the development of interoperability specifications

and protocols include the:

National Industrial Information Infrastructure Protocols Consortium, an

18-organization effort focusing on protocols and other standards to enable

the creation and operation of virtual enterprises;

Sematech, a consortia of semiconductor manufacturers and equipment

makers that has developed an object-oriented integration framework for

"chip" fabrication; and

Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing program, a governmentindustry program that is led by the Department of Energy and is devoting

significant effort to modeling manufacturing process and developing software

applications to support those processes.

Other participants include the Object Management Group, a consortium

with more than 600 members, mostly software vendors, developers, and end

users. OMG has developed a software architecture to further the development

and application of object-oriented software. Researchers contributing to the NAMT Framework Project also interact with relevant bodies of the

International Organization for Standardization, or ISO. Examples are the

ISO committee that is coordinating the development of STEP the Standard

for the Exchange of Product Model Data, and the NIST-led ISO working

group on enterprise modeling.

The project builds on standards that already exist or are under development,

although gaps in these efforts will require NAMT collaborators to develop

prototype specifications that will be needed to integrate applications and

share information across organizations. The NAMT framework will evolve,

permitting researchers to analyze alternative standards and prototypes in

various manufacturing operations.

In the project's initial phase, the focus will be on developing the framework

to support automated inspection of mechanical parts. Succeeding efforts will

expand the focus to production control and simulation, planning and design

applications, and framework-to-framework interoperability, which will

enable supply-chain integration. (Additional detail on the initial set of NAMT projects can be found in the appendices.)

Box 3

7
and simulation, high-speed machining, and advanced

inspection and measurement techniques. An integral

requirement for all these efforts is that they yield solutions that are modular—integratable elements of larger

systems. The integratability of process-specific results

may foster additional advances and advantages, as

well as unanticipated applications in other processes.

Initial Portfolio. In 1996, the NAMT's information infrastructure was operational, and four projects were inaugurated. All projects were formally reviewed

by teams of technical experts and managers from

manufacturing companies, universities, and government agencies. Each involves partners from outside

organizations, which are devoting personnel and

resources

to the collaborations. The goals of initial NAMT

projects are described briefly below. (More detailed

descriptions of the projects and testbed infrastructure

can be found in the appendices.)

Machine-Tool Performance Models and

Machine Data Repository: Using standardized

data formats, develop predictive machine-tool

and inspection-system models that enable

accurate simulation of performance in specific

applications. A standardized approach to structuring

and representing detailed performance

information is a key element of virtual

manufacturing environments.

Characterization, Remote Access, and

Simulation of Hexapod Machines: Measure and

extend the capabilities of still-experimental, parallel-actuated machine tools. Collaborators are benchmarking and then, through applications of

information technology, extending the capabilities

of this promising, new machine-tool technology.

Nanomanufacturing of Atom-Based Standards:

Using emerging distributed and virtual manufacturing capabilities, fabricate and disseminate

prototype dimensional standards with features

derived from the geometries of atomic lattices. Work will lead to important measurement

reference artifacts for the microelectronics and

nanotechnology industries.

Framework for Discrete Parts Manufacturing:

Provide industry with tests and methods for

analyzing and validating standards, pre-standard

specifications, and other middleware technologies

developed by consortia and other organizations

to promote interoperability of manufacturing

systems across enterprises.

Although the projects differ greatly in specific

technical objectives, each will ultimately lead to

advances in the application of information technology

to manufacturing. Each also draws on and integrates

the distributed expertise, capabilities, and resources of

NIST and a network of outside organizations, as

exemplified in box 3.

8
LEVERAGING

THE NAMT: HOW TO

PARTICIPATE

An

innovation in research collaboration, the

NAMT will speed development of a critically

needed information infrastructure for U.S. manufacturing. Cooperation, collaboration, and consensus

are essential to building this key requirement for

future manufacturing competitiveness. From the discrete parts manufacturing sector, the initial industrial

focus of NAMT efforts, collaborators include large

original equipment manufacturers, parts suppliers,

makers of machine tools and other process-related

hardware, and software vendors, as well as consortia.

These industrial collaborators have joined with the

NIST's Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory and

groups from others of the Institute's major laboratories. Government participants also include several

Department of Energy national laboratories and the

Department of Defense. NAMT activities are linked

to complementary manufacturing technology research

programs housed in other agencies. In addition,

university researchers contribute to all ongoing test- bed projects, and academic representatives, like their

counterparts from industry and government, participate in the planning and review of NAMT projects.

Collaborating organizations benefit through:

Access to advanced technical expertise and manufacturing research capabilities at NIST and the

facilities of other networked NAMT partners.

Participation in, and experience gained from, the

development, demonstration, and validation of

prototype standards and new process applications.

Direct interaction with NIST and access to

the worldwide measurement and standards

communities.

In addition, the NAMT is a vehicle for overcoming

organizational and competitive complexities that can impede development of standards and their wide-scale

adoption. Collective experience gained while conducting collaborative experiments and demonstrations

helps to foster confidence in protocols, interfaces, and

other NAMT-enabled infrastructural technologies that

will deliver their greatest benefit when applied on

industrywide scales.

The NAMT accommodates different levels of

participation. Means to enter into formal arrangements

include Cooperative Research and Development

Agreements, Guest Research Agreements, the NIST

Industry Fellows Program, and contracts. Intellectual

property concerns, if any, and the expected outcome

of joint efforts usually dictate the type of arrangement.

Interested companies, universities, and other organizations are encouraged to participate in NAMT

workshops and conferences.

Getting Started. Interested companies and other

prospective partners are encouraged to review descriptions of the NAMT's initial portfolio of projects and

to capitalize on the capabilities of the testbed's infrastructure and distributed resources. All projects are

evaluated on the basis of criteria that measure how

well the work will contribute to meeting industryidentified needs for standards and measurements that

will enable information-based manufacturing; how

well the work leverages the work of existing programs

at NIST and other organizations in government,

industry, and academia; the importance of the work

to prospective collaborators; and the ultimate

anticipated impact on U.S. industry.

9
Whom to Call. Participation in the NAMT is a

strategic opportunity worth exploring. The unique

collaborative capabilities presented by this state-ofthe-art collaboratory for research on informationbased manufacturing enable organizations to capitalize on technological changes and help to ensure their

future competitiveness of U.S. industry. By working

together through the NAMT, the nation's manufacturing and research organizations can efficiently build

the infrastructure that will put U.S. industry in a position to seize the advantage in the global marketplace

of

the 2 1 st century.

To become a participant in the National Advanced

Manufacturing Testbed, call or send an e-mail

message to: Mark Luce, Chief

Office of Manufacturing Programs

(301) 975-2159

mark.luce@nist.gov

David Stieren, NAMT Program Manager

(301) 975-3197

david.stieren@nist.gov

or write:

Office of Manufacturing Programs

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Metrology Bldg., Room A327

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

Fax: (301) 926-8730

or visit the NAMT home page at:

http://www.nist.gov/mel/namt

END NOTES

1. National Research Council, Committee on a

National Collaboratory: Establishing the UserDeveloper Partnership, National Collaborators

Applying Information Technology for Scientific

Research, National Academy Press,

Washington, D.C., 1993.

2. Parker, Kevin, "Manufacturing apps rule,"

Manufacturing Systems, September 1996.

3. J.M. Sinnett, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace,

"Aerospace Sector Needs and Issues." In Proceedings of the Second Annual Manufacturing

Technology Conference: Toward a Common Agenda,

April 18-20, 1995. NIST Special Publication 886.

4. Frank J. Ewasyshyn, Chrysler Corp., "Needs

and Opportunities: A Chrysler Perspective." In Proceedings of the Second Annual Manufacturing

Technology Conference: Toward a Common Agenda,

April 18-20, 1995. NIST Special Publication 886.

5. National Research Council, Committee to Study

Information Technology and Manufacturing

Information Technology for Manufacturing:

A Research Agenda, p. 122, National Academy

Press, Washington, D.C., 1995.

10
APPENDIX A: COMPUTING

AND COMMUNICATIONS

INFRASTRUCTURE

Need: As manufacturing enterprises become more

distributed, robust computing and communications

infrastructures that integrate voice, video, and data

services are needed to productively link geographically separated facilities and functions. Today, different

types of special-purpose networks serve as links.

Telephone networks carry voice traffic. Closed-circuit

TV networks carry video. Packet switching networks,

like the Internet, carry computer data traffic. In the

future, high-speed networks will be used to integrate

voice, video, and data traffic over a single physical

network and to bring these multimedia services to

the desktop. The National Advanced Manufacturing

Testbed has built an integrated multimedia infrastructure to examine and exploit the technology's

capabilities to the benefit of U.S. manufacturing.

Goal: To provide a distributed, multimedia,

computing, and communications infrastructure, as

required by NAMT projects. The infrastructure

includes: 1) state-of-the-art computing capabilities;

2) a leading-edge, high-speed communications net- work to connect the NAMT project sites (internal and

external); and 3) a multipurpose laboratory at NIST

that will be used by NIST researchers and collaborators to work on NAMT projects.

Approach: The high-speed NAMT network was constructed using Asynchronous Transfer Mode

(ATM). This new network technology combines the

best features of circuit-switched networks (like the

telephone network) and packet-switched networks

(like the Internet). ATM was built from the ground up

to carry voice, video, and data traffic. Unlike traditional Local Area Networks (LANs) that share the

available bandwidth among all the attached users, ATM dedicates bandwidth to each user. This allows

users to send voice and video communications without

traffic delays caused by heavy use of the network by

others.

The ATM network currently spans four buildings

at NIST. It connects ATM-attached workstations and

servers, Ethernet switches (used to provide connectivity to less demanding workstations), and audio/video

encoders and decoders that enable TV-quality audio

and video across the network. In the future, the ATM

network will be expanded to reach external collaborators via ATDnet, a Washington-area ATM network.

This extension will test the effectiveness of ATM in

wide-area networks applications.

NAMT workstations include a variety of Sun,

SGI, and PC computers that provide access to a wide variety of manufacturing applications and

provide desktop video-conferencing capabilities

across the network.

The NAMT Laboratory is a multipurpose computer

room that can be used for research, meetings, training,

demonstrations, and other uses. It contains a 230 cm

(90 inches) video wall that can display data and
images resident on NAMT lab computers as well as

real-time audio and video from any of the NAMT

project sites. The video wall serves as the window into

the NAMT and is used to demonstrate the integrated,

distributed manufacturing environment that has been

put into place.

Benefits: The effectiveness of high-speed,

integrated, multimedia computing and communications infrastructures, as applied to distributed

manufacturing enterprises, will be demonstrated.

Progress: FY 1996 accomplishments include:

1) construction of a fiberoptic ATM backbone network

that connects four buildings on the NIST campus;

2) construction of the NAMT laboratory; 3) installation and configuration of new NAMT workstations

(Suns, SGIs and PCS); 4) installation and configuration of real-time audio and video hardware located

at several NAMT project sites at NIST.

Contacts:

Robert J. Densock, Project Technical Leader

NIST, Manufacturing Systems Integration Division

Building 220 Room A227

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

Phone: (301) 975-6546

Fax: (301) 926-3842

Email: densock@nist.gov

Deborah N. Fowler

NIST, Manufacturing Systems Integration Division

Building 220, Room B322

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

Phone: (301) 975-3552

Fax: (301) 948-5668

Email: dfowler@nist.gov

12
NAMT

APPENDIX B: NANOMANUFACTURING

OF ATOM-BASED

DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS

SEM image of typical

linewidth standard now:

U(artifact) > U(meas inst)

Need: Two major trends in industry are driving

forces for this project. First, the ever decreasing

dimensions and tolerances that characterize the products of the semiconductor and data-storage industries

pose serious challenges to measurement and quality

control capabilities.

According to industry

projections, the critical dimensions of microelectronic devices will

decrease to about 100 nm

within a decade, requiring

dimensional standards

with uncertainties near

1 nm and a degree of geometric perfection near to

that of an ideal atomic

lattice. The second major industry trend—resulting, in

large part, from the first—is the demand for ever

cleaner, more precisely controlled manufacturing environments. Currently, these trends are being manifested in the move from clean rooms to mini-environments to clean machines and in the use of standard

mechanical interface, or SMIF, pods to transfer materials between the manufacturing tools.

In response, NIST is undertaking development

of atom-based dimensional standards—those with

feature sizes and geometries derived directly from that

of the atomic lattice. Some such standards will likely

need to be fabricated, transported, and used at different sites, spending their lives under vacuum. At the same time, growing numbers of microelectronic

devices are being produced at different manufacturing

sites. Expensive equipment is specialized to perform

different steps of the overall manufacturing process,

including research and development, design, fabrication, inspection, processing, or repair. Often, these

steps are dependent upon sophisticated computer

modeling, communications and control.

Goal: To support the development and deployment

of the technology of: distributed fabrication and use

of nanometer-scale dimensional artifacts; computer

modeling and simulation of mechanical systems and

components, including artifact transport systems, such

as a "vacuum suitcase"; remote teleoperation of

scanned probe microscopes; and linking by advanced

computers and communications for high-speed video,

voice, and data transmission among collaborating

institutions in industry, government, and academia.

One Project Goal:

U (artifact) < U (meas inst)

Approach: This project aims to: 1) demonstrate

the feasibility of fabricating calibration standards

with nanometer-scale dimensions and feature sizes

and shapes determined by crystal lattice spacings

and geometries achieved through controlled natural

processes, such as lattice dislocations; 2) develop

a standardized-interface, portable-artifact transport

system to enable the physical transport, under

vacuum, of wafers and other substrates undergoing

processing in high-vacuum systems in clean-room

facilities at different geographical locations; and

3) demonstrate remote diagnostic operation of scanned

probe microscopy systems, using standard data

representations and controller interfaces.

13
Benefits: This project will lead to: 1) next-generation calibration standards of accuracies needed to meet

industry's projected needs; 2) interface standards for

atom-based artifact transport systems; and 3) interface

standards for remote teleoperation of SPMs.

Progress: FY 1996 accomplishments include:

1 ) initial technical planning and design of the project;

2) external review of the project technical plan by representatives of industry and academia; and 3) an initial

demonstration of the virtual and distributed aspects of

project activities involving simulations; telerobotic

operations; and voice, data, and image communications among different geographical locations. Plans for

FY97 include: manual fabrication of a first prototype

of one type of atom-based artifact; development of a

formal project definition document based on the

results of the external review; design and fabrication

of a functionally specified vacuum suitcase; and test

of the motion control and interface for teleoperation

of a prototype SEM or SPM.

Contacts:

Dr. Dennis A. Swyt, Project Leader

NIST, Precision Engineering Division

Bldg. 220, RoomA109

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Phone: (301) 975-3463

Fax: (301) 869-0822

E-mail: dennis.swyt@nist.gov

Dr. E. Clayton Teague, Project Technical Leader

NIST, Precision Engineering Division

Building 220, Room Al 17

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Phone: (301) 975-3490

Fax: (301) 869-0822

E-mail: clayton.teague@nist.gov

14
APPENDIX C: CHARACTERIZATION,

REMOTE ACCESS, AND SIMULATION OF

HEXAPOD MACHINES

Need: Rapid production of quality contoured parts

requires machine tools that combine speed, accuracy,

stiffness, and multi-axis versatility. In addition, manufacturers look for machine-tool features, such as ease

of installation and movability, that enable plants to be reconfigured to meet changing market demands or

to realize operational improvements. A new class of

parallel-actuated machine tools based on the Stewart

platform mechanism presents new possibilities for

meeting these needs.

However, much remains to be learned about the

characteristics of these "hexapod" machine tools

before they will see widespread application in

production. Industry workshops have highlighted

the need for:

In-depth understanding of the characteristics

of these new machines.

Standard test methods and measurement

procedures to evaluate performance.

A reservoir of application experience

to draw from.

Modeling and simulation tools, for development

of applications and test methods.

Remote access capabilities, to make it easier for

external collaborators to interact and participate in

the work being done.

Examination of controller and integration issues.

Goal: To develop methods to characterize and

extend the limits of performance of a new class of

Stewart platform-based machine tools—in terms of

accuracy, productivity, and versatility—through the

development and implementation of virtual and

distributed manufacturing technologies.

Approach: To address the needs discussed above,

the NAMT Hexapod Project team and its external

partners will perform work in the three areas: characterization, remote access, and simulation. Work at NIST will be performed on the octahedral hexapod

machine, installed

at the agency's

Gaithersburg, MD, site. Models, measurement

techniques, and other

project results will be

developed in a generic

form, enabling application

to other Stewart platform

machines. NIST

researchers are participating in a recently formed

Hexapod Users Group, and plan to interact with this

group to coordinate research activities and share

results.

In developing performance evaluation techniques,

the approach will be to use the ANSI/ASME B5.

54-1992 Methods for Performance Evaluation of

Computer Numerically Controlled Machining Centers

and ISO 230 as starting points for characterization.

As necessary, modifications to the test procedures

will be proposed to ensure that appropriate evaluation

methods are available for hexapod machines.

Performance enhancements, such as improved

calibration and feedback metrology techniques, will

also be pursued as understanding of basic machine

behavior increases.

For remote interaction, high-speed, dedicated

communications links, such as ATM, will be used

as one means of providing real-time transfer of

audio/video and sensor data to researchers at remote

sites. Another (most likely, Internet-based) version of

these capabilities will also be developed to provide

interactive capabilities at lower cost, but with some

compromise in performance.

To examine controller and integration issues,

the project team will install an open-architecture

controller on the hexapod. Application programming

interfaces (APIs) and software developed under the

15
NAMT

NIST Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) project

will serve as the initial foundation for this part of the

project. From the validation of machine motions

to detailed investigation

of the errors and structural dynamics of the hexapod, a comprehensive set

of modeling and simulation tools is needed to

reduce the risks and

increase the effectiveness

of hexapod research

efforts. These simulation

capabilities will be developed in an incremental fashion, gradually adding to the fidelity and detail of the

modeled behavior.

The practicality of making some of these animation

and simulation tools accessible remotely will be

explored as a means for providing potential new

partners with a convenient way to obtain some initial

experience with the hexapod machines.

Benefits: Potential benefits of hexapod machines

cited in the trade literature include increased stiffness,

higher speed and acceleration due to reduced moving

mass, and reduced production and installation costs

as a result of machine symmetry and its selfcontained structure. The research to be performed in this project

will result in: New performance evaluation techniques and

standards to allow objective comparisons of

different types of these new machines.

Performance enhancements, such as calibration

techniques and feedback metrology systems for

higher accuracy.

Opportunities for machine tool users to gain

first-hand experience with this new technology.

Networked sensor and control information

for remote experimentation, interaction and

integration.

Program validation, workspace analysis, part

placement, and other simulation tools for faster

application development.

Progress: FY96 accomplishments include:

1 ) developed initial ball-bar based kinematic calibration technique; 2) with the Department of Energy,

demonstrated distributed manufacturing capability

with hexapod simulation; 3) developed hexapod modeling and simulation capabilities using Pro/Engineer

and TeleGrip; 4) performed initial development of

World Wide Web interface to TeleGrip animation;

5) began implementation of EMC for test strut;

6) built laser metrology system mount and performed

experiments with laser metrology system on test strut;

7) with the University of Maryland, developed firstgeneration workspace analysis and part placement

tools, and static stiffness model; 8) held internal and

external NAMT project reviews and participated in

Hexapod Users Group meeting; 9) performed static

stiffness testing of machine with Pratt & Whitney;

10) developed machining applications for demonstrations; 11) developed error visualization capability

using "ghost image" in TeleGrip; 12) examined the

thermal behavior of the Hexapod; and 13) performed

static and dynamic structural analysis of 2D parallel

mechanism similar to hexapod.

Contacts:

James Albus, Project Leader

NIST, Intelligent Systems Division

Building 220, Room B124

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Phone: (301) 975-3418

Fax: (301) 990-9688

e-mail: albus@nist.gov

Albert J. Wavering, Project Technical Leader

NIST, Intelligent Systems Division

Building 220, Room B124

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Phone: (301) 975-3461

Fax: (301) 990-9688

e-mail: wavering@nist.gov

16
APPENDIX D: FRAMEWORK

FOR DISCRETE PARTS

MANUFACTURING

Need: Driven to improve competitive performance,

U.S. manufacturers invest billions of dollars each year

in information technology. A substantial portion of

this investment is allocated for creating and integrating applications software. Chief among these integrated applications are manufacturing execution systems

(MES), product data management (PDM) systems,

database management systems (DBMS), computer

aided manufacturing (CAM), and factory control

systems, as well as planning and scheduling systems.

Many of these applications and most of the software

used in their integration are non-standard, one-ofa-kind creations. Now, manufacturers are trying to

replace their in-house software systems with standards-based, off-the-shelf products. They want to

reduce their outlay of capital and human resources on systems development, integration, and maintenance

in order to focus on core manufacturing competencies

and to improve operational flexibility.

Industry requires the capability to rapidly integrate

"best-in-class" applications, improve interoperability,

defer obsolescence, increase system stability, and

integrate widely distributed manufacturing operations.

Information technology standards provide these

benefits, while reducing technical and financial risks. However, no single standard exists that will satisfy all

of the system interoperability needs of manufacturing

organizations. Consequently, development and

adoption of suites of information technology standards

are key elements in the competitive strategies of many

U.S. manufacturing organizations. Validation testing

of candidate standards is a critical technical ingredient

of these strategies. Manufacturers use validation

testing to determine profiles of standards. Information

technology vendors use test results to garner

marketplace confidence and to reduce technical and

risks associated with the adoption of new technologies

embedded into modern, complex manufacturing

systems.

Goal: The Framework Project will provide industry with tests and methods for analyzing and validating emerging manufacturing information standards

and technologies. Work will be focused on information models for manufacturing, software application

interface definitions, object-oriented class hierarchies,

data access protocols, scheduling and control strategies, integration mechanisms, and communication

architectures.

Approach: The Framework Project will perform

analyses and validation testing of standards, pre-standard specifications, and other so-called middleware

technologies developed by industry consortia.

The approach taken in this project is to implement a

distributed manufacturing software system based on

the combined use of emerging standards and technologies. This test system will consist of MES, PDM

systems, DBMS, CAM systems, and factory control

systems, as well as planning and scheduling systems.

Testing will be conducted against a manufacturing

scenario representative of the defense, aerospace,

and automobile industries and entailing the design,

production, and inspection of discrete metal parts.

The results of the implementation and testing form

the basis for documented reviews of the specifications. These reviews address the internal consistency

of each specification as well as the technical relationships between the specifications. These reviews are

used as input to ongoing development within the various

consortia and they are used in the formal consensus

building process within standards organizations.

The Framework Project test system will be extended

based on industry need and in cooperation

with collaborating researchers and

17
NAMT

Benefits: Expected benefits include: 1) Test-generated information will be used in standards profiles,

aiding strategic standards management; 2) Validation

of emerging standards and technologies is expected

to reduce the standards development cycle-time;

3) Standards-based information technology is expected to increase product quality, decrease time-to-market, reduce product development costs, and increase

the efficiency of manufacturing operations; and

4) The adoption and use of standards will reduce costs

for manufacturing-system end users and will allow

system providers to profit from economies of scale.

Progress: Recent milestones and accomplishments

include: 1) review of the Framework Project plan at a workshop of industry leaders; 2) implementation at NIST of a distributed manufacturing software system

based on emerging technologies and standards under

development by U.S. industry consortia; 3) validation

testing and analysis of the system's elements against a

manufacturing scenario and production data; 4) publication of draft reports on the preliminary analyses and

validation tests of the technologies implemented in the

test system; 5) convened a workshop of industry leaders to determine the need for and recommended scope

of a new model of manufacturing inspection information; 6) development of a preliminary activity model

for inspection information; 7) participation in industry-led focus groups; and 8) participation in standards

efforts underway in the International Organization

for Standardization (ISO) and the Object

Management Group.

Contacts:

Raymond Hoffmann, Project Leader

NIST, Manufacturing Systems Integration Division

Bldg. 220, Room A127

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Phone: (301) 975-3738

Fax: (301) 258-9749

email: bloom@nist.gov

Neil Christopher, Project Technical Leader

NIST, Manufacturing Systems Integration Division

Bldg.220, Room A127

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Phone: (301) 975-3888

Fax: (301) 258-9749

email: neilc@nist.gov

18
NAMT

APPENDIX E:

MACHINE TOOL PERFORMANCE MODELS

AND MACHINE DATA REPOSITORY

Need: To reduce costs and respond rapidly to changing customer needs, large companies are relying

increasingly on a network of suppliers and outsourcing a significant percentage of their manufacturing

needs. This type of geographically and organizationally distributed manufacturing requires better communication and improved coordination and utilization of

internal and external manufacturing resources by all

the participants.

Because of the need to shorten design and production cycles, designers and production engineers must

collaborate closely to determine the optimum use of

resources required to turn designs into real products,

without extensive prototyping. Prototyping is usually

an iterative process, taking considerable time and

effort before the actual production can begin. Creating

a virtual manufacturing environment to simulate the

complete manufacturing cycle and carry out this

iterative process in the virtual domain presents a

unique opportunity for industry to reduce time for

new product introduction.

Virtual Prototyping

Goal: Develop tools that enable design and

manufacturing engineers to predict machine tool

performance and to ensure that parts can be machined

to specification with a minimum of prototyping. These

tools include data structures and low order machine

models that represent actual machine behavior; mathematical representation of actual part geometry, including dimension and form errors; virtual machining

algorithms; virtual inspection algorithms; standardized

data formats; and remotely accessible machine

data repositories.

Approach: This project aims to replace actual

machining and inspection of parts during prototyping

with virtual machining and virtual inspection modules

incorporated into a CAD/CAM system. The virtual

machining module will simulate the movement of the

cutting tool when making a part. In this simulation,

the effects of error motions, predicted from machinetool characterization data, will be reflected in the tool

path. Virtual machining will result in an electronic

approximation of the part that can be inspected by the

virtual inspection module. The virtual inspection

module will determine the uncertainties associated

CUTTING BITS

Design and Plan Virtual Machining Virtual Inspection Inspection Results

f "5$S^ Predictive ^| \&r Model J

Performance

Data

Environment

Specifications J

19
NAMT

with the selected inspection plans and equipment.

These uncertainties will be checked against the

specified design tolerances of the part. This virtual

environment will make it possible to optimize the manufacturing process by trying different machines and

making changes to the process plans or part designs.

One major challenge will be the development of a

data structure for electronic representation of machine

performance and error characteristics. Such a data

structure will enable different manufacturing entities

to effectively share information on available manufacturing equipment. The types of information necessary

for this purpose include error characteristics of

machine components, descriptions of machine structure, axis designations, error notations, and sign

conventions. Based upon the proposed data structure, a

data repository for storing machine performance

information will be created. This repository may be

populated by major manufacturers and their suppliers

as well as machine tool vendors. Algorithms will be

developed to access performance data from this

repository and to apply the data in predictive

machine models.

Benefits: The results of this project will contribute

to a variety of important benefits, including:

1 ) optimum and speedy allocation of in-house and/or

supplier manufacturing resources, which will significantly shorten time for new product introductions;

2) improved quantitative information exchange

between design engineers, manufacturing engineers,

and process planners; and 3) optimization and quality

assurance of existing manufacturing processes.

Progress: Recent activities and accomplishments

include: 1) technical planning; 2) external industry

review of the project's technical plan; and 3) an initial

demonstration of concepts of virtual machining. For

this demonstration several machine tool models were

developed and incorporated into a commercial soft- ware package for machine structural analysis. The virtual parts created by this virtual machining software were compared against the parts made and inspected on

real machines. The concept of predicting and

representing a machined part in a computer

environment was demonstrated.

Contacts:

Donald S. Blomquist, Project Leader

NIST, Automated Production Technology Division

Sound Building B108

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

Phone: (301) 975-6600

Fax: (301) 869-3536

e-mail: donald.blomquist@nist.gov

Alkan Donmez, Project Technical Leader

NIST, Automated Production Technology Division

Sound Building, B102

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

Phone: (301) 975-6618

Fax: (301) 869-3536

e-mail: alkan@nist.gov

20
NAMT
NAMT

September 1997 Nisr