iMisr United States Department of Commerce

Technology Admmistration

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Special Publication 882

Conceptual Design Plan for the um research information

National Advanced

Manufacturing Testbed

Merrill M. Hessel

JUN 1 3 1995

CENTER

Major Industries

Snnall- Medium

Size Companies

& Supply Chain

Government

& Academia

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A Distributed and Virtual Manufacturing Testbed
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NIST Special Publication 882

Conceptual Design Plan for the

National Advanced

Manufacturing Testbed

Merrill M. Hessel

Office of Industrial Relations

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

April 1995

U.S. Department of Commerce

Ronald H. Brown, Secretary

Technology Administration

Mary L. Good, Under Secretary for Technology

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Arati Prabhakar, Director
National Institute of Standards

and Technology

Special Publication 882

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol.

Spec. Publ. 882

85 pages (April 1995)

CODEN: NSPUE2

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington: 1995

For sale by the Superintendent

of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

Washington, DC 20402-9325
PREFACE

This plan is a result of several stages of testing the concept of a distributed and

virtual manufacturing testbed with various private sector and government

organizations. An initial prospectus defining a National Advanced Manufacturing

Testbed (NAMT), "A Distributed and Virtual Manufacturing Testbed," was

developed by a management team of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory at

the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). During the months of

September through November 1 994, the ideas were alpha-tested in face-to-face

interviews with over 25 senior executives from industry and government. As the

ideas for the NAMT were refined, an invitation-only Workshop was held in

December 1994 for industry and government senior executives. The purpose of

this workshop was to define the benefits, actions, possible projects, and scenarios

for such a testbed. The proceedings of this workshop are available upon request.

It was the consensus of the Workshop participants that a dedicated industrygovernment team (IGT) should be formed to develop a NAMT plan.

An IGT was assembled in February 1995, and developed a draft version of the plan

which was then critically reviewed by a "Red Team," consisting of 34

representatives of major manufacturers, suppliers, information providers, consortia,

manufacturing technology centers, government agencies and a university research

institute. The many participants who contributed to the various phases of

formulation of the NAMT Plan are listed in Appendix A.

This draft NAMT plan is a revision based upon the "Red Team" comments. It will

be submitted to the appropriate industry and government management for approval,

initiation and/or participation in the NAMT.

This conceptual document provides the basis for participation decisions in the

National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed Program.

iii

A VISION OF THE FUTURE MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT

The manufacturing environment of tomorrow will consist of multiple organizations

functioning as parts of integrated enterprises. The enterprises will design and simulate

both products and manufacturing processes using distributed and virtual manufacturing

(DVM) technologies. At the disposal of these enterprises will be a set of geographically

distributed resources that include specialized simulation tools, design tools, machines and

personnel to fabricate, to procure and to maintain products. All phases of the product lifecycle, manufacturing processes and integrated product and process design will be included,

enabling businesses to quickly and efficiently design and manufacture products of high

quality and low cost.

NAMT MISSION

To achieve this vision, industry, universities and government are working independently on

various aspects of a distributed and virtual environment. The mission of the National

Advanced Manufacturing Testbed (NAMT) program is to accelerate the development of a comprehensive, integrated set of DVM capabilities. To accomplish this, the NAMT will

provide a unique combination of diverse physical facilities and personnel from industry,

academia, NIST and the National Laboratories to actively coordinate and integrate the

results from individual efforts. Each of these organizations will contribute technical

expertise in manufacturing, standards, measurements, testing and validation

methodologies. Specific industry-defined projects will be used to anticipate, address, test

and demonstrate the DVM technologies needed to integrate and provide interoperability

among suppliers, vendors and manufacturers.

NAMT OBJECTIVE and GOALS

The objective of the NAMT program is to establish and operate a distributed, multi-node,

multi-project testbed among industry, government agencies and universities. This testbed

will facilitate coordination between individual projects and foster development and

demonstration of industry-defined scenarios which advance DVM technologies to support

integration and interoperability among suppliers, vendors and manufacturers. The goals of

the NAMT program are to:

- define, demonstrate and test integration and interoperability standards;

- improve supplier chain integration;

- facilitate access to specialized manufacturing resources (machines, systems,

software tools and technical expertise);

- cooperate and coordinate with related programs to identify and fill voids, leverage

projects and avoid duplication;

- provide a testbed to serve as a national framework for demonstrating and testing

new DVM concepts;

- determine robustness and ability to scale DVM solutions; and,

- reduce risk in development and deployment of DVM technologies.

V

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE iii

A VISION OF THE FUTURE MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT v

NAMT MISSION v

NAMT OBJECTIVE and GOALS v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix

1 . NAMT BACKGROUND 1-1

2. INDUSTRY NEEDS, NAMT SCOPE AND BENEFITS 2-1

2.1 Industry Needs 2-1

2.2 NAMT Scope Relative to Industrial Needs 2-2

2.3 Benefits of NAMT 2-2

3. NAMT Management and Operations 3-1

3.1 Program Participation 3-1

3.1.1 Core Node Participation 3-1

3.1 .2 Project Node Participation 3-2

3.1 .3 Project Member Participation 3-3

3.1 .4 Open Participation 3-3

3.1.5 Participation Requirements and Benefits 3-3

3.2 Management Structure 3-4

3.3 NAMT Operations 3-6

3.3.1 First Steps 3-6

3.3.2 Services Provided 3-6

3.3.3 Intellectual Property, Business and Contractual Issues 3-7

4. DVM, Nodes and Networks in NAMT 4-1

4.1 Distributed and Virtual Manufacturing 4-1

4.1 .1 Distributed Manufacturing 4-1

4.1.2 Virtual Manufacturing 4-1

4.2 The Structure of NAMT 4-2

4.2.1 NAMT Nodes 4-2

4.3 Network Standards and Technologies 4-3

4.4 Program Network Communications System 4-3

4.4.1 NAMTLink and the NAMT Program Office 4-4

4.5 Project Network Communications Systems 4-5

4.6 Project Network Communications Systems Functionality 4-6

vii
4.6.1 Information Exchange Functionality 4-6

4.6.2 Connectivity Functionality 4-6

4.7 Integrating NAMTLink and NAMT Project Communication Systems . . 4-6

5. Projects 5-1

5.1 NAMT Projects - Described and Defined 5-1

5.1 .1 Support the NAMT Mission 5-1

5.1 .2 Identify the Industrial Impact in Terms of Defined Benefits 5-1

5.1.3 Provide a Complete, Specific and Feasible Technical Plan 5-1

5.1.4 Identify Industrial Participation and Commitment 5-2

5.1 .5 Define the Relationship of the Project to the NAMT Organization . 5-2

5.2 Project Screening and Refinement 5-2

5.3 Example Projects 5-2

5.3.1 Agile Manufacture of Castings 5-3

5.3.2 Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts 5-3

5.4 NAMT Initial Core Capabilities 5-4

6. Relationship To Existing Programs and Funding 6-1

6.1 Initial Relationships 6-1

6.2 Potential Future Relationships 6-3

6.3 Resources and Funding Options for the NAMT Program 6-3

7. Technology Transfer 7-1

7.1 Principles & Statements of Intent for Technology Transfer in NAMT . 7-1

7.2 The Specifics of Technology Transfer under NAMT 7-2

8. Critical Success Factors, Metrics and NAMT Program Phases 8-1

8.1 Critical Success Factors 8-1

8.2 Metrics 8-2

8.3 NAMT Measures 8-3

8.4 Program Evolution 8-3

8.4.1 Foundation Phase 8-5

8.4.2 NAMT Program Phases 8-6

8.4.3 Application of Gates 1- 3 8-6

Appendix A. Contributors to the NAMT Planning Effort A - 1

Appendix B. NAMT Structure and Program Management Details B - 1

Appendix C. Project Criteria and Initial Reviews C - 1

Appendix D. Details of Example NAMT Projects D - 1 Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings D - 3

Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts D - 1 3

viii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed (NAMT) Program provides a

collaborative context for helping U.S. manufacturers achieve a competitive

advantage. It is a national industry-government teaming program designed to

leverage private sector and federal investments, expertise and facilities to

accelerate the development and implementation of technologies for distributed and

virtual manufacturing (DVM). Specific industry-defined projects will be used to

anticipate, address, test and demonstrate the DVM technologies needed to

integrate and provide interoperability among suppliers, vendors and manufacturers.

The NAMT program is facilitated by the Department of Commerce and managed

through a program office hosted by the NIST Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory.

NAMT brings advanced technologies and organizations together to provide an

environment to validate and deploy more quickly the new technologies which are

necessary to create truly effective DVM. The testbed acts as a testing site and a

central focal point for organizations looking for better ways to do business in the

future.

NAMT is an industry-driven partnership among large, medium and small

manufacturing enterprises, government and academia. It provides value added

components to U.S. manufacturing enterprises by: 1) lowering the cost of

collaboration by providing an infrastructure and strengthened links for technology

transfer, 2) contributing to the development and validation of DVM related

standards 3) focusing the number and direction of DVM projects to assure the

availability of a sustained core of resources and 4) coordinating with related efforts

throughout the world.

The objective of the NAMT program is to establish and operate a distributed, multinode, multi-project testbed among industry, government agencies and universities.

This testbed will facilitate coordination between individual projects and

development and demonstration of industry-defined scenarios which advance DVM

technologies to support integration and interoperability among suppliers, vendors

and manufacturers. The goals of the NAMT program are to:

- define, demonstrate and test integration and interoperability standards;

- improve supplier chain integration;

- facilitate access to specialized manufacturing resources (machines, systems,

software tools and technical expertise);

- cooperate and coordinate with related programs to identify and fill voids,

leverage projects and avoid duplication;

ix
- provide a testbed to serve as a national framework for demonstrating and

testing new DVM concepts;

- determine robustness and ability to scale DVM solutions; and,

- reduce risk in development and deployment of DVM technologies.

The NAMT program operates to minimize the cost and maximize the benefit of

collaborative development, evaluation and deployment of DVM systems. The

program will operate under a joint industry-government management structure.

This structure assigns responsibility for program implementation and realizes the

broadest possible industry representation while meeting the NAMT mission.

Participants define, select and execute industry-driven projects that demonstrate

and validate distributed and virtual manufacturing technology. The value of the

NAMT program will be measured by industrial participation and by the successful

execution of the NAMT projects. The plan provides a project initiation and

screening process based on projects submitted by industry and NIST.

The NAMT will consist of geographically distributed and network-linked nodes,

physical resources such as facilities and the technical expertise of the participants.

Nodes specialize in an aspect of enterprises that NAMT integrates for the design,

development, manufacturing and distribution functions to produce a product or to

offer services. Nodes will be located at private sector sites, government facilities

and universities.

The NAMT concept represents a new way of doing business since it is not in itself a direct funding source for projects. Rather, NAMT will provide a significant set of

resources and close linkages to industrial and government agency funding sources.

NAMT is designed to be a $13 - 25 M per year joint industry-government program.

It is the aim of this effort to leverage resources and coordinate with all identified

DVM related efforts to the extent practical.

The NAMT program creates a context for government and industry investments in

technologies relevant to DVM. NAMT projects do not replace nor duplicate existing

programs, but provide a complementary set of industry-driven core programs and

services.

In the final analysis, the value of NAMT will be judged by the extent of industry

participation. This planning document is a first step at the start of the journey.

X
Chapter 1. NAMT BACKGROUND

Starting in the 1980's the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) of the

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed and managed a

flagship program, the Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF).

Hundreds of industry personnel and staff from other institutions came to NIST to

work on research and development projects to advance the state-of-the-art of

manufacturing and to transfer technology to individual companies.

Based on MEL's focus on standards and measurement and the AMRF experience, a

planning team of Division Chiefs and the Director of MEL has developed an initial

prospectus for a National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed (NAMT). The focus of

this prospectus was to develop a testbed for DVM technologies. The planning team

had extensive face-to-face discussions with over 25 senior executives from U.S.

manufacturing industry and other organizations.

Based on the positive response to the idea of a DVM testbed, a workshop for a

limited number of industry and government senior executives was held in

December, 1994. This workshop focused on the industrial need for such a testbed,

the potential benefits of developing a NAMT program, the actions necessary to

achieve the benefits and the possible scenarios or projects.

As an outcome of this workshop, an industry-government planning team (IGT) was

assembled to develop a formal NAMT plan. An iterative process was employed

which built around information needs, action categories and multiple write-review

cycles. A special effort was undertaken to develop criteria for specific projects and

review a set of potential initial projects that could be used as templates for NAMT

focused efforts.

A version of the NAMT Plan was sent to a "Red Team" for review. The "Red

Team" was composed of senior personnel from 1 1 major manufacturers, 2 major

industrial suppliers, 1 information provider, 3 industry consortia, 3 technology

centers focused on manufacturing, 6 government agencies, 1 university and 1 manufacturing consultant. There were also 6 "Red Team" reviewers representing

three operating units of NIST. This draft NAMT plan is a revision based upon the

"Red Team" comments.

Appendix A lists all the personnel who have contributed to the formulation of this

plan.

1 - 1

Chapter 2. INDUSTRY NEEDS, NAMT SCOPE AND BENEFITS

This chapter discusses the needs of U.S. industry relative to the vision for

manufacturing stated at the beginning of this document and the role of DVM in that

vision. The scope of NAMT is defined with respect to these needs and the benefits

from NAMT participation are described.

2.1 Industry Needs

Based on direct discussions with senior executives from industry, published reports,

industrial forums and activities and the NAMT Workshop held in December 1994, it

is clear that to be globally competitive in the 21st century manufacturing

environment, industry needs the ability to rapidly introduce affordable, quality

products that customers want. This requires a manufacturer to quickly assemble a

team of best practice suppliers, contractors and partners to assist in the design,

production, marketing and support for the product.

From the NAMT planning process, executive interviews, workshops and "Red

Team" feedback, three major roadblocks to successful implementation of this

environment have been identified. These are:

- the inability to quickly integrate and interoperate the technical and business

systems of the manufacturer with the customers, suppliers and partners;

- the inability to rapidly prototype and evaluate both the product and processes

to manufacture that product; and

- the inability to rapidly locate customers and select optimum suppliers and/or

partners.

The first two roadblocks are directly addressed by the NAMT goals of

- defining, demonstrating and testing appropriate integration, interoperability

and related standards;

- improving supplier chain integration through DVM technologies; and

- facilitating access to specialized manufacturing resources (machines, systems

and technical expertise).

The third roadblock identified may be partially addressed by the information

repository planned for the NAMT. The roadblocks identified above reflect the

priorities of a number of industry leaders. American industry needs ttie NAMT to

support migration toward a distributed and virtual manufacturing enterprise at ttie

2 - 1
national level. No single commercial enterprise has the resources to develop such a

solution. This is reiterated in a quote from Dr. Joseph Erkes, GE Corporate Research

and Development, that was published in the June 1994 Issue of "Manufacturing

Review":

". . . when we look to the software tools we need to make it happen (i.e., a

supplier of world-class products that are first to market) we face a tower of

Babel. The software systems needed to design and manufacture products are

large, and getting bigger and more unwieldy with each new release . . . and few

speak to one another except in their own proprietary tongues. As a result, most

of American industry has deployed heterogeneous suites of software tools

where humans provide the integration and coordination. These individualistic

systems are difficult to maintain, expensive and above all lack the agility to

respond to the challenges of endless change in the nineties and beyond.

Although many interesting and valuable technical solution fragments are

emerging, consensus on integrated solutions and the protocols and standards

needed to support them are growing at a pace that might charitably be

described as glacial."

NAMT is a program that will provide a central focus to coordinate and leverage the

projects and partial solutions in existence and under development within American

industry. Standards that facilitate the interoperability of systems within

environments are critical to the integration of enterprises. NAMT will promote the

development and implementation of these standards.

2.2 NAMT Scope Relative to Industrial Needs

As an initial scope, NAMT will focus on the discrete manufacturing industry

segment of the national manufacturing environment and the problems of

interoperability and integration of systems used for product and process design and

manufacturing control. NAMT will provide access to specialized manufacturing

resources (machines, systems and expertise) resident at its core nodes.

As NAMT evolves, participation will increase which will expand the program's

scope to more comprehensively address American manufacturing needs as

experienced within the national manufacturing environment.

2.3 Benefits of NAMT

As an industry-driven national effort, the NAMT is in position to provide a unique

national focal point for the advancement, refinement and integration of DVM

technologies. NAMT is unique in two important aspects.

NAMT is designed to be a nationwide, open access testbed. It is hosted by

NIST, an organization that is globally recognized in the areas of standards,

measurements and control systems.

2 - 2

/
- The National Laboratories at Sandia and Oak Ridge have major facilities and

technical expertise in rapid prototyping, complex machining and robotic systems

that will be available to allow participants to demonstrate and validate specific

DVM technologies.

As an open testbed, product development ideas from many sources can be

explored, developed and verified. Participants can assess the robustness and ability

to scale DVM solutions. They can improve the integration of supply chains.

Through a series of projects (examples of which are discussed in Chapter 5 and

Appendix C) NAMT project participants will identify and develop the necessary

interoperability standards. The results of this work will allow suppliers with

suitable technical expertise to easily join and form virtual enterprises to integrate

their systems, procedures and methodologies.

Using DVM techniques coupled with rapid prototyping, participants can easily and

quickly validate product designs. They will also be able to model manufacturing

processes, test alternative configurations and realistically portray a product's lookand-feel.

NAMT will provide U.S. Industry with a resource to access advanced manufacturing

information and capabilities that reside in widely scattered locations connected

through a communications network. U.S. Industry understands the necessity to

manage supplier chains and this national testbed will offer major facilities to

support DVM projects with this focus. NAMT will provide a focal point for U.S.

Industry to apply new tools and techniques in demonstration situations that can be

tailored to specific applications of interest. At the start of this program three nodes

strategically located in the nation will immediately offer state-of-the-art capabilities.

Subsequently, NAMT will add to its capabilities as driven by the needs and

commitment of industry.

2 - 3

Chapter 3. NAMT Management and Operations

The NAMT management and operations concepts will reduce the barriers to

collaboration and enable industry, government and academia to cooperatively build

this national program. The concepts described in this chapter include how to

participate in the NAMT program, the proposed management structure and how

NAMT will operate.

3.1 Program Participation

NAMT is built upon the premise that cooperation is required for the timely

achievement of DVM benefits across the broad manufacturing spectrum, from large

corporation to small supplier. Effective cooperation will assure that a critical core of

resources are made available to priority problems.

NAMT will be organized around an initial set of core nodes with significant

resources available for NAMT. Nodes will contain some or all of the following

resources: simulation tools, design tools, specialized manufacturing equipment and

staff to support the specific aspects of the manufacturing process and production.

The initial organizations committed to provide core nodes are the Department of

Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of

Energy National Laboratories at Sandia and at the Oak Ridge Centers for

Manufacturing Technology. Interest has also been expressed by individual

corporations, other government agencies, academic institutions, associations and

industrial consortia in participating in the NAMT program.

NAMT will not attempt to replace nor duplicate existing programs. Rather, it will

provide a basic program and set of services to enable industry, government and

academia to leverage existing activities and to collaborate more effectively in the

development, validation and deployment of DVM capabilities.

Stakeholders are expected to include machine tool builders, manufacturing supply

chain participants, manufacturers of products, computer hardware and software

vendors, software system application developers and many others.

The NAMT program structure will allow participation in several forms. There are

core node participants, project node participants, project members and open

participation.

3.1.1 Core Node Participation

The initial commitment for core node participation is expected to be three to five

years to provide continuity of assets as NAMT matures. Each core node will bring

significant resources to the NAMT in the form of facilities, manufacturing

equipment, technical expertise and electronic communications infrastructure. This

3 - 1
initial aggregation of existing private and public investment will provide a sustaining

set of resources which will enable early participation by small-to-medium

enterprises (SMEs) as NAMT attracts additional core participants.

Core node participants are eligible to participate in the governance of NAMT as

members of the Executive Steering Panel, the body charged with setting policy and

strategic direction for the program, which will be described later in this chapter.

The three organizations committed to NAMT as core nodes have identified the

following resources for the NAMT and have indicated that additional resources

could be available.

NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory:

- Octahedral Hexapod Machine

- Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Network Testbed (AMSANT)

- High accuracy coordinate measuring machines (CMMs)

- Open architecture control systems for factory equipment

- Virtual Collaborative Environment Laboratory

- National PDES Testbed

Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology:

- Manufacturing Skills Demo Campus (Fully Outfitted Machine Shop)

- Concurrent Engineering Center (Process & Product Simulation Capability)

- High accuracy CMMs

Sandia National Laboratories (DOE):

- Robotics Research Facility

- Rapid Prototyping Facility

Additional capabilities are expected to be added at the commencement of NAMT.

Several industrial organizations have already indicated a commitment, and several

others, as well as universities, are expected to commit after publication of this

document. A key advantage to the participants of NAMT is the leverage achieved

from the accessibility to core node facilities and technical expertise.

3.1.2 Project Node Participation

Any organization can submit projects or scenarios that are appropriate for the

NAMT. A NAMT project node participant must physically house a node, but is

committed for the duration of its specific project only. As such, project node

organizations may contribute to the development of the NAMT Strategic Plan, have

access to core node resources, have access to NAMT services as defined in the

operations section of this chapter and have the potential to reduce development

and implementation risks. The concepts of NAMT nodes and NAMT projects are

described in Chapters 4 and 5 of this document, respectively.

3 - 2
3.1.3 Project Member Participation

Any potential project nnember may propose projects or scenarios that are

appropriate for the NAMT. Participation in NAMT as a project nnember means that

an organization is an active member collaborating in the conduct of a NAMT

project, yet the organization does not house a NAMT node.

As a NAMT project member, an organization is committed to NAMT for the

duration of its specific project only. As such, project member organizations may

contribute to the development of the NAMT Strategic Plan through their respective

project node organizations, have access to core node resources, have access to

NAMT services and have the potential to reduce risks.

3.1.4 Open Participation

NAMT will provide programmatic information to the public, as well as public domain

information about its projects, through existing electronic communication systems

such as the World Wide Web. Users of these systems will have free access to this

information.

3.1.5 Participation Requirements and Benefits

Table 3-1 summarizes the NAMT requirements and benefits by the defined

participation levels.

Table 3-1 NAMT Levels, Requirements and Benefits

PARTICIPATION MINIMUM BENEFITS

LEVEL REQUIREMENTS

Core Node Contribute major facilities Program governance through

(Long Term or resources to the Executive Steering Panel

Commitment) NAMT. membership.

Provide full-time

personnel for the (All benefits below)

management

and/technical program.

Contribute to Strategic

Plan

Sign NAMT terms of

reference

3 - 3
PARTICIPATION

LEVEL

MINIMUM

REQUIREMENTS

BENEFITS

Project Node Provide unique DVM

capability to NAMT (such

as technical and

management resources)

Contribute to Strategic

Plan

Sign NAMT terms of

reference

Participate in at least one

project

Access to and leveraging of NAMT

resources

Access to deliverables from NAMT

projects as specified by the NAMT

terms of reference.

Development and validation risk

reduction

Project deliverables

Project Member Sign NAMT terms of

reference

Participate in projects,

either throuah Proiect or Core Nodes

Access to and leveraging of NAMT

resources.

Project deliverables

Open None Public Information

NOTE - The terms of reference is an individual agreement that must be developed

for participation in the NAMT. It will include commitments of resources, staff and

intellectual property rights.

3.2 Management Structure

NAMT will be structured to minimize the cost and maximize the benefit of

collaborative development, evaluation, testing and deployment of distributed and

virtual manufacturing systems. The program will operate under a joint industrygovernment management structure. This structure will distribute responsibility for

the program and obtain the broadest possible industry representation.

The NAMT management structure is depicted in Figure 3-1 . It is explained below in

terms of the groups of individuals contributing to the program, their primary

contributions and the recipients of those contributions.

The Executive Steering Panel will be composed of industry and government senior

executives. The panel will set policy and program direction and approve the

Strategic Plan for NAMT.

3 - 4
Executive Steering Panel

(Policy and Direction)

Technical Review Board |

(Project Evaluation & Oversight)

^^^^^^^ NAMT Distributed Management Team

(Provides Technical & Admin. Support to the Program Office)

^^^^H Program Office NIST MEL ^^^^^1

^^^^^^1 (Day-to-Day Operations & Liason)

Project 1 Project 2 Project ... Project N

XXXX I YYYY I .... I NNNN

Figure 3-1 NAMT Management Structure.

A Technical Review Board is responsible for project screening and overall project

oversight as described in Chapter 5.

A Distributed Management Team from each of the core nodes will interface with

the NAMT Program Office on a regular basis. This Distributed Management Team

will consist of personnel who reside at the individual core and/or project node

locations. This team will be responsible for the development of the NAMT

Strategic Plan.

The NAMT Program Office is the central focal point for NAMT and will reside within

the NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL). The office is responsible for

the daily operations of NAMT including project coordination, facilitation and other

service functions.

Each project conducted as part of NAMT will have a project manager who will

oversee project execution and be responsible for interfacing with the NAMT

Program Office as required.

Additional details regarding the NAMT Management Structure can be found in this

document's Appendix B.

3 - 5
3.3 NAMT Operations

Operational issues for NAMT have both unique and generic aspects. A set of value

added services must be developed and business and contractual issues associated

with collaborative efforts must be resolved. This section provides a brief description

of these elements.

3.3.1 First Steps

Upon the initiation of the NAMT, the following actions will occur.

- The core nodes and their commitments will be finalized and the terms of

reference for the NAMT will be developed.

NIST MEL will name the NAMT Program Manager and the core nodes will

identify the staff for the NAMT Program Office.

- The NAMT Program Office at the NIST MEL will officially commence operations.

An initial set of NAMT services (described in the next section) will be made

available through the NAMT Program Office.

- The NAMT Executive Steering Panel will be established and will meet to define

initial NAMT policies and set the initial milestones for the program office.

- The Distributed Management Team and the Technical Review Board will be

established

A broad public announcement of the NAMT and a call to identify NAMT projects

will be issued.

A set of initial start-up projects (one or more) will be selected at the initiation of

NAMT.

3.3.2 Services Provided

NAMT will operate at both a program level and at individual project levels. At the

program level, the services offered through the NAMT Program Office will include

the following.

General technical and administrative assistance on an as-needed basis will be

available to all active NAMT projects, as will project planning support for

potential projects.

DVM related workshops and conferences will be initiated and facilitated.

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- An information repository will be created and maintained that catalogs all DVM

related project information. This DVM information repository will be accessible

through existing electronic communication networks such as Internet and will be

publicly accessible.

Based on an analysis of project information, a roadmap for DVM technology will

be developed. The critical areas where additional work is needed will be

identified in this roadmap.

- A capabilities database will then be produced that identifies technical and

programmatic voids that can be addressed by NAMT.

3.3.3 Intellectual Property, Business and Contractual Issues

NAMT projects will involve multiple organizations working together in the pursuit of

technical objectives. As such, there will be nontechnical contractual, business

issues, proprietary information and intellectual property rights issues that must be

addressed.

NAMT does not have a unique solution to this problem. There are many types of

model legal agreements (CRADA's, Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Terms of

Reference, Interagency Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding) that have been

developed to overcome such barriers. Several organizations are presently

developing such agreements. The aim of this program is to have a variety of

industrial organizations and the government worl(. together for a mutual benefit. If existing model agreements do not satisfy the NAMT partners, then these legal

issues will be handled on a case by case basis.

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Chapter 4. DVM, Nodes and Networks in NAMT

The terms distributed manufacturing and virtual manufacturing as they apply to the

NAMT and the communications structure for the NAMT are described in this

chapter.

4.1 Distributed and Virtual Manufacturing

4.1.1 Distributed Manufacturing

Distributed manufacturing is the set of activities performed at geographically

separated sites to design, produce and support a product or set of products.

A large number of companies are using distributed manufacturing within the U.S. or

globally where each facility performs one or more manufacturing process functions.

Typically, this is done with proprietary or single vendor solutions to overcome the

interoperability issues. This means that a supplier or a risk partner of a particular

product manufacturer will have to modify their systems in order to engage in a

business relationship with another manufacturer.

In context of the NAMT, distributed manufacturing implies there is an open set of

standards and interfaces that support the interoperability of manufacturing

systems. The use of these standards and interfaces will allow partners and

suppliers to interoperate with a variety of manufacturers. The NAMT network must

be designed such that participating nodes can easily plug their systems into the

network and access any required information.

4.1.2 Virtual Manufacturing

Virtual manufacturing is defined as the application of computer simulation and

modeling to represent manufacturing processes and products. Within the context of

the NAMT, simulations and models will be used to plan, perform, monitor, adjust

and improve individual manufacturing tasks. The systems that are modeled and

simulated consist of a wide range of items such as materials, products, machine

tools, robots, sensors, controllers and production lines. The simulations and models

must be verified with respect to actual manufacturing systems that have physical

behaviors and interactions, such as motion, transfer and transformation.

The NAMT will have an array of technical projects (see chapter 5) that focus on

DVM requirements to meet the goals of the program. One of the NAMT capabilities

for validation will be rapid prototyping or fast fabrication. These techniques will

provide the physical realization of a product to validate the virtual manufacturing

description of a process or product.

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4.2 The Structure of NAMT

NAMT will consist of a network of nodes that are geographically distributed. Figure

4-1 shows the communications structure of the NAMT. Communications will occur

at three levels: the individual project node level, the project network

communications systems level and the NAMT program level (NAMTLink). Each of

these levels will be described. The ability of nodes to accurately communicate,

exchange data, control machines and interoperate is a major concern of NAMT.

NAMT Communications Structure

Project

Node #1

Project

Node #2

Project

Node #n

/

Project Network

Communications System

/

NAMTLink

i

Figure 4-1 NAMT Communications Structure.

4.2.1 NAMT Nodes

Individual nodes will contain some or all of the following resources: simulation

tools, design tools, specialized manufacturing equipment and staff to support the

specific aspects of the manufacturing process and production.

A NAMT node shall be defined as a system or set of systems that exists at a

specific physical location and is operational such that it functions to allow the

exchange of information with other systems at other physical locations participating

in NAMT. The capabilities of a node will typically include any of a number of

4 - 2
manufacturing equipment types. However, for network communication purposes,

the node will be considered as the computer and/or telecommunications systems

that are physically linked into the NAMT communications system. It is important to

note that more than one node may exist at one physical facility location and also

that more than one system may constitute the capabilities of one node. The ability

of nodes to accurately communicate with and among one another in support of

DVM objectives within integrated enterprises is a primary concern of NAMT.

4.3 Network Standards and Technologies

The networked systems that comprise the NAMT are so dependent upon standards

for information content, display and exchange, that it may be said that there is no

DVM enabling infrastructure without the standards. NAMT network communication

system concepts will employ these information exchange standards, both mature as

well as those being developed. The utilization of standardized technologies for

electronic network communications and their integration into DVM enterprises is a

major focus of the NAMT program.

There are a significant number of private sector and government projects now

focussed on hardware and software issues. The following examples are not

comprehensive, but indicate the types of issues where NAMT will use the best

available results and help with validation of the solutions that will be addressed in

NAMT. Hardware items include interfaces to promote plug-and-play capabilities

among manufacturing, computing and communication systems as well as physical

protocols and communication lines for transferring information. Technologies also

refer to issues associated with software compatibility, including software used for

machine programming, graphics display data manipulation, information and data

exchange and data retention. A major area of national concern is privacy and

communications security. The NAMT network will use the best commercial security

solutions available.

4.4 Program Network Communications System

NAMT will have a network communications system at the program level that will

exist to serve several functions as depicted in Figure 4.2. It will primarily serve as

the main communication vehicle for all participants in NAMT. It will physically

exist, at least initially, as a link into the Internet and will be known as the

NAMTLink.

NAMTLink's existence will be analogous to a NAMT home page on the World Wide

Web (WWW). NAMTLink will be accessible from the WWW, but it will not be

restricted to the WWW to accommodate those entities that cannot access WWW

(e.g., SME participants). NAMTLink will not have the vast array of capabilities that

individual project networks will have.

4 - 3
NAMTLink Structure

Internet/WWW

User

NAMT

Project Network 1 NAMTProject Network N

NAMTLink

NAMT Program Office at NIST MEL

Computing Base, Network Infrastructure,

Information Repository, ...

Figure 4-2 NAMTLink functions.

NAMTLink will act as an information repository that serves as a conduit of program

information with unrestricted access among NAMT participants. There will be

access capabilities for non-NAMT participants as a means of transmitting public

program information. Examples of the types of information exchanged on

NAMTLink may include NAMT Program announcements, lists of active NAMT

participants and projects (a NAMT points-of-contact directory) and an active

dialogue system by which participants can share generic problem information or

success stories about projects.

NAMTLink will initially be neither a development, nor standardization mechanism.

Its initial purpose will be the public dissemination of program information.

4.4.1 NAMTLink and the NAMT Program Office

NIST will serve as the system administrator for the NAMTLink and will conduct this

function in conjunction with the NAMT Program Office in the NIST MEL. At least

one state-of-the-art computer server will be part of this network communication

system to operate NAMTLink. NIST has several computer servers already linked

4 - 4
into the Internet and uses the WWW, ftp and gopher to connect to the global

community.

The technical specifications, such as the standard interfaces, data exchange,

communication protocols, system control scheme, servers and routers used for

NAMTLink will be developed as required. NAMTLink specifications will be designed

to allow open access and use accepted standards wherever possible.

Initially, the NAMTLink will have functionality that includes, at a minimum, the

electronic transfer of alpha-numeric text files, graphics files and video images. The

specifics of these transfers will be defined and refined as the program progresses

and will initially interface with presently available network communication systems.

4.5 Project Network Communications Systems

In addition to NAMTLink, NAMT will consist of individual project network

communication systems. These project networks will provide the means of

electronic communications for individual NAMT projects. Project network

communication systems will be technically driven by the project participants and

NAMT will serve to assist in network interoperability and standardization issues.

Project network systems will leverage existing networks as appropriate. It is

outside of the focus of NAMT and its projects to replace the Internet or other

currently available electronic networks. It is, however, within the focus of NAMT

to improve interoperability within and among networks in support of DVM

enterprise objectives.

NAMT project network communications systems will possess the capabilities for

the accurate exchange of a multitude of different types of information in support of

the DVM enterprises operating in each of the projects. Access to these systems

will be restricted in such a way that is mutually agreeable to the project participants

and the specific restrictions will be developed in conjunction with each individual

project. The issues regarding information exchange will be addressed by coupling

with the appropriate standards and standards activities.

These project network communications systems will be capable of communicating

with the NAMTLink as negotiated by the project participants. The purpose of

placing restrictions on access to these systems is to protect the participants of

individual projects in terms of intellectual property, maintain the integrity of the

project's technical objectives and address potential sensitivities associated with

competitors working in a common environment. These restrictions will be

negotiated among the project participants and the NAMT Program Office, prior to

the initiation of projects.

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4.6 Project Network Communications Systems Functionality

There are two primary issues, information exchange and connectivity, that define a

node's communication functionality.

4.6.1 Information Exchange Functionality

Information exchange functionality issues include a node's ability to accept and

transmit data in standard formats, such as STEP. It is not practical to mandate that

a node have a certain level of STEP functionality. However, it must be required that

a node be able to demonstrate a minimum capability to transmit and receive

product and process data specifically associated with the technical objectives of the

its projects.

4.6.2 Connectivity Functionality

Connectivity functionality includes the issues that must be addressed which are

related to the ability of one or more nodes to physically communicate with other

nodes. Included here are standard interfaces for different systems, communication

equipment and manufacturing equipment; communication protocols among

systems; network control schemes and servers and routers. Connectivity

functionality will be greatly facilitated through standardization; however, as with

other issues, it is out of the scope of this document to specify which hardware or software must be employed for a particular purpose.

The minimum connectivity functionality must be established by project participants

based upon the objectives of the project as matched with the various

manufacturing and communications systems employed within the project.

System modularity is an important element that must be considered when defining

a node's connectivity functionality, as well as its information exchange

functionality. This is important to facilitate the capability of different systems and

machines to be efficiently added to, removed from and interchanged with the

networks as needed. NAMT Project Networks are required to have interface

capabilities that will address DVM technologies used by the specific project.

4.7 Integrating NAMTLink and NAMT Project Communication Systems

NAMT will integrate NAMTLink and individual project network communication

systems. NAMTLink and the individual project network communications systems

will possess capabilities to allow information exchange on a restricted basis, as

described earlier. The maturing of various standards through scenario-based

demonstrations will be used to integrate individual communications systems with

one another. This will be done to improve the accuracy of information exchange as

part of DVM solutions.

4 - 6
Chapter 5. Projects

The NAMT will be built around an array of technical projects designed to pursue the

program mission. This chapter describes and defines NAMT projects and the

project screening process. As a reference for participants, there are synopses of

sample projects included in Section 5.3.

5.1 NAMT Projects - Described and Defined

To be a NAMT project, the effort must support the basic program mission. A set of

criteria and guidelines for NAMT projects were developed to determine initial

suitability of proposed efforts. The details and process used to develop criteria and

guidelines are given in Appendix C. NAMT projects must:

• support the NAI\/IT mission,

• identify the industrial impact in terms of defined benefits,

• provide a complete, specific and feasible technical plan,

• identify industrial participation and commitment, and

• define the relationship of the project to the NAMT organization.

5.1.1 Support the NAMT Mission

A project must show that it aligns with the mission of the NAMT. Projects should:

use multiple, geographically distributed facilities, or nodes, to support project

objectives; show an indication of industrial interest and support; and clearly define

methods to test and verify results. Ideally, the anticipated project facilities should

possess specialized or unique combinations of capabilities that add value to or

advance DVM.

5.1.2 Identify the Industrial Impact in Terms of Defined Benefits

NAMT projects must clearly demonstrate and define their industrial impact.

Quantitative measures of the benefits of the targeted DVM improvements are

needed. The project plan should map relationships among OEMs, suppliers,

manufacturers and vendors. Projects should identify the benefits to SMEs and their

suppliers. Where practical, projects should measure the impact on cost related to

the linkages of project participants per the industry-defined project scenario. This

could be direct or indirect as with projects which measure time-to-market change

identified by manufacturing cycle-time/lead-time reduction, or improved efficiency.

5.1.3 Provide a Complete, Specific and Feasible Technical Plan

The technical plan is a description of what the project is going to accomplish. The

plan should define an enterprise that uses DVM concepts, define the nodes and

define all relevant systems. The plan must identify funding, staff and facilities.

Targeted interoperability issues should be addressed. The plan should identify

leveraging elements for the projects, such as related efforts underway. The project

5 - 1
must define standards development and testing and should include a goal and

methods for achieving that goal. Finally, the project plan should address the

business impacts and implementation risks of adopting the targeted DVM

technology.

5.1.4 Identify Industrial Participation and Commitment

The plan should define an enterprise that contains the elements of a supply chain,

including a combination of suppliers, manufacturers, vendors and technology

providers. The plan must outline node-by-node resource availability. The plan

should clearly outline available funding and leveraging opportunities.

5.1.5 Define the Relationship of the Project to the NAMT Organization

Projects have a relationship to the NAMT organization. Project interactions with

the NAMT Program Office and the other participants should be explained and

information on what aspects of the core node facilities would be used.

5.2 Project Screening and Refinement

The process of submitting projects to the NAMT Program Office is not a proposal

evaluation and selection exercise. However, since NAMT resources are finite and

will be available for project use, an alignment process is necessary to ensure that

NAMT resources are allocated to appropriate projects. NAMT is not a source of

direct funding for projects, but it does provide resources for projects as outlined in

Chapters 3 and 6. The program office also assists projects in the identification of

funding sources.

Project screening will be a joint effort between submitting organizations, the

Technical Review Board and the NAMT office. Any organization with a project idea

for the NAMT should submit it in summary form to the NAMT Program Office at

NIST. The NAMT Program Office will work with the submitting organization to

refine the project as required. This is a process in which the NAMT Program Office

will work with a submitting organization to ensure that they satisfy the NAMT

project criteria.

5.3 Example Projects

The five project criteria presented in section 5.1 define what NAMT projects should

be. When organizations submit project summaries to the NAMT Program Office,

the project summaries shall be reviewed according to these criteria to determine

how well they are aligned with the concepts of NAMT.

Fifteen project summaries were received at NIST in January 1 995 at the initiation

of this plan. No criteria or project format had been established. A screening

process was applied to the initial submissions. The specific details of this initial

screening process are presented in Appendix C. To summarize this process, a team

of NIST evaluators independently classified a project into one of two main project

5 - 2
types, then applied a weight scale to the criteria based upon the project

classification. They then assigned a value to the project for each criterion. Projects

are classified as either DVM Enterprise Infrastructure Projects, or DVM Enterprise

Integration and Operation Projects. These project classifications are explained in

Appendix D.

Based upon this initial evaluation, it was determined that only two of the project

summaries ranked high with respect to the criteria. These projects can be used as

benchmarks for the type of projects that fit within the scope of NAMT. There are

two cautions a reader should note: these projects were only evaluated by NIST

staff and no set of criteria had been developed prior to submission of these

summaries. A call for project summaries will be made at the startup of the NAMT

program.

5.3.1 Agile Manufacture of Castings

The summary "Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings," a DVM Enterprise

Integration and Operation project, is given in Appendix D. It is an example of a

project that fits well with the identified NAMT criteria.

The project involves significant and specific industrial participation that includes

a prime contractor, suppliers and engineering analysis providers.

The project establishes a DVM enterprise consisting of several geographically

distributed nodes, each conducting unique functions in the development of a

new product which is cast.

The project pursues DVM-related technologies such as information sharing, rapid

fabrication, simulation and modeling.

The project summary does a concise job of explaining why this project satisfies the

basic NAMT mission, explaining what the potential industrial impacts of the project

are and providing the details of a brief technical plan for a 30-month project.

Specific, industrial participation is identified. The summary explains how the

project will relate to the NAMT Organization.

5.3.2 Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts

The project, "Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts in an Advanced DVM

Environment," described in Appendix D is another example of a DVM Enterprise

Integration and Operation project that fits well with the identified NAMT criteria.

This project was evaluated highly in its initial review for similar reasons to those of

the Agile Castings project. The project was rated slightly lower in its definition of

industrial participation, since industry commitments were not firm at the time of the

project summary's preparation.

5 - 3
The strengths of this project include the following.

The project includes multiple, geographically distributed facilities acting

collaboratively to improve the production of parts that consist of complex

geometric features.

The project integrates distributed and virtual technologies with advanced

machining processes and incorporates them into a DVM environment.

The project identifies specific node capabilities, including several unique facilities

which will be leveraged and which reside at one of the NAMT core node

organizations.

In Appendix C a list of 1 3 other projects reviewed in the initial screening process is

provided.

5.4 NAMT Initial Core Capabilities

At program initiation, NAMT will have a set of core capabilities and resources

available for projects. These core capabilities refer to the special resources that are

available for NAMT projects to leverage. The facilities and technical expertise

available at this time are stated in Section 3.1 .1 . As NAMT evolves and attracts

participants the core capabilities will increase.

Capabilities available for use as part of NAMT at the core nodes represent national

resources that are highly capitalized and in many cases unique, as highlighted in

Chapter 3. The leveraging potentials for projects participating in NAMT based on

these capabilities alone are significant. Further details on these valuable

capabilities, useful in project planning, can be found by contacting the NAMT

Program Office at NIST.

5 - 4
Chapter 6. Relationship To Existing Programs and Funding

A variety of organizations within the United States are independently working on

projects that lead to DVM capabilities. Coordination and leveraging resources are

essential to achieve the 21st century environment. This Chapter discusses the

relationship of NAMT to existing organizations and programs and the resource and

funding options for partnering in the NAMT program.

6.1 Initial Relationships

Building synergistic links to existing organizations and projects has been a priority

for NAMT planning from the beginning. Representatives of a number of established

programs and sponsoring organizations (see Appendix A) have been active in all

aspects of the planning process for NAMT. They include: the Advanced Research

Project Agency (ARPA), Agility Forum, Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG),

Electronic Commerce Resource Centers (ECRC), Joint Director of Laboratories

Manufacturing Science and Technology Program (JDL MS&T), Manufacturing

Extension Partnerships (MEP), National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS)

and Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM) Program. This involvement

began the process of ensuring that the NAMT will be integrated with and provide

complementary capabilities to important DVM related programs initiated by these

organizations.

While not comprehensive, the following provides some of the reasoning behind

linkage of NAMT planning to the above mentioned programs and organizations:

- ARPA is sponsoring a wide variety of programs which provide aspects of DVM

capabilities. Examples include a spectrum of Agile Manufacturing technology

development, business practice and pilot projects; the MADE program and the

Simulation Based Design effort. Further, ARPA has stated an interest in ensuring

that their DVM related programs integrate with the NAMT.

- Two representatives of the Agility Forum were directly involved in the NAMT

planning process. The Agility Forum is developing a broad industry consensus of

user needs and information system voids that would be input for the development

of solutions. They offer a strong potential source of requirements refinement and

lessons learned.

The AIAG is a strong supporter of supplier integration for the automotive

industry. They have a vested interest in implementing solutions which rely on

interoperability and have sponsored a variety of pilot efforts related to the electronic

interchange of business and technical information. They have expressed interest in

collaborating on a NAMT project.

6 - 1
- The mission of the ECRC is to create a world class supplier network by linking

U. S. industry to the National Information Infrastructure and thus improve the way

DoD and industry do business. Their charter is to work with government

organizations and small to medium size enterprises to enhance manufacturing

productivity, reduce time to market and improve quality at a reduced cost.

Therefore, the ECRC's can help NAMT by identifying opportunities to apply

information technology. In addition they can provide awareness of electronic

commerce standards and enabling technologies, provide education and training,

provide consultation and technical support and demonstrate uses and applications.

- The JDL MS&T program has been a consistent sponsor of DVM related efforts.

They are currently pursuing programs in the Manufacturing and Engineering

Systems and Advanced Industry Practices areas which are directly aligned with

NAMT goals. These include such programs as product data activities, lean practice

implementations and multiple defense related pilots. They have stated an interest -in future cooperation.

The MEP program was represented in the planning process with two members

being involved in the plan development. MEP will be involved in the NAMT in two

specific ways. They will identify and fund small manufacturers to become involved

in projects. Secondly, they will work with the NAMT in developing processes

which are appropriate for the smaller manufacturer. The Manufacturing Technology

Centers (MTC's) will play a very important role of bringing the voice of the smaller

manufacturer to the program and deploying the appropriate technologies which are

developed to them.

NCMS was directly involved in the NAMT planning process. They sponsor

projects and provide requirements coordination. Consortia like NCMS could bring

collaboration of their members to ensure proper focus and to utilize NAMT

resources. They could also become a node on the testbed to provide their unique

services. The design requirements which consortia are creating in specific domains

would act as input for creating NAMT projects to meet real industry needs.

Several TEAM members were involved in the NAMT planning process. TEAM

has been defining the global industrial needs and how to fit them into the product

and process design and manufacturing processes. TEAM has also taken an

inventory of tools which can be integrated based on the set of industry-government

participants. NAMT could assist in providing the testbed and the validation

methodology for the interoperability and testing from a standards point of view.

This testing could include the metrics of robustness and ability to scale.

6 - 2
6.2 Potential Future Relationships

The organizations mentioned above are active in various facets of advanced

manufacturing technology development. NAMT's mission relative to these and

other participants in the NAMT program will be to focus on the interoperability and

validation issues which need to be addressed to achieve DVM. This focus

differentiates NAMT from other initiatives and sets the context for close

cooperation with other programs. NAMT will rely on the many participants "to do

what they do best" and link to the NAMT.

The initial participants in the planning process do not represent a complete set of

the organizations to leverage projects and coordinate with on a national scale.

Toward building future relationships the first activity that will be undertaken when

the NAMT program starts is the development of a baseline that identifies the

existing programs which perform DVM related activities or functions. A road map

can then be developed to ensure that there is a minimization of duplication.

6.3 Resources and Funding Options for the NAMT Program

The NAMT effort, projected to start in the second quarter of 1995, is a 5-year $13

- 25 M per year joint industry-government program for implementation of a

multi-site, multi-organization "distributed and virtual manufacturing testbed".

Resources to establish and maintain this program are facilities, staff, equipment and

funds. Some of the core resources have been defined in Section 3.1.1.

The NIST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory will commit $3 - 5 M per year for

the establishment of a NAMT node, projects and program office. There are

associated NIST programmatic efforts such as the High Performance Computing

and Communications (HPCC) program. Systems Integration for Manufacturing

(SIMA) program and Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP) expected

to contribute $5 - 10 M per year. The other initial core nodes. Oak Ridge and

Sandia National Laboratories, will provide facilities and staff for this effort.

NAMT resources are facilities and staff with technical expertise that provide an

infrastructure to initiate projects focussed on the solutions to the roadblocks to

DVM. As such, it is not a source of direct funding. The projects are developed by

the participants engaged in the NAMT. Options for funding of projects are through

traditional government agency programs and private sector channels such as

consortia, associations and self-funding. Many of the organizations listed in

Section 6.1 have indicated interest in providing resources for NAMT projects and

related efforts. All projects that participate in the NAMT are required to identify

their resources that contribute to their project deliverables.

It is the aim of the NAMT to leverage resources and coordinate with all identified

DVM efforts to the extent practical.

6 - 3

Chapter 7. Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is critical for U.S. industry to remain competitive and develop

the edge for growth. NAMT will not establish a technology transfer organization.

Rather it will establish links to Manufacturing Technology Centers, Electronic

Commerce Resource Centers, technology suppliers and other specialists to promote

training and educational activities. NAMT, through existing organizations and

mechanisms, such as guest worker agreements and CRADAs, will facilitate the

transfer of DVM technologies, help generate awareness, develop receptiveness and

promote faster use by industry.

7.1 Principles & Statements of Intent for Technology Transfer in NAMT

NAMT project participants must provide reasonable information and documentation

to the program office.

Where appropriate NAMT activities will contribute to the transfer of the tools,

lessons learned and technology

The program office will be the focal point for information, conferences, workshops

and the conduit for awareness activities. NAMT technology transfer requirements

will be formulated such that it does not add excessive overhead or burdens to the

individual projects.

Facilitate transfer of DVM technology using distributed access to shared

resources.

By facilitating the integration of national resources, NAMT will reduce duplicate

technical developments by providing access to corporate, government and

academic resources. NAMT will act through either local distributed sites, such as

MTC's, or through larger, centralized nodes in order to disseminate information and/

or data. Commercial technologies will be recommended and used when they

satisfy requirements. Endeavors will be made to make people aware of existing

technologies and appropriate applications.

- Facilitate the provision of hands-on use and education and training to accelerate

technology implementation

The most effective way to transfer technology is active participation in projects.

Guest worker agreements, personnel exchanges and summer employment for

university faculty and students will be promoted. Education and training programs

will be developed and provided by educational institutions, commercial firms,

MTC's, trade associations and others on a localized basis. The NAMT program

office repository and on-line electronic library will provide information about the

availability of materials, programs, conferences and commercial opportunities for

training.

7 - 1
Provide a Window on the Technology for industry leaders, senior government

officials and Congress

The NAMT will promote visits to nodes, video-links, demonstrations and

conferences on a planned basis for the target groups. NAMT will use the approach

based on the experience of the NIST Automated Manufacturing Research Facility

(AMRF). The AMRF attracted thousands of industry personnel, industry leaders,

and senior government personnel who visited the facility. Staff from many

institutions came to work on research and development projects to advance the

state-of-the-art of manufacturing and transfer technology to individual companies.

- Ensure that intellectual property rights are respected.

Intellectual property rights (IPR) provisions are intended to ensure that: 1)

Contributions and benefits by participants, from cooperation in NAMT projects, are

protected, equitable and balanced; 2) The proper balance is struck between the

need for flexibility in partners' negotiations and the need for uniformity of

procedures among projects and among participants; and 3) The results of the

research will be shared by the partners through a process that protects and

equitably allocates any intellectual property rights created or furnished during the

co-operation.

7.2 The Specifics of Technology Transfer under NAMT

As part of project initiation, NAMT project participants must provide the NAMT

program office with materials describing the who, what, when, where, why and

how of a project.

Providing the transfer of DVM technology

Progress reports will be submitted on an agreed to basis to the program office.

Within IPR and resource limitations, visits to node sites will be arranged through the

program office. Guest worker personnel exchanges will be actively encouraged.

The issue of availability of software and hardware documentation and tools will

depend on the project and IPR restrictions for that project. Vendors will be

encouraged to commercialize the products developed so that it will be available to

the marketplace.

- Facilitating the transfer of DVM technology using distributed access to shared

resources.

Within the NAMT Program Office, a World Wide Web (WWW) site will be

established that provides repository information and links to other related DVM

information. Any individual or company can access basic information through

networks such as the Internet.

7 - 2
- Ensuring that intellectual property rights are respected

In general, the companies or individuals that develop or contribute previously

developed software, hardware or other items deemed as intellectual property shall

have the right to retain the material. Section 3.3.3 provides a discussion of

intellectual property, business and contractual issues.

- Facilitating the provision of education and training to accelerate technology

implementation

The nodes in general will help DVM users understand new processes and facilitate

training opportunities with "hands on" access to demonstrations and learning

materials. This will support industry in meeting evolving business needs. It will

acquaint individuals and organizations with the information necessary to execute

their tasks as they relate to technological advances.

Nodes may set up forums for local manufacturers to get together and informally

discuss generic technologies, what works and what doesn't. Wherever possible the

program office, nodes or project managers will provide a "neutral environment"

such that private sector firms, without exposure to the competition or

embarrassment, can get up to speed on the technologies or work with an expert

who is not selling a specific product or service.

7 - 3

Chapter 8. Critical Success Factors, Metrics and NAMT Program Phases

The preceding sections describe the conceptual design and development of a

national distributed testbed resource. We recognize that the ultimate value and

success of the endeavor will be measured by industry participation. This section

looks first at the success factors and participation metrics in general terms. It closes with an example of how we see that the emerging NAMT will be measured.

8.1 Critical Success Factors

From an analysis of the foregoing sections, there are three factors which appear to

be most critical for NAMT success:

- commitment;

- effective competency-based collaboration; and

- visible benefits achieved through managed processes.

Commitment is made at two levels: a strategic level and a tactical level. At the

strategic level, NAMT requires the commitment of sustaining partners who provide

dedicated resources over the long, multiple-project, term. These are the providers

of core or sustaining nodes and represent the major architects of the NAMT

program. At the tactical level, there is an absolute need for commitment on the

part of industrial organizations to design and to participate in the NAMT projects.

Underlying both levels is the need for commitment of the participants to the

principles of teamwork-based excellence and continuous process improvement.

NAMT goals will be met through collaborative efforts between and among industrial

organizations, academia and governmental agencies. Such collaboration must be

both effective and competency-based. Part of the competency-based activities are

obvious in that nodes are to be built around special capabilities, such as equipment,

systems or personnel.

The size and importance of the DVM problem amplifies the need for cooperation.

NAMT is not intended to develop the total solution to domain issues. Rather, it seeks to build cooperative solutions which are of mutual benefit to multiple parties.

As such, it must be viewed by the many activities already seeking improvement in

DVM capabilities as fulfilling needs associated with testbed activities.

Building a collaborative spirit has a significant impact on NAMT operations and

startup requirements. Organizationally, NAMT must not duplicate. It must not elicit

views of "we already do that," but rather of "together, we can do better." From

the industry collaboration perspective, NAMT must impart the view that reducing

risks, sharing results and insuring project collaboration will pay off. The value of

critical mass directed at coordinated problems must be at the forefront.

8 - 1
In the aggregate, the critical success factor for NAMT is founded on visible results

and specific benefits. NAMT benefits imply those which will be gained from

individual projects and the NAMT-integrated projects. Individual projects must meet

their own cost, quality or schedule related goals. At the same time, the coordinated

stream of projects in support of one another must make more progress toward the

DVM vision than they could realize individually. The benefits of mutual support

against the DVM application domain will demonstrate that NAMT is a value added

program. Examples of measuring value added include a variety of global beneficial

results such as:

- lowering the cost of collaboration through providing an infrastructure and fresh

links for technology transfer;

working through national bodies to contribute to the development of distributed

and virtual manufacturing related standards;

- coordinating and leveraging the DVM projects to assure the availability of

sustained critical mass resources; and

- bringing together technical experts and making this expertise broadly available.

The benefits will be achieved through a set of measured processes which:

balances project needs with national needs;

provides priorities which ensure that sponsored efforts are focused on

important, rather than urgent tasks;

allows for periodic evaluation and review by user-driven external and peer

groups;

provides efficient, reliable and cost effective operations to provide validated

solutions to program objectives; and

provides direct access to industrial and governmental research, technology,

systems and processes.

8.2 Metrics

As NAMT evolves, four types of metrics (activity, progress, output and

significance) will be applied to the program:

- Activity metrics will measure the effort expended on directed activity.

- Progress metrics will measure achievement of scheduled milestones.

- Output metrics will measure productivity of useful results such as technology

transfer to supplier chains; or, for individual projects this will translate to cost

reduction, to increased quality and to schedule compression.

- Significance metrics are measures of the beneficial impact to an industrial

sector or sectors. For the NAMT as a whole, the development of meaningful

8 - 2
metrics associated with its overall impact will be both important and difficult.

Methods to evaluate the value of cooperation and innovative change must be

pursued.

Each of the foregoing metrics types plays a role in the various NAMT phases. At

the project level, there will be relatively easy measures available. The critical issue

will be in determining the significance metrics for NAMT as a national testbed.

8.3 NAMT Measures

Prudent management demands that programs be measured as well as executed.

The NAMT management team is committed to the process of maintaining a

measurable program definition during the maturation of the program.

Realizing that NAMT will exist as a dynamic program that will change and evolve

during its maturation, it is necessary to define the measures that will be applied to

NAMT in terms of a context for the evolution of the program. This context and

measures are provided in the following section.

8.4 Program Evolution

NAMT exists now in terms of a conceptual design and has a set of goals that are

targeted against a vision and a mission. NAMT will not emerge full-blown onto the

technology development and implementation stage. Rather, it will be built in

measured steps by an industry-academia-government coalition. At the time of the

production of this document, the NAMT evolution is viewed in terms of four phases

and four gates as shown in Figure 8 - 1

.

Phase Time Frame

Foundation (6 mo)

Ramp-up (1 2 mo)

Sustainment (44 mo)

Sunset Review (at 54 mo)

Gate# 0 1 2 3

Figure 8.3 NAMT evolution.

8 - 3
Table 8-1 below provides the specific measures and activities during the various

phases of NAMT

Table 8 - 1 Application of Gate Measures at NAMT Phases

Gate #1 Gate #2 Gate #3

Ramp-Up Phase Sustainment Phase Sunset Review Phase

- A phase plan for An industry and - Decision on NAMT

ramp-up phase. government validated continuation beyond

Defined operational plan for the 5 years.

procedures which sustainment phase. - Refined NAMT

include special Refined operational operational

attention to NAMT procedures. procedures which

communications and Version 1 of a provide for sustained

technology transfer. National DVM flow of activities.

- A set of initial roadmap. - Version 2 of the

projects which Activity marks and annual DVM

involves both core progress against the roadmap.

and project nodes. Ramp-up plan. Activity marks and

- A defined set of Evidence of progress against the

cooperation targets in collaboration & Sustainment plan.

terms of both cooperation across Some of the initial

organizations and active projects projects successfully

specific projects. - A new NAMT project completed.

- An initial NAMT set set developed through A completed

of services. the selection process. "impact" report

Output results Proof of effective use which provides for

expectations on a per- of existing outlets for decisions about

project basis. tech transfer and further sustainment

Filled management SME assistance. actions.

and oversight boards. Double the number of Measured strategic

nodes. progress against the

Interim results of start NAMT vision.

up projects show Number of active

promise. projects built on core

competency.

- A NAMT services

suite that is

operational with

defined activity

measures.

8 - 4
8.4.1 Foundation Phase

The foundation phase takes place during the first six months of startup. This phase

consists of the actions necessary to progress from this conceptual document

(which provides a basis for participation decisions) to a strong foundation which

provides a solid basis for future success. This foundation will be built on a set of

initial targets, on the detailed business and management processes and on the

committed resources necessary to execute the NAMT program. During this phase,

the initial set of NAMT projects must be started.

Application of Gate 0

Measures can be provided in terms of snapshots. We know what we expect to see

will change as we proceed through the foundation phase. At this time, the

snapshots are defined in relation to four gates which separate the first three NAMT

phases. The target start date is the second quarter of calendar year 1 995 (April - June). Gate 0 is encountered at the end of the decision cycle following the

publication of this plan.

Gate O's name was chosen with care. It is, in reality, a go/no-go decision point.

There is a need for core or sustaining nodes and partners to provide the initial

NAMT capabilities and commitment.

Commitment is in two parts. 1) The partners must be committed to supporting the

first 3 years of the program, independently of the specific projects which will be

executed. 2) They must be committed to the principle that for DVM domain

problems, with testbed aspects, they will support projects through the NAMT

umbrella process. There is an absolute requirement for a kernel of core resources

to sustain the integrating functions of NAMT.

Without such commitment, there should be no decision to proceed with NAMT, as

the national aspects of the programs would be doomed to sub-critical struggle

against ever larger targets.

Specific measures applied to gate 0 are:

- firm identification and commitment of core nodes;

- NAMT Program Office at NIST MEL;

- NAMT Program Manager named from the NIST MEL;

- an Executive Steering Panel committed to serving through the foundation

phase in place;

- support resources to provide the initial set of NAMT services and execute the

program in place at NAMT Program Office;

- a preliminary set of foundation phase objectives and deliverables in place

against which to measure the program;

8 - 5
- a broad public announcement of the NAMT and a call to identify NAMT

projects will be issued; and

- a set of initial start-up projects (one or more) will be selected at the initiation

of NAMT

8.4.2 NAMT Program Phases

Table 8-1 defines the NAMT activities that must occur during the next phases.

During the ramp-up phase there is heavy emphasis on initiating projects, providing

initial NAMT services, defining participants, getting commitments, developing

procedures and filling the various panels and oversight committees.

During the sustainment phase several projects will be active and additional ones will

be in the startup and planning stage. Progress against NAMT goals will be

measured against the set of new projects defined and started by the

commencement of this phase. The NAMT services will be refined.

The sunset review phase will occur in NAMT's fourth year of operation. Project

progress and results and program impact will be analyzed and evaluated. The

evaluation will be against specific goals.

8.4.3 Application of Gates 1- 3

The present view of gates 1-3 share some common aspects and are shown in

Table 8 - 1 . The specific measures in this table are very likely to change over time.

What is important is that both the projects and the processes will be measured

using the metric types described in Section 8.2. Specific measures for the

anticipated end states will be required at the beginning of each phase.

The application of measures at gate #1 will occur during the ramp-up phase of

NAMT. The application of measures at gate #2 will occur during the sustainment

phase of NAMT. The application of measures at gate #3 will occur during the

sunset review phase of NAMT.

The sunset review phase is where the decision will be made whether NAMT will

continue beyond its initial 5-year duration. Based upon this decision, transition

activities will occur as appropriate.

Ideally there should be more phases beyond the three mentioned in this section if NAMT fills a valid need and provides value added. The decision to sustain NAMT

beyond 5 years will be made by the Executive Steering Panel. This means that the

participants in NAMT must show the program provides more value than a coherent

collection of projects. Despite the difficulty of this task, it is required to measure

the success of NAMT.

8 - 6
Glossary

Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF): Starting in the 1980's the

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) of the National Institute of Standards

and Technology (NIST) developed and managed a flagship program to work on

research and development projects to advance the state-of-the-art of manufacturing

and to transfer technology to individual companies.

Distributed Manufacturing: Distributed manufacturing is the set of activities

performed at geographically separated sites to design, produce and support a product or set of products.

Distributed Virtual Manufacturing (DVM): refers to manufacturing processes which

are distributed, virtual or both. Distributed means that different aspects of a

process occur in different physical locations. Virtual means that some aspect of a

process is modeled by a computer to facilitate faster, more accurate decisions

regarding how the process should proceed.

DVM Enterprise Infrastructure Project: refers to one category of NAMT projects.

See Chapter 5.

DVM Enterprise Integration and Operation Project: refers to one category of NAMT

projects. See Chapter 5.

Electronic Commerce Resource Centers (ECRC): Selected supply centers in the

nation participating in the Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support (CALS)

program.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): are legally binding agreements protecting the

rights to literary, artistic and scientific works; performances of performing artists;

broadcasts; inventions in all fields of human endeavor; scientific discoveries;

industrial designs; trademarks, service marks and commercial names and

designation; protection against unfair competition; and all other rights resulting

from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary or artistic fields.

Integrated Product Process Development (IPPD): refers to the standards program

underway in government and industry to formalize the exchange of product design

and development information.

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL): refers to a NIST Operating Unit

focussed on manufacturing.

Gl - 1
Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC): refers to a regional center set up to assist

SME's in the adoption of appropriate technology.

Metrics: refers to the critical success factors for measuring the NAMT program.

Four types of metrics will be applied to the program: Activity, Progress, Output and

Significance metrics. See Chapter 8.

National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed (NAMT): A program to develop a

network of specialized nodes geographically distributed which focus on DVM

technologies to support all phases of the design, manufacturing process and

product life cycle.

Rapid Prototyping: Physical realization of a product by fast fabrication techniques.

Red Team: a team of representatives from industry, government and academia to

review critically the NAMT Program Plan.

Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)

Standards for the Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP): refers to the ISO

Standard 10303.

Supplier Chain: refers to the organization of two or more customer-supplier

relationships all working together to design, develop, manufacture and service

customers in a marketplace.

Virtual Enterprise: a consortium of organizations formed for the purpose of

providing a product to the global customer. Note: this is synonymous with Virtual

Corporation.

Virtual Manufacturing: Virtual manufacturing is defined as the application of

computer simulation and modeling to represent manufacturing processes and

products.

World Wide Web (WWW): The World Wide Web is the universe of

network-accessible information. It is an initiative started at CERN, now with many

participants. It has a body of software, and a set of protocols and conventions.

WWW uses hypertext and multimedia techniques to make the web easy for anyone

to roam, browse, and contribute to.

Gl - 2
Table Of Contents

Appendix A. Contributors to tlie NAMT Planning Effort A - 1

Appendix B. NAMT Structure and Program Management Details B - 1

Appendix C. Project Criteria and Initial Reviews C - 1

Appendix D. Details of Example NAMT Projects D - 1 Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings D-4

Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts D - 1

3

Appendix A

Contributors to the NAMT

Planning Effort

Appendix A. Contributors to the NAMT Planning Effort

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory Planning Team

Merrill Hessel, Team Leader

Jim Albus

Howard Bloom

Dennis Swyt

Mike Wozny

Alpha Test Group for the NAMT Prospectus (Sep. - Nov. 1 994)

Bill Alzheimer Sandia Director, Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Center

Bjorn Andersen IBM Director, Architecture and CIM

Diane Bird DoE HQ TEAM program manager

Bob Booth GM Director of Manufacturing Information Systems

Joe Bordonga NSF Director, Engineering

Jeff Bostock Oak Ridge Vice President

J. Boudreaux ATP NIST Program Manager for Manufacturing

John Cassidy UTC Director Corporate Research

Mike Coffey NMTA President

Mel Cohen AT&T Vice President Research Effectiveness

John Decaire NCMS Acting President

Ric Hayes-Roth CIMFLEX President

Bill Henghold HMR President (Small Consulting Firm)

Jack Jones Sandia Director, Information Processes Center

Robert Kiggans SCRA Director, Adv. Tech. Group, GenI Mgr. PDES, Inc

Chris Klomp Boeing Director Product, Factory & Process Info. Sys.

Alex Larzelere DoE HQ Technology Transfer Program Manager

Mike McGrath ARPA Program Manager

A. Melissaratos Westinghse Vice President Corporate Research & Quality

Ted Merrill AIAG Executive Director

Stewart Miller GE Chair NIST MEL Panel

Dave Mitchell Rockwell Vice President Engineering & Manufacturing

Frank Tidaback Caterpillar Senior Executive Manufacturing

Jack White ITI (Ml) Director, Enterprise Integration

Mfg. Eng. Sys. DoD Program Managers

A- 1
NAMT Workshop Attendees (Dec. 14 - 15. 1994)

William Alzheimer, Sandia Natnl. Labs

Johnny Barnes, IBM

Dave Beck, Martin Marietta

Diane Bird, DoE

Robert Brown, Deneb Robotics, Inc.

Dudley Caswell, OSD

Dave Crawford, Pratt & Whitney

Warren DeVries, NSF

Richard Engwall, Westinghouse

William Henghold, HMR Associates

Bob Kiggans, PDES, Inc.

Mike McGrath, ARPA

Aris Melissaratos, Westinghouse

Ted Merrill, AIAG

David Mitchell, Rockwell

Bill Plant, Allied Signal Aerospace

Leo Plonsky, Naval Industrial

Resources Support Activity

Steve Ricketts, NCMS

Alvin Sabroff, Eaton Corporation

Heinz Schmitt, Sandia National Labs

Frank Tidaback, Caterpillar

Mark Toma, GM

Jack White, ITI Mike White, Pratt & Whitney

A-2
NAMT Plan Development Team (Feb.1 - March 13)

Brown, Mark ITI(MI)

Eichner, Don Iowa MTC

Engwall, Dick Westinghse

Erickson, Paul Sandia

Erickson, Katny Sandia

Gadient, Anthony SCRA

Henghold, Bill HMR Assoc.

Noel, Hank NCMS

Parsons, Ron NIST MEP

Paul, Anand CTC

Pokrzywa, Jack AIAG

Snyder, Jim Oak Ridge

Staas, Phil AgilityForum

NIST STAFF

Christopher, Neil

Frechette, Simon

Fronczek, Charles

Gilsinn, Dave

Hessel, Merrill

Jun, Jay

Lee, Kang

Rudder, Fred

Sriram, Ram

Stieren, Dave

Wavering, Al

Whitenton, Eric

A - 3
Reviewers of Red Team Draft (Feb. 24 - Mar. 1)

Bill Alzheimer Sandia National Laboratories

Johnnv Barnes IBM

Dave Beck Martin Marietta, ORNL

Frank Brake NewDort News

Bob Brown Deneb

Warren ¥ V <C4 1 1 \^ 1 1 DeVries \^ VII V NSF

Joe Erkes GE

Dave Godfrev MRI

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Mark 1 V 1 \Jt 1 IX S Lana k^WC 1 1 Ben Franklin Technology Center

Mike 1 V 1 1 IX V McGrath I V 1 1 \M k 1 I ARPA

Ted 1 X^ Vrii Merrill 1 V 1 \^ 1 1 1 1 I AIAG

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Leo Plonskv 1 1 1 1 1 X y Navy

Al Sabroff Eaton

John Sheridan NCMS

Frank Tidaback Cateroiliar ^« k 1 1^ III ktfl 1 Andv Tkach CTC

Nick Weil NCMS

Jack White ITI Mike 1 V 1 1 Ix w White V V 1 1 1 LVa/ United 1 1 1 k ^1 Technoloaies 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 k^ Kina Yee Boeina k^ ill XA

NIST Reviewers

Jim Albus, MEL

Don Blomquist, MEL

Howard Bloom, MEL

Jack Boudreaux, ATP

Cita Furlani,CSL

Dave Gold, MEP

Dennis Swyt, MEL

A - 4
Appendix B

NAMT Structure and Program

Management Details

Appendix B. NAMT Structure and Program Management Details

The NAMT program is a cooperative effort in which U.S. participants work together

to solve problems related to the establishment of distributed and virtual

manufacturing enterprises. The NAMT program operates under the management

structure discussed in Chapter 3 that consists of:

• Executive Steering Panel

• Distributed Management Team

• Technical Review Board

• Project Teams

The following is a more detailed discussion of the responsibilities of these bodies.

Executive Steering Panel

The Executive Steering Panel approves the NAMT strategic plan. The strategic plan

establishes goals and boundary conditions for the NAMT. The Strategic Plan is

created by the Distributed Management Team and used by the Technical Review

Board in creating, maintaining, and updating the Technical plan.

The Technical Plan will contain details of the Focus Areas within NAMT in which

industry requirements for distributed and virtual manufacturing indicate the highest

priority needs. The Technical Plan is created by the management team, and used

by the NAMT Program participants as guidance in developing their individual project

plans.

Project Members use the project plans to guide the execution of NAMT projects.

The project results are used by the participants to commercialize and/or deploy at

their option. A report of the project results and the original project plan is given to

the program management team to be used in guiding future projects as allowed by

intellectual property rights (IPR) agreements.

The structure and content of the IPRs will be derived from existing mechanisms

employed at participating nodes (e.g., CRADA, Memorandum of Understanding).

Protocols for agreeing on these, and other legal and business issues, will be a top

priority for the Executive Steering Panel. Also in accordance with IPRs some

results will be made available for use by nonparticipants.

The NAMT program staff will maintain program archives and facilitate technology

transfer. Project participants are the heart of the NAMT program. They develop,

demonstrate and advance virtual and distributed manufacturing technology.

B - 1
The NAMT Executive Steering Panel provides program oversight and sets strategic

direction. Members of the Executive Steering Panel will include representatives from

U.S. industry, Federal agencies, and academia who are knowledgeable of the

research, development, and deployment issues surrounding distributed and virtual

manufacturing enterprises.

The panel will meet no less than twice per year and no more than quarterly. An

equitable voice for all participants in the conduct of NAMT operations will be

ensured through the appointment to the Executive Steering Panel of participant

members from smaller companies. It is proposed that the panel will always be

chaired by an industry representative.

Executive Steering Panel Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the NAMT Executive Steering Panel include the following list.

(The Steering Panel may elect to delegate a portion of these responsibilities to the

NAMT Manager.)

• Provide overall guidance to the Program Manager.

• Set strategic priorities for the NAMT program.

• Form task forces or subcommittees necessary to accomplish its work.

• Ensure representation of industry, academia, and federal laboratories.

• Ensure that projects are meeting strategic priorities. • Provide funding to support the operation and functions of the Program Office

as needed.

Distributed Management Team

The NAMT Distributed Management Team will be a distributed entity coordinated

from the program office which will provide project oversight, coordination, as well

as logistic, technical, and administrative support to the NAMT Program. The

Distributed Management Team will consist of a NAMT program manager, industry

liaison, government program liaison, and any support staff required to fulfill the

management team responsibilities (e.g.. Deputy Manager, system administrator,

librarian, or secretary).

NAMT Program Manager

The NAMT Program Manager is responsible for execution of the program as

approved by the Executive Steering Panel, preparing the Technical plan, chairing the

Technical Review Board and establishing mechanisms to support the

communication and sharing of NAMT results (e.g., a document repository, e-mail

exploders, and a database of NAMT-related information. Portions of these

responsibilities may be shared with either the NAMT Distributed Management Team

or individual NAMT project teams.

B - 2
NAMT Program Manager Responsibilities (Details)

The overarching responsibility of the NAIVIT Program Manager is to provide value

added services to the NAMT project teams and their sponsors. The responsibilities

of the NAMT Program Manager includes the following list. These responsibilities

may be delegated to either the NAMT Distributed Management Team or individual

NAMT project teams. These responsibilities are

• Prepares Technical plans and interim reports.

• Execution of the program as approved by the Executive Steering Panel.

• Chairs the Technical Review Board.

• Coordination of the individual projects.

• Allocated resources as necessary to support NAMT operations.

• Educates new program participants.

• Disseminates information during and upon conclusion of projects in

accordance with intellectual property rights agreements.

• Provides logistics for meetings.

• Provides facilitation of meetings as needed.

• Assists with launching of new projects.

• Facilitates the formation of new projects and consortia.

• Hires or leverages support staff as needed.

• Coordinates the activities of the industry and government liaison

• Facilitate the acquisition of resources as needed by technical projects

• Establish e-mail exploders for program and individual projects.

• Establish common file server and document archival (maintains corporate

memory).

• Establish WWW server with links to related programs.

• Establish repositories of freely distributable software.

• Maintain a database of resources, contacts, and administrative information as

needed.

NAMT Industry Liaison

The NAMT Industry Liaison will provide a direct interface to industries and industrial

associations and consortium by identifying industry programs relevant to distributed

and virtual manufacturing and establishing information links with them. Acquisition

of industry needs, identification of potential projects and resources and

communication of NAMT capabilities will be emphasized.

NAMT Industry Liaison Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities of NAMT Industry Liaison are:

• Coordinate the creation of project teams

• Create information links to existing technical programs in industry

• Identify technical experts in industry for the NAMT projects to source.

B - 3
• Identify potential sources of industry funding for projects.

• Identify industry resources for use by projects.

NAMT Government Liaison

The NAMT Government Liaison will provide a direct interface to government

agencies and their programs relevant to distributed and virtual manufacturing by

establishing information links with them. Acquisition of government needs,

identification of potential projects and resources and communication of NAMT

capabilities will be emphasized.

NAMT Government Liaison Responsibilities

This individual reports through the NAMT Program Manager.

• Coordinate the creation of project teams.

• Create information links to existing technical programs in government.

• Identify technical experts in government for the NAMT projects to source.

• Identify potential sources of government funding for projects.

• Identify government resources for use by projects.

NAMT Program Management Support Staff

Program support staff will be obtained from the resources contributed by NAMT

participants as needed by the Program Manager. This staff may be technical or

clerical and the staff responsibilities will be determined by the Program Manager.

Technical Review Board

The NAMT Technical Review Board works to ensure the technical integrity of the

NAMT program. The Board need not have regular meetings to fulfill its

responsibilities but it is recommended that the board members attend the periodic

program reviews.

The Board will consist of individuals with recognized expertise in technical areas

related to distributed or virtual manufacturing and support the Program Manager by

determining if proposed projects fit the strategic direction set forth by the Executive

Steering Panel. The Board will additionally provide guidance to the Program

Manager regarding the feasibility of technical projects and their impact on NAMT

resources.

B - 4
Appendix C

Project Criteria & Review

Procedure

Appendix C. Project Criteria and Initial Reviews

Project Criteria

The criteria for determining what constitutes and exemplifies NAMT projects was

developed using the results of the two NAMT Workshops held in December 1994

and January 1995 as guides. These workshops identified and documented the

types of issues that concern the organizations interested in participating in the

NAMT. Additional information in this project development process has been gained

through acknowledgment of the NAMT vision, scope, goals, and objectives. All of

these elements provide the context for the following description of the NAMT

project criteria.

The criteria for describing whether technical projects should be considered as

NAMT projects could easily be very large in number, as the NAMT program context

encompasses a broad amount of manufacturing-related technologies. The

developmental process for producing these criteria proved this possibility to be

reality. The process of determining NAMT project selection criteria created over

100 legitimate, "within the context of NAMT," criteria against which a project

could be evaluated. This being an unwieldy number, these criteria were grouped,

weighted, analyzed, and re-grouped to produce a list of five criteria areas that will

provide the primary description of what it means to be a NAMT project. These five

criteria areas are listed below:

• support the NAMT mission,

• industrial impact in terms of clearly defined benefits,

• provide a complete, specific, and feasible technical plan,

• clearly identify industrial participation and commitment, and

• define the relationship of the project to the NAMT organization.

Each of these five project selection criteria areas are defined in detail by additional

specific items. These criteria areas and their additional defining elements are

summarized in chapter 5.

Project Classification

The five criteria areas listed above, along with the individual specific criteria that

further define them, were applied to the fifteen project summaries received in-house

at NIST at the time of this plan's development. These criteria were used for

evaluating projects on a 100 point scale to determine how well individual technical

projects fell within the defined scope and program intent of the NAMT. This

process was undertaken in an effort to recommend, only as examples, projects

which best demonstrated the NAMT concepts. This process and the initial example

recommendations are included in this section.

C - 1
The application of these five criteria areas was slightly different depending upon

what type of project was being evaluated. Before any project was evaluated, it was determined whether the project dealt primarily with NAMT network and DVM

infrastructure and enabling technologies; or whether the project was concerned

with the demonstration, integration, and operation of a DVM enterprise in pursuit of

defined technical objectives; or with a combination of both of these issues. A

project that deals with a combination of both issues was classified as the latter

type.

The first type of project, which deals primarily with DVM infrastructure and

enabling technologies, is termed a DVM Enterprise Infrastructure project. The

second type of project, which deals primarily with demonstrating, integrating, and

operating a DVM enterprise in pursuit of a real manufacturing objective, is termed a

DVM Enterprise Integration and Operation project.

Project Criteria Weighting

For a DVM Enterprise Infrastructure project, the five criteria areas are weighted as

follows for project evaluation purposes:

• Support the NAMT Mission: 35 pts.

• Industrial Impact: 1 5 pts.

• Technical Plan: 30 pts.

• Industrial Participation: 1 5 pts.

• Definition of Relationship to NAMT: 5 pts.

A brief summary of the rationale for the above point weighting scheme provides

that for Infrastructure-type projects, it is most critical that the projects be working

on infrastructure technologies that will act as enablers for the Integration and

Operation projects; hence, falling within the scope of NAMT is given the most

credence. A detailed technical plan was determined to be very close in importance

to satisfaction of the NAMT mission. This is followed by industrial impact and

industrial participation/commitment, which were weighted equally, yet of lesser

importance than NAMT mission satisfaction and the quality of the technical plan.

Finally, the NAMT organization role was acknowledged as being worthy of

consideration and explanation, as every project must interact in some identified way

with the NAMT as a program.

For a DVM Enterprise Integration and Operation project, the five criteria areas are

weighted as follows for project evaluation purposes:

• Support the NAMT Mission: 30 pts.

• Industrial Impact: 20 pts.

• Technical Plan: 25 pts.

C - 2
Industrial Participation:

Definition of Relationship to NAMT:

20 pts.

5 pts.

A brief summary of the rationale for the above point weighting scheme provides

that for Integration and Operation-type projects, it is most critical that the projects

be working on "NAMT" projects, as is explained in Section 5.1 . Of next most

importance is the need for a good, thorough, and feasible technical project plan.

This is followed closely by industrial impact and industrial participation and

commitment, which are of equal importance. Note that these two criteria areas are

weighted slightly more heavily for this type of project than for an Infrastructuretype project, as they are more critical in the demonstration of a real working

enterprise. The last criteria area, again worthy of consideration and explanation, is

the definition of the NAMT organization role.

Project Evaluations

A subtotal of 1 5 project summaries were received at NIST for the NAMT Program

at the time of the development of this planning document. Ten of these were

submitted by staff of the NIST MEL, and five were submitted by industrial

organizations. These 1 5 project summaries were reviewed by the team of MEL

members who were on the IGT and were responsible for developing this section of

the NAMT Implementation Plan.

These reviews were conducted, and are included in this planning document,

specifically to provide examples of the types of projects that match well with the

NAMT project criteria presented here. For these examples, the evaluation process

is described below.

All evaluations were conducted independently by the individuals making up the

team and consisted of the following process. The team reviewed all the project

summaries as a group to determine who would exclude themselves from reviewing

which project summaries. An exclusion was required if a team member was either

involved in preparing a summary, or would be involved in the conduct of the

summarized project. No team member reviewed his own projects. Independently,

each reviewing team member then would first read a project summary to classify

the project as either a DVM Enterprise Infrastructure project, or a DVM Enterprise

Integration and Operation project. After classification, appropriate weights were

placed on the evaluation criteria, then points were assigned to each criteria for each

proposal. Each team member then submitted his reviews to the team leader, who

synthesized the data.

To reiterate, this process was just the first attempt to analyze project summaries

based upon quantified, fact-based reason.

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Based upon the initial evaluation, it is the recommendation of this sub-group of the

NAMT IGT that the following two projects are examples of projects that should be

considered as NAMT projects. This is a statement regarding the nature of these

project summaries in relation to the developed project criteria. These two projects

scored significantly higher in this first evaluation phase than any of the other 13

projects. The two example projects are:

1 . The Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings, and

2. The Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts in an Advanced DVM

Environment.

These two project summaries are included in Appendix C, along with a list of the

1 3 other project summaries reviewed in this process. Note that additional project

reviews from the industry representative members of this sub-group of the NAMT

IGT are occurring, and when they are available, these reviews will be combined

with those already conducted.

C - 4
Appendix D

Details of Example NAMT

Projects

Appendix D. Details of Example NAMT Projects

This appendix presents the two project summaries that are cited in Chapter 5 of

this NAMT document as potential examples of NAMT projects. These project

summaries were produced by their respective authors and were received by the

NAMT Industry Government Planning Team (IGT) prior to the establishment of any

project criteria for NAMT projects.

Project summaries were requested from the staff of the NIST Manufacturing

Engineering Laboratory (MEL), and from industry through the NAMT IGT. The

objective of this request was to obtain a sampling of technical projects that are

driven by industry need and which demonstrate aspects of distributed and virtual

manufacturing.

Fifteen project summaries were received and were screened during the NAMT plan

developmental process conducted by the IGT. The received project summaries

varied greatly in format, since no format specification was announced in the

request.

The purpose of including these example project summaries in an appendix is to

provide the reader with additional insight regarding the types of projects which

could potentially be conducted in NAMT. The two project summaries presented on

the following pages were both produced by technical personnel within the NIST

MEL. These summaries include all of the technical information, level of effort, and

cost data that was submitted to the IGT. No editing of these summary project

descriptions has taken place.

Project Listing

In addition to the two summaries presented in this appendix, the following thirteen

project summaries were received and screened by the IGT in the development of

this planning document. Also, a project summary is included in this list that was

received from the Industrial Technology Institute and which is on file, yet was

received too late to be included in the screening process for this NAMT document.

All these project summaries are on file in the NIST MEL, if additional information

regarding a particular project is desired by the reader. Access to this information

can be obtained through contacting either the project submitting organization or the

NIST MEL. The listing below is in alphabetical order of the project title, and

includes the submitting organization.

1 . Advanced User Interfaces for the Apparel Production Floor

NIST MEL

2. AIAG AutoSTEP Pilot

Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)

D - 1
3. Approach to Systems Engineering Framework Technology

Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM) Project

""4. Demonstration of Next Generation Continuous Arc Welding for Intelligent

Manufacturing

NIST MEL

5. Distributed and Virtual Interfaces for NAMT

NIST MEL

6. Distributed and Virtual Manufacturing Technology for Advanced

Semiconductor Circuits

NIST MEL

7. Electronet

Westinghouse Electronic Systems

8. High Speed Machining of Aerospace Parts

NIST MEL

9. NAMT Assembly

NIST MEL

10. Nil Applications to Further the Deployment of Agile Manufacturing

The Agile Manufacturing Enterprise Forum

1 1 . Precision Rapid Prototyping Using Advanced Materials

NIST MEL

12. Shared Databases for Product Development

Industrial Technology Institute

13. Systems Engineering Framework for IR Focal Plane Array Design Tools

Westinghouse Electric Corporation, University of Maryland,

Ontek Corporation for the MADE Program

14. Virtual and Distributed Edge Finishing Research

NIST MEL

D - 2
Title Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings

Contact Ram D. Sriram

Leader, Engineering Design Technologies Group

Manufacturing Systems Integration Division

Clayton Teague

Leader, Micrometrology Group

Precision Engineering Division

Scenario

Participants will demonstrate how network links, common software interfaces and

data specifications reduce cycle-time from design to casting acceptance among

geographically disparate companies. In this scenario, a large prime manufacturer

solicits bids from first tier casting suppliers for the development and validation of a

1000 lb. prototype casting to be delivered for acceptance testing within a four

week timeframe. Acceptance of the prototype casting by the prime manufacturer

will lead to award of a contract for ten more of the castings to be delivered over a 6 month period.

Here it is assumed that the contract for the prototype casting has already been

awarded to a qualified first tier casting supplier. A more elaborate scenario might

include the actual bid solicitation process using CommerceNet as the medium for

electronic dissemination of the Request for Proposals and for submission of the

actual bids. Further, intelligent facilitators will identify appropriate experts (e.g.,

casting supplier, analyst, etc.). Once the contract has been awarded, the prime

manufacturer transmits the design specifications to the casting supplier (either

directly or through a shared database). The design specifications detail the

material, geometric shape, the dimensions, and the tolerances of the part. The

design specification also provides information describing functional intent by way of

feature descriptions and parametric equations. The casting supplier is able to

correctly interpret the entire design specification because the data is provided

according to a STEP Application Protocol providing a common context for

interpretation of the design specification.

With the design specification in hand the casting supplier develops several

specifications: a design specification for the as-cast part, a preliminary pattern

design, a casting process specification, and a machining strategy to machine the

desired part from the as-cast part. The pattern design and casting process

specification in turn are transmitted electronically to a casting analysis service

process maintained on computers at NIST/SIMA's AMSANT facility. Again,

accurate information interpretation is achieved by use of common STEP

specifications for the design of the pattern and the process description. The

D - 3
pattern design and casting specification will be annotated with audio, video, and

textual data and transmitted using one of the commercially available tools (such as

Spectragraphics' TeamSolutions^""); thus various team members will have access to

engineering intent. The analysis service provided in the AMSANT facility

automatically processes the pattern design and process specification and transmits

analysis results, such as stress, strain, deflection, and other information, back to

the casting supplier. The analysis results are interpreted by the casting process

designer and used to improve the process and pattern design. The casting designer

may have questions about certain aspects of the analysis. She/he may intiate a

video conference with the analyst to discuss potiential conflicts. A shared

whiteboard-like mechanism is used to display the design and analysis output, which

all the participants can view and comment on. This casting process design,

analysis, and redesign cycle is repeated until the desired process performance

specifications are achieved.

Once the pattern design and casting process specification have been chosen, the

casting supplier electronically transmits the pattern design to another company (say

pattern manufacturer) for the machining of the pattern. Again, accurate

information interpretation is achieved by use of a STEP Application Protocol. A

virtual machining software may provide a simulation of the machining process and

how the final product may look like. The pattern manufactuer initiates a video

conference and shows this to the pattern designer. If the proposed pattern is

acceptable to the casting supplier, the pattern manufacturer generates apppropriate

NC machine code for manufacturing the pattern. Before it is delivered to the

casting supplier, the pattern manufacturer initiates a video conference and shows

the casting supplier various features of the new pattern. The casting supplier

accepts the product and it is delivered.

With receipt of the pattern, the casting supplier is now ready to commence the

pour. The supplier fully expects that the initial pour will result in an acceptable

prototype because the casting process has already been simulated and analyzed

using appropriate analysis tools (e.g., grain size, grain distribution, FEA, etc.)

available at the AMSANT facility. The pour is finished successfully and the as-cast

part is readied for shipping to another company with machining centers of sufficient

size to carry out the final machining. The as-cast part is delivered to the company

for final machining. This last facility has had ample lead time to set-up for the

arrival and machining of this part because the casting supplier had previously

transmitted the machining strategy and finished part design specifications. The

final machining is performed and the finished part is delivered to the prime

manufacturer on schedule.

Having received the prototype casting, the prime manufacturer (who has been a participant in the process all along) now intends to validate the part to ensure that

D - 4
the casting supplier has delivered a part which meets the prime's acceptance

criteria. The prototype is subjected to laser scanning and 3D Computer

Tomography (CT) scanning or appropriate techniques (e.g., 3D Coordinate measing

machines). The laser scans of the surface of the part yield data points describing

the exterior dimensions of the part. The CT scans yield data points describing the

internal structure of the part. The data which results from the laser and CT scans

is transmitted to NIST where scientists, made available through the AMSANT

facility, analyze the data points to develop a geometric model of the part as well as

to provide analytic results describing the precise dimensional characteristics. The

geometric model and analysis report are transmitted back to the prime manufacturer

who then compares this information with their original design specifications. The

casting supplier's prototype is accepted and the prime manufacturer can now

award the contract for the remaining ten castings with confidence.

Goal

The goal of this project is to assist General Electric and its partners with the

development and technology transfer of a prototype agile virtual manufacturing

process development environment for high quality sand-molded castings.

Manufacturing process development is the largest time and cost element for new

product introduction. The manufacturing process development phase covers all work performed to reach a production ready state for a new product design.

Current and future market needs along with fierce global competition require major

reductions in the manufacturing process development time and cost without quality

compromise. Direct speed-up and enhancement of current manufacturing process

development activities will not be sufficient to guarantee the competitiveness of

U.S. industry. The basic structure for doing manufacturing process development

will have to be changed into a virtual one that taps into the best internal and

external resources available and utilizes a new operational mechanism that provides

major speed and cost advantages.

One of the longest manufacturing development cycles is that for steel castings

which can be as long as 2 years. This project addresses renewing and revitalizing

the current castings acquisition process for a casting supplier and its sub-tier

suppliers and service providers. The project will focus on increasing the

manufacturing agility for steel castings that are made using sand molds.

Few software tools supporting casting manufacturing agility are available, and

fewer still speak to each other except in their own proprietary languages. As a

result, casting manufacturing processes are developed through loosely coupled

activities where humans provide the integration, coordination, and most of the

information content. These systems lack the agility to respond to the challenges of

endless unanticipated changes in product design and market needs.

D - 5
This project will leverage emerging Nil capabilities to improve communications and

streamline life cycle interaction, provide electronic documents for information-rich

electronic Technical Data Packages, and leverage the collaborators' installed base of

tools and techniques by wrapping existing codes, new capabilities, and emerging

network services into CAD/CAM/CAE clients. The results are expected to shorten

castings development by up to 90%, ensure producible castings and first-part

quality, and reduce costs for all participants.

Relationship to IVIEL Goals

This project pursues technologies which can be used to drive the development of

information standards such as those for capturing product data descriptions, design

intent, and active engineering documents. In particular it will seek to augment the

existing suite of STEP standards with one intended to support the exchange of

casting information. These endeavors directly relate to MEL's objectives for

promoting the development of the next generation of information standards

supporting manufacturing.

This project directly relates to MEL's thrust in Manufacturing Systems Integration

through its intention to develop interfaces between existing systems used in the

design and analysis of castings and the casting process itself. This project

supports the MEL goal of fostering industry development and implementation of

advanced manufacturing systems through its efforts to create an agile and virtual

manufacturing development process. Casting suppliers, casting service houses,

and casting customers will benefit from this project through the establishment of a

virtual casting testbed at the NIST AMSANT facility and through dissemination of

project results through the NIST facility.

Relationship to NAMT Goals

The Agile Manufacturing Development of Castings project is directly supportive of

the NAMT's goal to establish a multi-site, multi-organization distributed and virtual

manufacturing testbed. This project will demonstrate how a casting customer, first

and second tier suppliers, and casting service consultants can utilize the Nil

infrastructure, data exchange interfaces, and advanced engineering analysis

software to enable rapid development and validation of process and product.

Approach

The project will utilize integration technologies and functional technologies to

address the critical need for agile manufacturing development of castings. The

integration technologies will include leveraging the use of the Nil infrastructure and

services to streamline communications between all the life-cycle perspectives

required to produce castings. Active document technology which enables rich

electronic technical data packages capturing design and manufacturing intent will

D - 6
also be used to facilitate the ease with which specifications are produced,

reviewed, and extended.

The functional technologies to be ennployed are necessary to accelerate and

enhance the performance of each stage of the casting manufacturing process

development phase. These technologies include those supporting castings

producibility analysis, process and pattern design, pattern prototyping, pattern

fabrication, process and tooling validation, and networked manufacturing services.

To facilitate technology dissemination, the casting project participants will work

with NIST to establish a testbed for castings manufacturing process development

technologies. The AMSANT facility at NIST will serve as repository for the

specifications and prototype software interfaces developed as part of the project.

AMSANT will also serve as a vehicle for testing and demonstrating virtual castings

development processes.

NIST Expertise

NIST's MSID has expertise in STEP, collaborative design, databases, knowledgebased systems, systems integration, etc. PED has expertise in high accuracy 3D

dimensional metrology.

Benefits to Industry

The distributed and collaborative casting design and manufacturing environment will

reduce the castings acquisition process from the current best practice of 1 2 weeks

to 2 to 4 weeks (according to the project team). This will result in considerable

savings for both the civilian and the defense sectors.

Industry Participants

Note: Most of the participants tiere tiave been identified from a proposal to be

funded by ARPA. We hope to obtain their participation in the NAIVIT initiative.

A. Kader Elgabry

General Electric Corporate Research and Development

Tel: (518) 387-5263

Facilities: Comprehensive engineering laboratory. Concurrent Engineering Toolkit,

WWW server, integration utilities, 3D computed tomography equipment for

volumetric imaging.

Role: Apply its proven expertise in the development of the Concurrent Engineering

Toolkit, active document technology (e.g., engineering design notebooks), software

integration, and Nil-based applications to the development of the interfaces and

mechanisms necessary to link the participants and their capabilities together.

D - 7
Bill Blair

General Electric Transportation Systems

Tel: (814) 875-2490

Role: Large industry

Facilities: Rapid Prototyping Tool Room includes 16 NC machines, grinding, milling,

turning machines and NC programming services.

Role: Large casting customer. GETS is a leading supplier of freight and passenger

locomotives and related systems. GETS will assist in cycle testing the virtual

manufacturing development process. GETS expects up to 90% reduction in turnaround time from when its casting specifications are released to when the casting

is delivered.

Stephen McNeil

United Defense, L.P.

Tel: (717) 225-4781

Role: Large casting customer. UDLP is the Army's primary tracked combat vehicle

manufacturer for canon artillery, tank recovery, and combat production lines. Like

GETS, UDLP will participate in cycle testing the new development process.

Shrirang Kulkarni

Keokuk Steel Castings

Tel: (319) 524-2661

Facilities: 10 ton Whiting arc furnace, 1 ton and 500 lb. induction furnaces, 1 ton

ADD vessel. Complete core room, molding, sand reclamation, heat treatment,

cleaning, and finishing facilities.

Role: First tier casting supplier. Keokuk will participate in cycle testing the new

development process.

Jiten Shah

Knight & Packer, Inc.

Tel: (708) 505-5722

Facilities: Computer modeling laboratory for CAD, finite element analysis,

solidification and mold fill modeling, kinematic analysis, and simulation. Analysis

equipment for metallurgical testing.

Role: Second tier supplier engineering services. K&P performs casting design and

analysis services for the casting industry. K&P will participate in cycle testing the

new process.

Ron Gustafson

Clinkenbeard and Associates

Tel: (815) 226-0291

D - 8
Facilities: CAD/CAM systems, rapid prototyping using laminated object

manufacturing, and 3.5 axis machine centers.

Role: Second tier supplier engineering services. Clinkenbeard performs model and

pattern design services for the casting industry. Clinkenbeard will participate in

cycle testing the new process.

John Bachinsky

Watervliet Arsenal

Tel: (518) 266-5719

Facilities: 1430 machine tools (260 are CNC); specialized manufacturing

capabilities for composites, alloys, large/heavy parts, and long cylindrical parts;

rapid prototyping using stereolithography.

Role: Second tier supplier. For this project, the arsenal will perform machining of

large castings. It will participate in cycle testing the new process.

Jeffrey Heinen

General Electric Power Generation

Tel: (518) 385-2363

Role: Large casting customer. GEPG will assist in the second half of the project to

determine the requirements for scale-up to heavy castings.

David Caldwell

Atlas Foundry

Tel: (206) 473-8724

Role: First tier casting supplier. Atlas will assist in the second half of the project

to determine the requirements for scale-up to heavy castings.

Stanley Shelly

National Institute of Flexible Manufacturing

Tel: (814) 333-2415

Role: Regional teaching factory (proximity to GETS). Will serve as a pilot for

transferring results to regional technology transfer facilities.

Charles West

BIRL/Northwestern University

Tel: (708) 491-4470

Role: Administrative and financial support for project participants.

Bob Blumberg

Spectragraphics Inc

9107 Waples Street

San Diego 92121

Role: Vendor of groupware products

D - 9
Other: TBD

Plan

Note: Currently, two divisions (MSID and PED) have been identified as potential

NIST collaborators. We hope to involve other divisions at NIST. The following is a tentative plan, and is subject to change.

FY95

• Develop structure for robust casting design specification package

Deliverable: Robust Design Spec. Templates

• Develop methodology to create/communicate design specifications

Deliverable: Design Specification Demonstration

• Develop sand-mold casting manufacturability database

Deliverable: Castability Database

• Develop means for using casting manufacturability database

Deliverable: Castability Database Demonstration

• Develop modeling capability for faster casting design iterations

Deliverable: Casting Master Model Demonstration

FY96

• Establish optimized castings design process

Deliverable: Casting Design Process Demonstration

• Establish enhanced pattern design and fabrication methodology

Deliverable: Pattern Design Demonstration

• Apply best practices for physical models usage

Deliverable: Physical Models Demonstration

• Establish rapid validation process for patterns and castings

Deliverable: Validation Demonstration

• Identify enabling technologies for scale-up to heavy castings

Deliverable: Applicable Technology Document

FY97

• Define requirements for extending enabling technologies for heavy castings

Deliverable: Requirements Document

D - 10
• Transition enabling technology to commercialization organizations

Deliverable: Evaluation of beta version commercial tools

Budget

Project Duration: 30 months

D - 1

NAMT PROJECT SUMMARY

The Rapid Manufacture of Complex Geometry Parts in an

Advanced Distributed and Virtual Manufacturing (DVM) Environment

Developed and submitted by Divisions 82 1, 822, 823, and 826

(An integrated scenario involving the MEL hexapodj

January 27, 1995

Scenario: To demonstrate the capability to rapidly manufacture complex

geometry parts in an advanced DVM environment that leverages

unique or highly capitalized facilities.

The manufacture of parts and products which consist of complex geometric

features typically entails intensive engineering designs with demanding dimensional

tolerances and performance requirements. The manufacture of these parts also

involves rigorous manufacturing process engineering that requires systems

integration, complex machining processes, and stringent quality assurance systems.

Such highly engineered parts and products frequently have multi-tiered supply

chains that carry out the functions necessary to transition a part or product from

design to market.

In this project scenario, the NAMT will develop a testbed manufacturing enterprise

that integrates the manufacturing systems, advanced machining, and advanced

metrology capabilities resident at various unique or highly capitalized facilities that

are distributed geographically. This testbed manufacturing enterprise will

incorporate the electronic exchange of both physical and virtual manufacturing

process and product information among the various facility sites. The result of

developing and operating this testbed enterprise, which will exist as an advanced

DVM environment, will be the demonstrated rapid production of complex geometry

parts. This rapid part production demonstration will strive to achieve industryidentified goals of decreased delivery lead time, increased part quality, and

decreased manufacturing cost.

The testbed DVM system that is envisioned will include a minimum of three

distributed, network-linked nodes, each performing individual functions of the

manufacturing enterprise. These nodes include a large industrial corporation, which

will establish the criteria for a specific complex geometry part or product based

upon design/performance requirements; a supplier, that will provide the process

engineering information for the part or product, which will include product and

process modeling and simulations; and a manufacturing facility, that will

manufacture the prototype or part.

D - 13
An extremely important aspect of this DVM enterprise is the continuous and

concurrent exchange of information among the different nodes to optimize the rapid

transition from design to production for the complex geometry part or product.

Also, it is important to note that three nodes is the minimum participation, and that

there may be additional nodes on the system which will provide expertise in

various, specific aspects of the enterprise. Also, it is highly probable that each of

this testbed's nodes may have a number of diverse systems linked together which

represent the comprehensive capabilities that are required to accomplish that

node's particular functional aspects within the enterprise.

Goal

The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate the capability to rapidly

manufacture complex geometry parts in an advanced DVM environment. The

project will develop and operate a testbed DVM enterprise that leverages

capabilities resident at partner facilities which are unique or highly capitalized. This

DVM enterprise will address the manufacture of complex geometry parts from

design to production. Quantified goals of cycle-time reduction, quality

improvement, and manufacturing cost will be established by the project's industrial

collaborators.

Relationship to MEL Goals

This project addresses the MEL goal of anticipating and addressing the needs of the

U.S. manufacturing industry for the next generation of physical and informational

measurement standards. This will be accomplished by identifying and adapting

product data, network and control system interfaces, and performance evaluation

parts in a DVM enterprise.

The mission of MEL is to work with the American manufacturing sector to develop

and apply technology, measurements, and standards.

A major technical thrust of MEL is in Manufacturing Metrology, specifically in the

areas of fast and reliable measurements using high-speed, non-contact CMMs. This

project represents the near term physical realization of this MEL technical thrust as

a primary element of the Lab's mission. This will be accomplished through the

testbed demonstration of these types of measurements made for complex geometry

parts using, for example, the MEL Octahedral Hexapod Machine, as verified by

MEL's other high-accuracy CMMs. The unique hexapod represents a new class of

machine with the potential for precise, high throughput machining and

measurement of complex geometry parts.

Another technical thrust of MEL is in Intelligent Machines and Systems, specifically

the development and transfer to industry of open architecture controllers. This

project will leverage the Enhanced Machine Controller through, for example, a

D - 14
retrofit onto the MEL hexapod, as well as the under-development generic sensor

interface for machine controller, to develop and validate the "plug-and-play"

capabilities of open architecture controllers.

Another MEL thrust is in Manufacturing Processes and Equipment, specifically

relating to high-speed and high-precision manufacturing. An important goal of this

project is the demonstration of in-process metrology for sensor-based

manufacturing, and will involve technical tasks associated with machine

characterization and calibration.

Finally, this project is related to the MEL Manufacturing Systems Integration Thrust,

as it will involve the application of simulation technologies, with their associated

data exchange requirements, toward the development of this industrially accessible,

flexible testbed of integrated manufacturing engineering, machining, and inspection

systems. This project will demonstrate a distributed environment through remote

network linkages among its industrial and government collaborators.

Use of the MEL hexapod machine is mentioned here as an example of the new

types of equipment necessary to meet the challenges of increasing the quality and

productivity of complex discrete parts.

More specifics on MEL's focus within this project scenario are contained in the

following sections of this project summary.

Relationship to NAIVIT Goals

The unique, value-added goals of the NAMT to U.S. manufacturing industries are to

address the major measurement and interface standards issues associated with

developing and demonstrating a national testbed that is an integrated system of

DVM. The major focus of MEL in this project will be on the metrology and

interfaces required to establish, develop, and operate the DVM enterprise for

complex part manufacturing.

Specifically relating to interface and other standards issues, this project will address

through testing and development, the following standards:

• STEP:

identification of resources and application protocols (APs), for product and

process data for complex geometries and advanced manufacturing processes;

• Y1 4 Product Definition:

application and testing of product geometry and tolerancing information for

complex geometries;

• DMIS and CL:

D - 15
application and testing of interfacing data for inspection and machining from

different CAD/CAIVI- and simulation-based systems;

• Open architecture controller and sensor interfaces:

development/retrofit and testing of developed interfaces for facilitating "plugand-play" capabilities among a variety of machine, sensor, and software

application types;

• B89, B5 Performance Evaluation for machines:

application and testing of standard performance evaluation methods for a new class of machine and for high-accuracy CMMs; and

• Electronic Networks:

application and testing of diverse information sharing using electronic

networks.

Specifically relating to metrology, the scope of this project will address the

following issues:

• technique development and implementation for in-process metrology for

process control and product characterization in the production of the complex

geometry parts;

• machine characterization and performance validation for traditional machine

tools, high-accuracy CMMs, and the hexapod;

• error compensation of these machines;

• error budgeting and quantification of measurement uncertainties of these

machines;

• sensor characterization and calibration;

• structural and thermal machine analysis development based upon measured

and simulated data for these machines;

• interim testing procedure development for these machines;

As identified at the NAMT Workshop, the industrially-perceived benefits of the

NAMT include standards development; the ability to demonstrate competitiveness

and improvement for all industry; access to manufacturing resources; the

facilitation of supplier involvement in pilots; the ability to validate process control

technology; the development of an independent testbed for accessing new

manufacturing processes; the integration of national resources; and the capability to

leverage capital equipment and resources. This NAMT scenario project will address

all of these perceived NAMT benefits in pursuit of its objectives.

Approach

This collaborative project will achieve its objectives from a collaborative,

distributed, virtual, and physical manufacturing enterprise testbed perspective that

takes a revolutionary approach to doing business. This approach will develop and

apply concepts of DVM, enterprise integration, supply chain integration.

D - 16
collaborative design, integrated product and process development, sensor-based

manufacturing, advanced machining, open architecture machine control, sensor

integration, machine error compensation, and high-accuracy and in-process

metrology, all in pursuit of demonstrating the rapid manufacture of complex

geometry parts.

The successful completion of this collaborative project provides the means to

improve part quality through sensor-based manufacturing that uses in-process

metrology feedback. It will demonstrate reduced production cycle time for complex

parts through the elimination of long set-up time requirements for inspection, and

then again for machining operations, such as finishing. It will also decrease

inspection time.

Ultimately, this project will decrease manufacturing costs by reducing lead time for

the quality production of highly engineered parts and products.

The NIST MEL will primarily concentrate on the development of the infrastructure

technologies that will enable the development and operation of the DVM enterprise

testbed. Specifically, MEL will focus on the metrology and interface standards that

will be necessary to use an array of different manufacturing systems in this

environment, including traditional machine tools and high-accuracy CMMs; a new

class of machine tool, the hexapod; modeling and simulation systems that will

provide virtual capabilities; diverse types and sizes of computing platforms; data

collection and analysis, and other manufacturing software systems; and open

architecture machine controller systems. MEL will leverage its world class

metrology and manufacturing expertise for use in the testbed.

The project is envisioned as a 5-year effort that will have active involvement from

all of the distributed nodes on the system for all 5 years.

The Advanced DVM Environment

The testbed approach taken in this NAMT scenario project will evolve through the

development and operation of an advanced DVM environment. This means that a

diverse array of resources, including people, machine tools, computing systems,

inspection equipment, and associated manufacturing software will be integrated

into a manufacturing system that provides network-linked access to data and

information to and from the various nodes that constitute the testbed. This testbed

environment will actually be a unified manufacturing enterprise.

The establishment and operation of this DVM enterprise includes elements of both

distributed and virtual manufacturing. In a distributed sense, this DVM enterprise

involves developing the network links among (and within) the different testbed

nodes to facilitate collaborative product and process development and production.

D - 17
Specifically, this includes linkages for information exchange through the electronic

sharing of part and product design plans. This includes the exchange of design,

supply, and production schedules, and other electronic commerce data. This

includes process engineering information, and quality data feedback. NIST will

assist in the establishment of these linkages and in the development and application

of the product and process information exchange among the various facilities and

systems. Machine programming functions, which will also be networked, will

include simulation models of machining operations for optimization purposes.

In a virtual sense, the DVM enterprise operations will integrate modeling and

simulation technologies as manufacturing tools. Specifically, this will be performed

for machining operations (process modeling), including those conducted on the

hexapod. This will include CAD-based CNC and inspection programming, which

will be used for data analysis from product inspection, and will place special

emphasis on the use and simulation of in-process metrology feedback for process

control. Also, modeling and simulation technologies will be rigorously applied to

design analyses.

Also included in the DVM environment is the establishment of inspection network

links among the industrial collaborators and the MEL node to assist in the

verification of industrial and testbed quality assurance practices. The inspection

network links among the different facilities and within MEL will provide sensorbased process monitoring capabilities from in-process metrology, with emphasis

placed on the demonstration of this technology, and they will also provide postprocess quality checks.

To reiterate, the focus of MEL in developing and operating this advanced DVM

environment will be on the infrastructural technologies and standard interfaces

required to enable this enterprise.

Industry Participants

Potential industrial and government agency participants in this project and their

areas of interest follow.

-Large Industry: General Motors Powertrain Division, Toledo, OH: the

manufacture of and metrology for precision automotive gears and

gearing assemblies, and automobile transmissions.

-Supplier: Eaton Corporation, Cleveland, OH: the manufacture of

and metrology for precision automotive gears, gearing

assemblies, and precision castings.

-Large Industry: Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL: the manufacture of and metrology for

precision automotive gears, gearing assemblies, and heavy

equipment.

D - 18
-Supplier: United Techno/ogies Researcfi Center/Pratt & Whitney,

East Hartford, CT: the manufacture of aircraft jet engines

and components.

-Government: N/ST Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, Gaithersburg, MD:

development of octahedral hexapod machine's control systems,

complex machining, and in-process metrology for complex part

manufacture; product and process data exchange; high-accuracy

CMMs and manufacturing metrology; integration of

manufacturing systems; manufacturing standards; sensor-based

manufacturing.

A potential realization of the scenario described previously in this project summary

could pertain to the rapid production of transmission components for automotive

applications. In such a scenario, the large industry, GM Powertrain, and the

supplier, Eaton, would constitute nodes in the DVM enterprise, along with the

manufacturing facility, the NIST MEL. Such an enterprise would not be limited to

these nodes, yet could conceivably achieve the NAMT objectives with the

participating facilities.

Also, organizations working in related areas with whom NIST has working

relationships, include the following:

-Large industry:

-Large Industry:

-Supplier/OEM:

Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Everett, WA: airframe manufacture

and assembly.

IVIcDonnell Douglas Aerospace, St. Louis, MO: the manufacture

and assembly of aircraft components and airframes.

Giddings & Lewis/Sheffield Measurement, Dayton, OH: the

development of the next generation coordinate measuring

machine.

-Supplier/Vendor/SME:

ICAMP, Inc., Bolton, CT: CAD-based inspection of

complex geometry parts.

Brown & Sharpe, North Kingstown, Rl: high-accuracy coordinate

metrology systems.

Ingersoll, Rockford, IL: production of machine tools and the

hexapod.

Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology/Martin Marietta

Energy Systems, Oak Ridge, TN: virtual and distributed

manufacturing demonstrations, gear metrology, and open

architecture machine controllers.

Defense Logistics Agency Defense Construction Supply Center,

Columbus, OH: the procurement and warehousing of precision

helicopter gears for Defense helicopter applications.

-Supplier/OEM:

-Supplier/OEM:

-Government:

Government:

D - 19
-Consortium: For Non-Contact Gauging, the Ofiio Aerospace institute,

Cleveland, OH: the development of a flexible, high-speed, highaccuracy measurement system based on optical sensors and an

integrated control system for aerospace manufacturing

applications (a current NIST ATP Project, working with Division

821).

Auto Body, consisting of Ford, Gl\/I, and Ctirysler, Detroit, Ml:

dies for sheet metal stamping used in automotive structural and

body panels, molds for precision castings, and molds for

injection-forming.

Next Generation Inspection System, National Center for

IVIanufacturing Sciences, Ann Arbor, Ml: development of

advanced sensors and controls for high-speed, flexible,

inspection for automotive and aerospace manufacturing

applications.

-Consortium:

-Consortium:

It is not possible at this time to detail the nature of each collaborator's contribution

in terms of financial and other resource provision, but the organizations mentioned

above have all expressed interest in working with NIST in the areas listed, all of

which fit in with this proposed project. It will be part of the NAMT and this

project's planning process to develop in more detail specific application projects

based upon the identified industrial needs.

Technical Plan

There are two major portions of this project's technical plan: establishment and

operation of the DVM enterprise testbed as a collaborative scenario, and

development of the MEL testbed node.

The summary below schedules the completion of the objectives associated with the

establishment and operation of the DVM enterprise. The approach taken to

achieving these objectives has been detailed in previous portions of this document.

Year One Milestones

1 . Network links of all systems at MEL node complete.

2. Identification of NIST staffing.

3. Identification of industrial nodes, their roles, and their resource contributions.

4. Identification of specific part and geometry types to demonstrate in the DVM

enterprise.

5. Identification of specific manufacturing improvement targets.

6. Identification of machines, sensors, and other systems to be included in the

DVM enterprise.

Year Two Milestones

D - 20
1 . Network links of all systems among industrial and other government nodes

complete.

2. DVM enterprise demonstration part design requirements completed and

electronically distributed.

3. Demonstration of initial information exchange capabilities among enterprise

nodes.

Year Three Milestones

1. Design of DVM enterprise demonstration part completed.

2. Design information for demonstration part electronically distributed.

Year Four Milestones

1 . Process engineering for demonstration part completed.

2. Process engineering information for demonstration part electronically

distributed.

3. Virtual/distributed CNC programming for production demonstrated.

4. Virtual/distributed inspection programming demonstrated.

5. Virtual/distributed process monitoring demonstrated.

Year Five Milestones

1 . Demonstration of inspection data feedback for process control in the

production of the demonstration part.

2. Demonstration of distributed and virtual manufacture, inspection, and

process control for the production of the demonstration complex geometry

part.

3. Documentation of benefits.

In addition to the DVM enterprise objectives, the technical plan for developing the

MEL testbed node in pursuit of these objectives should also be detailed here. The

MEL testbed node technical plan consists of five primary functions to be conducted

by MEL. These functions are standards testing and development, system

performance measurement, metrology application, systems integration, and process

simulation. The MEL testbed node will function as a Laboratory-wide node, which

explicitly indicates participation from all four technical research Divisions of MEL,

plus support from the Fabrication Technology Division. The following summarizes

the work tasks in the MEL testbed node technical plan, with an indication of the

lead MEL Division for each task.

Standards Testing and Development: (see additional details in "Relationship to

NAMT Goals" section of this document)

STEP, Division 826.

Y14 Product Definition, Division 826.

DWS, Division 821.

D - 21
CL, Division 823, 822.

Open Architecture Controller and Sensor Interfaces, Division

823, 822.

B89, B5 Performance Evaluation of Machines, Division 821, 822.

Electronic Networks, Division 826.

System Performance Measurement:

Definition of performance metrics for DVM enterprise, Division

821, 822, 823, 826.

System instrumentation. Division 821, 822, 823, 826.

Data collection and analysis, Division 82 1, 822, 823, 826.

Metrology Application: (see also "Relationship to NAMT Goals" section of this

document)

Performance validation and calibration of machines, including

hexapod. Division 822, 821.

Error compensation of machines, including hexapod. Division

821,822.

Quantification of measurement uncertainty of machines,

including hexapod. Division 821, 822.

Sensor characterization. Division 821, 822, 823.

Data collection for process capability models. Division 821, 822.

Structural and thermal analyses of machines, including hexapod.

Division 822, 821.

Interim testing development for machines, including hexapod.

Division 821, 822.

In-process metrology development for process control and

product characterization. Division 823, 822, 821.

Systems Integration:

Enhanced Machine Controller (onto hexapod). Division 823, 822.

Network nodes, among facilities and within MEL, Division 826.

Multiple and diverse sensor systems. Division 822, 823, 821.

Control algorithms for machining and inspection, Division 822,

826, 823, 821.

Simulation systems, including CAD-based inspection, CNC

programming, design analysis. Division 826, 822, 823, 821.

Machine software error compensation. Division 822, 823.

In-process inspection data feedback for machine control. Division

823, 822.

Micro-positioning of machines, including hexapod. Division 823,

822.

D - 22
Process Simulation: (see also "The Advanced DVM Environment" section of

this document)

Process modeling of machining operations, including the

hexapod, Division 822, 823.

CAD-based inspection and CNC programming, Division 821,

822, 823, 826.

Data analysis for in-process metrology, Division 822, 823, 821

.

Process monitoring through in-process metrology feedback.

Division 823, 822, 821.

Design Analysis, Division 826, 822, 82 1, 823.

Budget

This project as it is summarized is a cross-divisional effort that includes

participation from all four MEL research Divisions during each year. Also, the

Fabrication Technology Division will provide machining support and technical

assistance over the duration of the effort. Based upon the summarized tasks, it is

estimated that this project will conservatively require ten to twelve manyears of

effort per year within the Lab, or roughly three manyears per Division. This would

translate into the following budget.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total

Division 821 $600K $600K $600K $600K $600K $3.0M

Division 822 $600K $600K $600K $600K $600K $3.0M

Division 823 $600K $600K $600K $600K $600K $3.0M

Division 826 $600K $600K $600K $600K $600K $3.0M

TOTAL $2.4M $2.4M $2.4M $2.4M $2.4M $12.(

Additional DE requirements: $250K/yr.

Cross-Division Participation

This has been detailed throughout this document and will be refined during

additional planning. Related on-going efforts within MEL include the Enhanced

Machine Controller Project, the Complex 3-D Metrology Laboratory Project, the

Sensor Interface for Machine Controller Project, the Next Generation Inspection

System Project, SIMA, NIIP, the Deployment of the Kinematic Interim Testing

Artifact Project, and the ATP Project with the Ohio Aerospace Institute (PED

connection).

D - 23
It is estimated that on-going related efforts within MEL represent approximately

$1.0M-$1.5M of funding.

There also exists the potential for cross-laboratory participation in this project

involving the Statistical Engineering Division of CAML, and CSL, which will be

defined in future planning.

The MEL contributors to the development of this NAMT project summary from each

Division are listed below.

Division 821:

Dave Stieren, project summary compiler/author

Fred Rudder

Chuck Fronczek

Division 822:

Alkan Donmez

Division 823:

Marty Herman

Al Wavering

Division 826:

Ted Hopp

Steve Ray

OU.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1995-386-627-37920

D - 24
The National Institute of Standards and Technology was established in 1988 by Congress to "assist industry

in the development of technology . . . needed to improve product quality, to modernize manufacturing processes,

to ensure product reliability . . . and to facilitate rapid commercialization ... of products based on new scientific

discoveries."

NIST, originally founded as the National Bureau of Standards in 1901, works to strengthen U.S. industry's

competitiveness; advance science and engineering; and improve public health, safety, and the environment. One of the

agency's basic functions is to develop, maintain, and retain custody of the national standards of measurement, and

provide the means and methods for comparing standards used in science, engineering, manufacturing, commerce,

industry, and education with the standards adopted or recognized by the Federal Government.

As an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration, NIST conducts basic and applied

research in the physical sciences and engineering, and develops measurement techniques, test methods, standards, and

related services. The Institute does generic and precompetitive work on new and advanced technologies. NIST's

research facilities are located at Gaithersburg, MD 20899, and at Boulder, CO 80303. Major technical operating units

and their principal activities are listed below. For more information contact the Public Inquiries Desk, 301-975-3058.

Office of the Director

• Advanced Technology Program

• Quality Programs

• International and Academic Affairs

Technology Services

• Manufacturing Extension Partnership

• Standards Services

• Technology Commercialization

• Measurement Services

• Technology Evaluation and Assessment

• Information Services

Materials Science and Engineering

Laboratory

• Intelligent Processing of Materials

• Ceramics

• Materials Reliability'

• Polymers

• Metallurgy

• Reactor Radiation

Chemical Science and Technology

Laboratory

• Biotechnology

• Chemical Kinetics and Thermodynamics

• Analytical Chemical Research

• Process Measurements^

• Surface and Microanalysis Science

• Thermophysics^

Physics Laboratory

• Electron and Optical Physics

• Atomic Physics

• Molecular Physics

• Radiometric Physics

• Quantum Metrology

• Ionizing Radiation

• Time and Frequency'

• Quantum Physics'

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

• Precision Engineering

• Automated Production Technology

• Intelligent Systems

• Manufacturing Systems Integration

• Fabrication Technology

Electronics and Electrical Engineering

Laboratory

• Microelectronics

• Law Enforcement Standards

• Electricity

• Semiconductor Electronics

• Electromagnetic Fields'

• Electromagnetic Technology'

• Optoelectronics'

Building and Fire Research Laboratory

• Structures

• Building Materials

• Building Environment

• Fire Safety

• Fire Science

Computer Systems Laboratory

• Office of Enterprise Integration

• Information Systems Engineering

• Systems and Software Technology

• Computer Security

• Systems and Network Architecture

• Advanced Systems

Computing and Applied Mathematics

Laboratory

• Applied and Computational Mathematics^

• Statistical Engineering^

• Scientific Computing Environments^

• Computer Services

• Computer Systems and Communications^

• Information Systems

'At Boulder, CO 80303. ^Some elements at Boulder, CO 80303.
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