NISTIR 7734 

A Machining and Measurement Process Planning Activity 

Model for Manufacturing System Interoperability 

Analysis 

Yaoyao Fiona Zhao, Frederick M. Proctor, John A. Horst 

Intelligent Systems Division 

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

May 2010 

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Table of Contents 

Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 1

1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1

2. A Review of Machining and Measurement Process Planning Activity Models ...... 4

2.1 Integrated Machining Process Planning Activity Model ....................................... 4

2.2 STEP AP219, AP224, AP240 .................................................................................. 4

2.3 High-level Inspection Process Planning Activity Model ........................................ 5

3. An activity model for manufacturing system integration and interoperability 

analysis ............................................................................................................................... 6

3.1 Activity model ........................................................................................................... 6

3.2 Detailed Process Planning Activity Model ............................................................ 10

3.3 Execution and Analysis and Reporting Activity Model ........................................ 39

3.4 Glossary for the Data in the Activity Model .......................................................... 44

4. Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 49

5. References: ................................................................................................................... 51
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Table of Figures 

Figure 1: Information exchange between different manufacturing activities and software 

systems ................................................................................................................................ 2 

Figure 2: A-0 level activity ................................................................................................. 8 

Figure 3: A0 activities ......................................................................................................... 9 

Figure 4: A2 activity – machine-then-inspect process planning ....................................... 12 

Figure 5: A2’ activity – inspect-while-machining process planning ................................ 14 

Figure 6: A21/A21’ activity – high-level machining process planning ............................ 18 

Figure 7: A211/A211’ activity – machining feature sequence generation ....................... 20 

Figure 8: A212/A212’ activity – machining operation generation ................................... 22 

Figure 9: A23/A22’ activity – plan high-level measurement processes ........................... 24 

Figure 10: A231/A221’ activity – determine measurement scope and accuracy 

requirement ....................................................................................................................... 26 

Figure 11: A232/A222’ activity – determine dimensional measurement method ............ 28 

Figure 12: A22 activity – low-level machining process planning .................................... 30 

Figure 13: A24 activity – low-level measurement process planning ................................ 32 

Figure 14: A23’ activity – integrated machining and measurement process planning ..... 34 

Figure 15: A231’ activity – determine measurement features .......................................... 36 

Figure 16: A234’ activity – low-level measurement operation planning ......................... 38 

Figure 17: A4 activity – execute production ..................................................................... 41 

Figure 18: A5 activity – analyze and report ...................................................................... 43 
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A Machining and Measurement Process Planning Activity 

Model for Manufacturing System Interoperability Analysis 

Abstract 

Manufacturing systems consist of many activities. Each of these activities may include 

one or more software and hardware systems. In order to make these software and 

hardware systems interoperable, the data exchange and sharing among them must be 

seamless. One of the key issues that impedes achieving manufacturing interoperability is 

how to standardize data sharing and exchange. An activity model for machining and 

measurement process planning was developed at the National Institute of Standards and 

Technology to address the current information exchange situations and some of the 

barriers. This model represents functional activities in manufacturing systems with 

emphasis on process planning. Current standards and specifications for information 

exchange between different activities are identified. The purpose of this model is to 

provide a broad view for standard developers and industry experts to comprehend the 

common data flow between these activities and therefore to avoid multiple definitions for 

the same data. 

Key Words: machining process planning, measurement process planning, activity 

modeling, interoperability analysis, standards harmonization 

1 Introduction 

This document describes an IDEF0 (Integration Definition for Function Modeling) 

activity model of machining and measurement process planning for manufacturing 

system integration and interoperability analysis. To be of real value, this document, 

together with the IDEF0 diagrams, should not be static but should be subject to periodic 

review. Toward this end, all comments and criticisms are welcome. 

Manufacturing processes consist of a broad range of activities covering many levels of 

functionalities in industry. These activities can be categorized into five main activities: 

 design, 

 process planning, 

 production planning and scheduling, 

 execution, and 

 analysis and reporting. 

Within each of these activities, multiple commercial software systems exist (shown in 

Figure 1). Some commercial software vendors offer products for multiple manufacturing 
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activities. The language of communication across the interfaces between these activities 

or between different software systems is typically proprietary. This proliferation of 

proprietary interface languages can be very costly to users, suppliers, vendors, and 

ultimately customers. This situation can be summarized as data incompatibility. An open, 

neutral, and extensible data model is an effective mechanism to resolve a data 

incompatibility problem. A data model describes the form, function and definition of all 

the pieces of information about specific applications. The data model also captures the 

relationship between pieces of information. In order to provide sharable data among 

commercial systems, the data should be available to all vendors in a neutral format that is 

not biased toward any particular product. In addition to openness and neutrality, the 

extensibility of the data model is also a requirement. An extensible data model can 

incorporate new data that meet future data needs. With an open, neutral, and extensible 

data model, data exchange and communication among manufacturing activities and 

software systems are possible. 

Design System

(Software) Process Planning System

(Software)

Execution System

(Hardware and software)

Analysis System

(Software)

CAM 1

Machine

Monitoring

Machine tool 

monitoring 

sensors

Machine 

tools

Dimensional 

measurement 

devices

CAD 1

CAD 2

CAM 2

Machining

CAIP

Analysis 

software 1

Analysis 

software 2

Machine tool 

database

Knowledge

database

Machining performance and quality data update

Material 

database

Process 

knowledge 

base

Database system

Data exchange 

between systems

Communication 

between software

Communication between 

software and hardware

Update to 

databases

Figure 1: Information exchange between different manufacturing activities and 

software systems 

A “standard” is such an open and neutral data format that is unbiased and beneficial for 

both vendors and users. Industry mostly depends on standards organizations to establish 

and develop suitable standards or specifications for data exchange and system 
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communication1. There are many standards committees working on standardizing data 

exchange between different manufacturing activities. Each standard committee focuses 

on a certain manufacturing area. However, many data are shared between different 

manufacturing activities. If standard committees do not communicate with each other, the 

common data shared by multiple manufacturing activities are easily defined differently in 

different standards. In reality, lots of efforts in the standards community have been spent 

to harmonize data definitions across different standards. It is, therefore, important to 

provide a “big picture” for standards developers to avoid this situation. Information that 

needs to be presented in this “big picture” includes: 

 how manufacturing activities interact with each other, 

 what standards have been developed and/or are still under development, and 

 what activities each standard intends to cover. 

With this information, standards committees are able to figure out the common data 

shared by different manufacturing activities. If any of the data is modeled in existing 

standards, the data model can be inherited in new standards. 

Developing an activity model is the first step towards the “big picture”. An activity 

model is a representation of the functions and data interface requirements for engineering 

processes (in this case for manufacturing processes). The activity model sets the context 

in which some data are exchanged between functions, and other data are shared by 

functions via data repositories. Activity modeling allows data modelers to capture 

prerequisite information for developing data models. This activity model identifies the 

major activities in manufacturing processes with its focus on process planning activity 

using IDEF0 notation. In this activity model, manufacturing processes are considered to 

be those that produce discrete or batch products (batches of discrete parts) using 

Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines. As with any IDEF0 model, the 

application activity model is dependent on a particular viewpoint and purpose. The 

viewpoint of this activity modeling is that of a manufacturing engineer. The purpose of 

this activity modeling is to clarify activities involved in process planning and lay out 

existing standards and specifications for these activities. 

Process planning is an essential link between design and production planning in the 

product development process. Traditional process planning can be categorized into 

machining process planning and measurement process planning2

. These two systems are 

mostly isolated from each other since most of the measurements are carried out on 

CMMs which are physically isolated from machining. However, with emerging new 

 

1

 Very often proprietary data formats were developed in industry for emerging technologies first. When 

standardization for some data formats becomes needed, standard organizations collaborate with industry to 

develop suitable standards/specifications. 

2 Some CNC controllers have measurement cycles to carry out limited on-machine measurements; 

however, these measurements are manually planned and coded by the CNC operators. 
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standards providing sufficient information for process planning, it is possible to integrate 

machining and measurement process planning in an automated way. In this way, 

measurements can be planned automatically to take place between machining processes 

to provide process-intermittent feedback through time-efficient analysis systems. Thus, a 

more informed and flexible manufacturing process can be formed. 

Both the separated process planning (machine-then-inspect process) and the integrated 

process planning (inspect-while-machining) activities are modeled here. This activity 

model also identifies standards and specifications (both published and under 

development) that are associated with these manufacturing activities. Different industry 

users can refer to this activity model for suitable standards/specifications for the process 

planning procedure they prefer. 

2. A Review of Machining and Measurement Process 

Planning Activity Models 

This section briefly reviews activity models developed for specific machining and 

measurement activities. These models were developed in industry, academia, and 

standards committees in the machining and measurement areas. 

2.1 Integrated Machining Process Planning Activity Model 

In 2003, Shaw C. Feng at Manufacturing Systems Integration Division, Manufacturing 

Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, in the US 

carried out a research plan to integrate existing machining process planning activity 

models [1, 2]. The machining process planning activity models reviewed in this research 

include the CAM-I model [3], the Integrated Modeling of Products and Processes Using 

Advanced Computer Technologies (IMPPACT) model [4], the Automated Airframe 

Manufacturing Process (AAAP) model [5, 6], STEP AP224 model [7], and STEP AP213 

model (later on renamed as AP240). It was found that these activity models captured 

basic functions in machining process planning. However, they did not address some 

present industrial needs, such as machining feature derivation, intermediate machining 

feature generation, tolerance specification for intermediate features, shop-floor routing 

planning, material stock selection, setup determination, cost estimation, shop-floor 

routing, and design change recommendations. This research consolidated the reviewed 

activity models and extended them with additional features covering the aforementioned 

industrial needs. 

2.2 STEP AP219, AP224, AP240 

STEP AP219 [8] has an activity model for dimensional inspection processes. It identifies 

four main activities of dimensional inspection processes: inspection administration and 

archiving, inspection planning, inspection execution, and analysis of inspection. The 
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inputs of this activity model are inspection order, manufacturing process plan, part, and 

acquired Dimensional Measurement Equipment (DME) tools and fixtures. The outputs 

include inspected part, analysis results feedback and statistical results. This activity 

model contains relatively complete activities for inspection processes; however, it only 

focuses on representation of administration and archiving data for inspection processes. It 

does not address inspection operation data; neither does it address the connection 

between measurement and machining. 

STEP AP224 includes an activity model for manufacturing mechanical parts. This model 

was developed for defining the context under which the data are transferred from 

computer aided design systems to computer aided process planning systems. The model 

has the following sub-activities: manage manufacturing process, capture digital product 

data definition, generate manufacturing data, and operate shop floor. Only the second 

sub-activity is within the scope of this Application Protocol (AP). It addresses capturing 

special notes, extracting manufacturing features from part shape, defining surface finish 

and hardness, and extracting tolerances. Although the management of manufacturing 

process is out of scope, the AP224 model mentioned activities related to manufacturing 

process management such as request and order parts, determine production cost and 

schedule, manage equipment and materials, etc. 

STEP AP240 [9] has an activity model for exchange, archiving and sharing process plans 

for machined parts. The scope of this AP is to represent the data contained within a 

process plan; but not the data necessary to perform process planning functions. The 

manufacturing processes defined in this activity model include forming, welding, 

material removal, assembly, and conditioning or finishing processes. Therefore, the 

activity model focuses on addressing the tooling and equipment related process planning 

activities for different machining process types. They include: Engineer Manufacturing 

Methods and Part Routing, Engineer Process, Develop Tooling Packages, Develop 

Equipment Instructions, and Finalize Manufacturing Data Package. 

2.3 High-level Inspection Process Planning Activity Model 

In 2007, NIST proposed a High-level Inspection Process Planning (HIPP) activity model. 

This model was developed to define high-level inspection process planning for both 

dimensional and non-dimensional measurement processes. The activities include: 

determine measurement scope, determine dimensional measurement method, develop 

quality measurement operation plan, develop reaction plan, and generate support data. 

The inputs to this model are product definitions, geometry and Geometric Dimensioning 

and Tolerancing (GD&T), production schedule, batch size, criticality weighting, and 

product quality plan. The output is quality measurement process plan. This activity model 

is designed for production manufacturing processes. However, the detailed inspection 

process planning activities are not within the scope of this model. 

All the above reviewed activity models are captured in IDEF0 diagrams. They focus on 

different areas of machining or measurement processes in manufacturing systems with 

different levels of production scale. Basic functions for either machining or measurement 
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are captured. However, some of the activity models are still incomplete. Furthermore, 

they do not address the connection between machining and measurement processes. 

3. An activity model for manufacturing system 

integration and interoperability analysis 

This section describes an activity model that consolidates machining and measurement 

process planning activities together with association to product design, execution, and 

analysis and reporting activities. This activity model is developed using IDEF0. It 

specifies functions and data requirements for machining and measurement process 

planning. It also identifies the information flow from the upstream design activity to 

downstream execution and analysis activities. Current standards and specifications for 

information exchange between these activities are indicated in the IDEF0 diagrams. 

3.1 Activity model 

This section presents a model of activities in discrete part manufacturing processes with a 

focus on process planning activity. The model addresses the five main activities to 

manufacture a part: design, process planning, production scheduling, execution, and 

analysis and reporting (A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5). The focus is A2—process planning— 

activity, which is modeled in two different ways: machine-then-inspect process planning 

in A2 and inspect-while-machining process planning in A2′. The activities derived from 

integrated process planning activity all have apostrophe marks. It is important to note that 

IDEF0 diagrams are often interpreted to imply a strict sequence of activities. That is not 

the intention in this case. Rather, the numerous data flows representing feedback from 

one activity to another are expressly omitted to avoid cluttering the diagrams. For 

example in Figure 3, each of the activities A1-A5 should be considered to be providing 

data to each of the other activities in the figure. 

The A-0 diagram (shown in Figure 2) shows the context in which the product 

manufacturing activity takes place. The input data includes design specifications, product 

quality plan and raw material. This activity requires control from customer requirements, 

standards for quality and GD&T standards. The mechanism to carry out this activity 

consists of personnel, equipment, resource databases, and knowledge databases. The 

outputs of this activity are design update/change record, product, and performance record. 

The overall activity on level A-0 is decomposed into five activities (A1-A5) in Figure 3. 

These activities are: design product, plan processes, plan production schedule, execute 

production, and analyze and report. 

In Figure 3, A0 diagram shows the relationships and information connections between 

these activities. For each activity, there are several data formats that the generated 

information can be saved in. A product definition (generated from A1 activity) can be 

saved in one of the following data formats Initial Graphics Exchange Specification 

(IGES) [10], ISO 10303 AP203 [11] or ISO 10303 AP214 [12]. The product definition is 
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then process planned through activity A2. Plans may be saved in a number of different 

data format depending on the process types. A machining process plan can be kept in one 

of the following data formats: ISO 10303 AP2243

 (only for machining feature sequence), 

ISO 10303 AP240, ISO 10303 AP238 [13], ISO 14649 [14], or Automatically 

Programmed Tool (APT). A measurement process plan can be saved in one of the 

following data formats: ISO 10303 AP219, Dimensional Measuring Interface Standard 

(DMIS) [15] input, Advanced Product Quality Planning and Control Plan (APQP) [16], 

Exchange of Quality Inspection Process Plans (eQuiPP) 4 [17], or Inspection ++ 

Dimensional Measurement Specification (I++DMS) [18]. Some of these data formats are 

developed for saving high-level process plan information, while others are for low-level 

information. There is no standardized data format for production planning and scheduling 

activity (A3 activity) output. After a process plan is executed in activity A4, the 

measurement result can be saved either in a DMIS output file or a Dimensional Markup 

Language (DML) [19] file. Machining execution output data (such as machine 

monitoring data and on-machine measurement results) is normally saved as text files. 

 

3

 ISO 10303 AP 224 only defined machining feature information. Therefore, a machining plan saved in 

AP224 only contains machining features and its sequence. 

4

 eQuiPP is an ad hoc working group under DMSC board to develop a complete and precise measurement 

process plan for the execution of all types of quality measurements. 
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Figure 2: A-0 level activity 
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Figure 3: A0 activities
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The measurement results are analyzed in A5 activity and necessary updates are reported 

to A1 and/or A2/A2’ activities. The analysis result can be saved as a Quality 

Measurement Data (QMD) [20] file. A1 and A3 activities are out of the scope of this 

report; therefore, they are not further decomposed. Interested readers can find detailed 

IDEF0 diagrams of A1 activity in ISO 10303 AP203, where the design product activity is 

described in detail. 

3.2 Detailed Process Planning Activity Model 

A2/A2’ activity generates process plans for machining and measurement. This activity 

can be decomposed in two ways: machine-then-inspect process planning activity (A2) 

and inspect-while-machining process planning activity (A2’). In manufacturing systems, 

the measurement process mainly has three functions: 

1) to inspect a part for the purpose of determining whether the part is within the 

required tolerances. This is usually carried out after the part has been 

manufactured. The purpose of this is usually to determine if the part is usable, but 

the result could also be used to change the product design or manufacturing 

process in the future. 

2) to inspect a batch of parts to determine whether the batch meets quality 

requirements according to statistical criteria. A sampling plan is needed for this 

case. 

3) to inspect a part during manufacturing for the purpose of process control. This is 

done during manufacturing. Operations carried out after inspection would vary 

depending on the result of the inspection. 

For the first and the second functions, machining process information is mostly used as 

control information for measurement process planning (shown in Figure 4). The 

machining and measurement process planning are carried out separately. For the second 

functions, machining and measurement are planned in an integrated manner. Machining 

process information is one of the inputs to measurement planning activities (shown in 

Figure 5). 
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Figure 4: A2 activity – machine-then-inspect process planning 
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Figure 5: A2’ activity – inspect-while-machining process planning
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Activity A2 is further decomposed into four sub-activities A21 to A 24 in Figure 4. 

Activity A21 generates high-level machining process plans, which consist of raw material 

type, machining process sequence, machining process information and machine tool 

information. The output of this activity can be saved in one of the following data formats: 

ISO 10303 AP224, ISO 10303 AP240, ISO 10303 AP238, or ISO 14649. 

Activity A22 generates a machining process plan and/or machining commands. The 

machining process plan can be saved as an ISO 10303 AP 238 file or an ISO 14649 file, 

which require a postprocessor to interpret them into machining commands. The 

machining commands can be saved in one of the following format: APT, RS274, or ISO 

6983 [21] (RS274 and ISO 6983 are also known as G-codes). The measurement process 

planning is carried out in a parallel fashion in activities A23 and A24. Activity A23 

generates a high-level measurement plan including measurement scope, method and plan. 

Activity A24 generates a low-level measurement plan that consists of a measurement 

process plan and measurement commands. Activity A23 output can be saved as an APQP 

file, an eQuiPP, or an I++DMS file. The output generated from activity A24 can be saved 

as an ISO 10303 AP219 file or a DMIS input file. 

Activity A2’ is decomposed into three sub-activities A21’ – A23’ in Figure 5. The 

outputs from activities A21’ and A22’ are processed through activity A23’ to generate 

combined machining and measurement commands. The machining commands can be 

saved as an RS274 or ISO 6983 file. The measurement commands can be saved as an 

ISO 10303 AP219 file or a DMIS input file. The combined commands can be saved 

either as an ISO 10303 AP238 edition 2 file or a combined RS274/ISO6983 and DMIS 

input file for integrated machining with in-process measurement. 

Activity A21’ is equivalent to activity A21. Therefore, they share the same sub-activities. 

A21/A21’ can be decomposed into two sub-activities A211/A211’ and A212/A212’ 

shown in Figure 6. The former activity generates a machining feature sequence. Based on 

product definition and functionality requirements, raw material is also selected by this 

activity. The latter activity generates machining operations which consists of a machining 

process plan and machine tool information. Activity A211/A211’ consists of four subactivities: A2111/A2111’ to A2114/A2114’ shown in Figure 7. The functions of these 

sub-activities are: specify material stock, derive machining features, select machining 

processes, and determine machining feature sequence. Activity A212/A212’ can be 

decomposed into four sub-activities: A2121/A2121’ to A2124/A2124’ shown in Figure 8. 

Their functions are: determine intermediate machining features, specify part setups and 

machine tools, calculate intermediate machining tolerances, and develop machining 

instructions. 

Activity A22’ is equivalent to activity A23. They can be decomposed into two subactivities: A221’/A231 and A222’/A232 shown in Figure 9. Their functions are 

determining measurement scope and accuracy requirement and determining dimensional 

measurement method, respectively. The former activity consists of four sub-activities 

shown in Figure 10. Measurement requirements are first identified then three sub-
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activities are carried out in parallel to specify consumer’s risk, state traceability 

requirements, and determine measurement tasks. The latter activity consists of the four 

sub-activities shown in Figure 11. Based on product quality plan, measurement scope, 

and production schedule, the measurement method(s) is chosen. It can be one or a 

combination of the following three methods: gage measurement, in-process 

measurement, and CMM. Each of them has a corresponding activity to generate 

measurement method specifications. Both in-process measurement and coordinate 

measurement methods are connected with sensor selection activity to generate sensor 

specifications. 

Activity A22 shown in Figure 12 (refer to upper level activity A2 in Figure 4) generates 

machining commands. It is decomposed into four sub-activities A221 through A224. 

Suitable cutters are first selected for each machining process. Then, machining strategy 

and tool path are generated based on the machinability database. Simulation and 

validation are performed before real machining is carried out. Necessary updates are fed 

back to previous activities. 

Activity A24 shown in Figure 13 generates measurement commands. It consists of five 

sub-activities A241 to A245. The setup and fixture of each measurement process is 

determined first; then measurement features, measurands and uncertainties are 

determined. For batch production, a part sampling plan is determined in the next step and 

measurement paths are generated. The simulation and validation activity is then carried 

out for necessary update to the measurement path before real measurement is performed. 

Activity A23’ shown in Figure 14 (refer to upper level A2’ activity in Figure 5) generates 

combined machining and measurement commands. It consists of five sub-activities 

A231’ to A235’. The measurement features are first determined. Then, the sequence of 

machining and measurement operations is decided. Low-level machining and 

measurement operation planning are then carried out for each machining and 

measurement operations, respectively. Simulation and validation activity is performed to 

check machining and measurement commands. Activity A231’ is decomposed into two 

sub-activities (shown in Figure 15): A2311’ and A2312’. The former activity identifies 

critical tolerances based on the machine tool information from input and machinability 

information from database. The latter activity determines measurement features, 

measurands, and uncertainties. Activity A232’ processes input machining process and 

measurement feature information and determines the sequence of machining and 

measurement operations. Activity A233’ plans low-level machining operation. This 

activity shares the same sub-activities as activity A22 in Figure 12. Activity A234’ is 

decomposed into three sub-activities A2341’ through A2343’ shown in Figure 16. The 

interactions between machining features and measurement features are detected first; then 

a point sampling strategy is developed and a measurement path is generated. 
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Figure 6: A21/A21’ activity – high-level machining process planning 
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Figure 7: A211/A211’ activity – machining feature sequence generation 
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Figure 8: A212/A212’ activity – machining operation generation 
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Figure 9: A23/A22’ activity – plan high-level measurement processes 
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Figure 10: A231/A221’ activity – determine measurement scope and accuracy requirem
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Figure 11: A232/A222’ activity – determine dimensional measurement method
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Figure 12: A22 activity – low-level machining process planning 
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Figure 13: A24 activity – low-level measurement process planning 
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Figure 14: A23’ activity – integrated machining and measurement process plannin
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Figure 15: A231’ activity – determine measurement features 
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Figure 16: A234’ activity – low-level measurement operation planning
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3.3 Execution and Analysis and Reporting Activity Model 

After machining and measurement commands are generated, the execute production 

activity (A4) is carried out as shown in Figure 17. Machining commands are loaded to a 

machining center for machining operation in activity A41. If the process planning is 

carried out through activity A2, CMMs are used for measurement in activity A43. If the 

process planning is carried out through activity A2’, in-process measurement using onmachine probing or portable measuring devices are used for measurement in activity 

A42. 

Activity A5 shown in Figure 18 processes machine monitoring information and 

measurement results to generate process update, design update, and performance record. 

It consists of four sub-activities A51 through A54. The measurement results are first 

processed through a data fitting activity (A51) to generate fitted geometry. Then, 

measurement results analysis activity (A52) is carried out to generate product 

conformance information. Machining monitoring data is also analyzed to generate 

machine performance, machine usage, machine conditions, and power consumption 

information in activity A53. The results from these above activities are processed through 

activity A54 for feedback and update. 
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Figure 17: A4 activity – execute production 
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Figure 18: A5 activity – analyze and report
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3.4 Glossary for the Data in the Activity Model 

Input data: 

Design specifications: precise and explicit information for a product design including 

functional and non-functional design requirements, material requirements, functional 

constraints, product performance requirements, dimensions, etc. It provides the product 

designer with all the information and references that are necessary to produce the 

computer-interpretable representation of a part. 

Product quality plan: a plan defining the quality requirements for a specific product, 

such as surface finishing, shininess, roughness, etc. 

Functionality requirements: functional requirement of the product. 

Control and constraint data: 

Customer requirements: the limitation required by customers. It includes acceptable 

machining cost and machining time imposed by product planners’ and company’s 

decisions. 

Standards for quality: international standards on quality assurance, such as standards in 

the ISO 9000 series. 

GD&T standards: national and international standards on dimensioning and geometric 

and statistical tolerancing. 

Mechanism and resource data: 

Personnel: persons that are involved in product manufacturing processes, such as 

product designer, process planer, CNC machine operator, product quality inspector, etc. 

Equipment: equipment that are involved in product manufacturing processes, such as 

computers, CNC machines, measurement probes and machines, etc. 

Resource database: databases that provides resources for product manufacturing 

processes, such as material resource database, machining resource database, dimensional 

measurement resource database, machinability database, standard process. 

Knowledge base: databases that provide knowledge for decision making in product 

manufacturing processes, such as standard process knowledge, measurement knowledge, 

fixture knowledge, etc. 
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Output data: 

Design update: information fed back to design activities for changes to the product 

model to improve the part’s manufacturability and cost effectiveness of the 

manufacturing process. 

Product: manufactured product. 

Performance record: machining centre performance record showing the accuracy, 

stability, repeatability record. 

Internally used data: 

Coordinate metrology specification: a document that contains specific and/or classes of 

coordinate measuring machines that are needed to perform measurement. 

Critical tolerances: a document that specifies the tolerances that need to be monitored 

during machining processes. 

Cutter location files: files that contain lists of cutter paths for machining operations. 

Fail error specification: a document that defines the specifications of failure status and 

error status during measurement. 

Fitted features/geometry: the calculated feature/geometry generated through a data 

fitting activity based on collected measurement points. 

Gage specifications: a document that contains specific and/or classes of gages that are 

needed to perform measurement. 

Inspected product: the part that is measured through measurement processes. The 

inspected product may or may not meet the quality requirements. 

Intermediate machining features: the features and geometries that define the 

intermediate shapes at stages of machining. 

Intermediate product: the part produced at different stages of machining processes 

before the final part is machined. 

Machine performance, usage condition, and power consumption: information 

describing machine performance, usage and condition, and power consumption (refer to 

each terminology for its definition). 

Machine performance: a document that records machine performance information such 

as machine accuracy, repeatability, stability, etc. 
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Machine usage and condition: a document that records machine usage and machine 

condition information such as machine usage time, spindle revolutions, coolant level, 

overheating level, etc. 

Machine power consumption: a record of machine power consumption information. 

Machine tool information: information on the selected machine tool/machining center 

such as identification of the machine, its accuracy, stability, repeatability, etc. 

Machine tool selection: the information describing a class of machine tool that is 

capable of performing generated machining operations including machine controller 

types, machine accuracy information, machining volume, maximum federate and spindle 

speed, etc. 

Machined product: the final part produced after machining processes. 

Machining commands: computer-interpretable codes that control machining centers. 

Machining features: zones in the material stock to be removed during machining 

processes. The zones have specific geometries, locations, and orientations relative to the 

stock. 

Machining feature sequence: the sequence of features to be machined during the 

machining process. 

Machining monitoring results: data collected through machining monitoring devices 

including machine usage time, spindle speed, coolant level, excessive vibration, 

overheating, etc. 

Machining operation: a set of actions that machine tool does to remove material from 

the stock, e.g. milling, drilling, rough milling, finish milling, etc. 

Machining path: the path/route that cutters follow during machining. 

Machining parameter: parametric information of chosen machine tool, cutter, 

machining strategy including cutter dimensions, machining speed, feed rate, cutting 

depth, etc. 

Machining process plan: the detailed plan for a machining process. It may include highlevel machining information such as machining operation sequence and cutter 

information and/or low-level machining information such as cutting path, spindle speed, 

feed rate, etc. 

Machining process sequence: a document that defines the sequence of machining 

operations or the sequence of machining features to be machined. 
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Machining resources and part setups: documents that contain the following 

information: 1) form and functional information of available machine and tooling 

equipment including dimensions and shape of the equipment, dimensional variation 

distributions of machined features, machine speeds versus powers, work volume, fixture 

rigidity and versatility, machine controller descriptions, cutter descriptions, adapter 

descriptions, etc. 2) a specification of locations and orientations of the part relative to the 

machine coordinates and the means of fixing the part on the machine table during the 

machining process. 

Machining tolerance specifications: tolerances defined in process planning for the 

intermediate features. These are derived from target tolerances for the part features by the 

process planners. 

Material stock specifications: a document that specifies the form and properties of 

chosen material stock. 

Measurand: a quantity intended to be measured. 

Measurement accuracy requirements: a document that specifies the process-dependent 

requirements of measurement accuracy. Measurement accuracy is the closeness of 

agreement between a value obtained by measurement and the true value of the 

measurand. 

Measurement commands: computer-interpretable codes that control measurement 

machines or a measurement device that is linked with a machining centre. 

Measurement features, measurands, and uncertainties: a document that specifies 

measurement features, measurands, and measurement uncertainties (refer to each of the 

terminology definitions). 

Measurement features: zones on the part to be measured. The zones have specific 

geometries, locations, and orientations relative to the part. 

Measurement fixture and setup information: a specification of setups needed to 

inspect all the tolerances and dimensions within the measurement scope and all the 

clamping devices that are needed in all the setups. 

Measurement method: a document that specifies the methods that will be used to fulfill 

the requirements in measuring a part. 

Measurement operations: a set of actions that a measurement tool/device does to 

measure the part during measurement processes.

Measurement path: a document that specifies the path/route that the measurement 

sensor or gages follow during measurement processes. 
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Measurement plan: a document that defines the sequence of operations for 

measurement based on the product model and measurement scope. 

Measurement process plan: a document that defines detailed plan for a measurement 

process. It may include high-level measurement information such as measurement feature 

and operation sequence and/or low-level measurement information such as measurement 

device information, measurement points and path, etc. 

Measurement requirement: required instructions for inspecting manufactured parts 

including tolerances and dimensions to be verified and acceptable pass/fail errors.

Measurement results: data collected through measurement process including at least 

raw data points and possibly some preliminary results of analysis. 

Measurement scope: a document that specifies the tolerances and dimensions on a 

manufactured part that need to be verified by measurement. It includes fail error 

specifications, traceability requirements and measurement tasks (refer to definitions of 

these terminologies).

Measurement uncertainty: parameter that characterizes the dispersion of the quantity 

values that are being attributed to a measurand. 

Measurement tasks: a document that contains specific measurands to verify 

tolerances/parameters or establish datum features. It also specifies tasks that are to be 

performed to evaluate each measurement requirement. 

Modified measurement features: measurement features that are modified after feature 

interaction detection. 

Process plan: documents that define the sequences of operations for machining and 

measuring the part based on the product model. 

Process plan update: information fed back to process planning activities to improve the 

machining and measurement process. 

Process-intermittent update: the updates generated after in-process measurement that 

are fed back to machining process planning activities requesting changes to the subsequent process/operation plans. 

Process schedule and adjustment: information fed back from production planning and 

scheduling activities requesting changes or adjustments to the current machining and/or 

measurement plan. The requests can be modifications of machine and tooling 

specifications, procedural changes, etc. 
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Product conformance result: the result obtained after measurement result analysis 

activity that records whether the product meets specified quality and/or functional 

requirements. 

Product definition: computer-interpretable representation of a part. The representation 

provides the following information about the part: geometry, topology, features, 

dimensions, tolerances, datum references, material, surface roughness, hardness, 

coatings, screw threads, and notes on special processing and quality control procedures. 

Production schedule: documents that specify the production schedule to maximize the 

efficiency of manufacturing operations and reduce costs. It includes information such as 

when to make the product, on what machining center, how many parts to make, etc. 

Raw materials: raw stock material selected for the current manufacturing process. 

Sampling plan: a document that specifies point locations and densities for measuring all 

the measurement features. On the part level, a sampling plan describes the frequency of 

measuring manufactured parts or the quantity of parts to be measured in a batch. 

Sampling statement: a qualitative statement that specifies sampling rate and sampling 

size. 

Sampling strategy: a document that specifies the number of points, point distributions 

and densities for measuring different types of measurement features. 

Sensor specifications: a document that contains specific and/or classes of sensors that 

are needed to perform measurement 

Traceability requirements: a document that specifies traceability requirements for 

measurement processes. Traceability is a property of a measurement result relating the 

result to a stated metrological reference through an unbroken chain of calibrations of a 

measuring system or comparisons, each contributing to the stated measurement 

uncertainty. 

4. Conclusions 

The machining and measurement activity model described in this paper has been 

developed as part of an effort to improve interoperability in manufacturing systems. The 

effort is on identifying common activities in machining and measurement process 

planning systems as well as manufacturing execution, analysis and reporting systems. 

The purpose is to capture the information required for each activity and the information 

exchange between these activities. This activity model was specially developed to 

provide a broad view for standards developers and industry experts. Ideally, measurement 

process planning should be carried out as an integrated element in manufacturing systems 

and should be connected with machining process planning systems so that measurement 
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operations can be planned at desirable stages during a machining process. In this way, 

machining processes are closely monitored through in-process measurement. 

Measurement results can, therefore, be analyzed in a real-time fashion and updates can be 

fed back to improve machining processes. 

However, today’s machining and measurement process planning are largely carried out 

separately in industry. Machining process planning departments are not getting quick 

response or feedback from quality control department. The information exchanges are 

mostly manual and on paper. The main reason for this situation is that there is no 

standardized data model to provide sufficient information for machining and 

measurement process planning systems. Standards committees that are in charge of 

developing standards for machining and measurement are working in their own area with 

very limited communication with each other. Through this activity model, it can be seen 

that a lot of information is shared among process planning (including both machining and 

measurement process planning systems), execution, analyzing and reporting systems. 

However, the common information is defined differently in multiple standards and/or 

proprietary specifications. In order to improve interoperability in manufacturing systems, 

especially between software systems, these common information definitions need to be 

harmonized. This paper summarized existing standards and/or specifications for the 

information exchange at different stages of manufacturing processes. 

The next phase to improve manufacturing systems interoperability is to harmonize 

existing standards and data models for the common information identified in this activity 

model. Work such as defining a common data model for the entire dimensional 

metrology process including measurement process plan, measurement execution, 

measurement result collection and analysis is under way. 
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5. References: 

[1] S.C. Feng, A Machining Process Planning Activity Model for Systems Integration.

Nattional Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NISTIR 5808, 1996. 

[2] S.C. Feng, A machining process planning activity model for systems integration.

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 2003. 14(6): p. 527-539. 

[3] P.M. Ferreira, S.C.-Y. Lu, and X. Zhu, Conceptual Model for Process Planning. 

1990, Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing International (CAM-I): 

Arlington, Texas. 

[4] O. Bjorke and O. Myklebust, IMPPACT-Integrated Modelling of Products and 

Processes Using Advanced Computer Technologies. 1992. 

[5] K. Lindsay, Automated Airframe Assembly Program, Vol.1. 1992, Wright 

Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Ohio. 

[6] D. Fulford, H. Santos, and M. Tu, Automated Airframe Assembly Program, Vol.2. 

1992, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Ohio. 

[7] ISO, ISO 10303-224: Industrial automation systems and integration -Product 

data representation and exchange - Part 224: Application protocol: Mechanical 

product definition for process planning using machining features. 2006. 

[8] ISO, ISO 10303-219, Industrial automation systems and integration-Product data 

representation and exchange-Part 219: Application protocol: Dimensional 

inspection information exchange. 2004. 

[9] ISO, ISO 10303-240: Industrial automation systems and integration -Product 

data representation and exchange - Part 240: Application protocol:Process plans 

for machined products. 2005. 

[10] IGES. Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES). [cited; Available from: 

http://ts.nist.gov/standards/iges/. 

[11] ISO, ISO 10303-203: Industrial automation systems and integration – Product 

data representation and exchange – Part 203: Application Protocols: 

Configuration controlled 3D design. 2007. 

[12] ISO, ISO 10303-214: Industrial automation systems and integration -Product 

data representation and exchange - Part 214: Application Protocal: Core data 

for automotive mechanical design processes. 2001. 
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[13] ISO, ISO 10303-238: Industrial automation systems and integration – Product 

data representation and exchange - Part 238: Application Protocols: Application 

interpreted model for computerized numerical controllers. 2004. 

[14] ISO, ISO 14649-1, Data model for Computerized Numerical Controllers: Part 1 

Overview and fundamental principles. 2002. 

[15] ANSI, Dimensional Measuring Interface Standard, DMIS 5.0 Standard, Part 1, 

ANSI/CAM-I 105.0-2004, Part 1. 2004. 

[16] APQP. Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP). 2005 [cited; Available 

from: http://www.npd-solutions.com/apqp.html. 

[17] eQuiPP, Exchange of Quality Measurement Process Plans 2009. 

[18] I++DME, Dimensional Measurement Equipment Interface, the International 

Association of Coordinate Measuring Machine Manufacturers. 2005. 

[19] DML. Dimensional Markup Language (DML). 2009 [cited; Available from: 

http://www.aiag.org/. 

[20] QMD. Quality Measurement Data (QMD). 2009 [cited; Available from: 

http://www.aiag.org. 

[21] ISO, ISO 6983/1, Numerical control of machines – Program format and definition 

of address words – Part 1: Data format for positioning, line and contouring 

control systems. 1982.