Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A data management and networking system for automatically retrieving and storing data from a machine tool for distribution to a remote terminal over a network, the machine tool being operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece and having at least one sensor operatively connected thereto for sensing a machine operation parameter, the at least one sensor having a first processing unit operatively connected thereto for receiving machine operation parameter data related to the machine operation parameter, the machine tool further having a controller operatively connected thereto and configured to output machining operation data related to the at least one machining operation to the first processing unit, the system comprising:a data storage unit for storing data for subsequent retrieval; anda second processing unit configured to automatically collect the machining operation data and the machine operation parameter data from the first processing unit and to apply an algorithm to the machine operation parameter data to generate at least one parametric representation of the machine operation parameter data, the second processing unit being further configured to:associate the at least one parametric representation with respective machining operation data and to send the associated parametric representation and machining operation data to the data storage unit, andautomatically collect alarm data from the first processing unit and associate the alarm data with the at least one parametric representation and respective machining operation data such that the associated parametric representation and machining operation data sent to the data storage unit includes the alarm data. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one parametric representation includes at least one of a maximum, a minimum, an average, an average root mean square, a maximum root mean square, a minimum root mean square, a root mean square summation, a kurtosis, a kurtosis average, a kurtosis maximum, a kurtosis minimum, a kurtosis standard deviation, energy band values, and frequency band amplitudes. 3. The system of claim 1, the at least one machining operation including machining time and non-machining time, wherein the second processing unit is further configured to separate out at least some data related to non-machining time before the associated parametric representation and machining operation data is sent to the data storage unit, thereby reducing the amount of data sent to the data storage unit. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the data related to non-machining time is sampled at a predetermined frequency and the sample is sent to the data storage unit, thereby providing data related to operation of the machine tool when the workpiece is not being machined. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data related to the machine operation parameter is at least one of machine tool vibrations, machine tool current draw, machine tool temperature, machine tool torque, machine tool speed, and machine tool feed. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second processing unit is further configured to automatically collect, from the first processing unit, data related to operation of the machine tool under predetermined conditions, the predetermined conditions including the machine tool selecting a cutting tool and operating at a predetermined speed without work being performed on a workpiece, thereby providing information related to the machine tool independent of workpiece machining. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second processing unit includes a data bridge application configured to verity the validity of the machining operation data collected by the second processing unit. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage unit resides in a network server, the system further comprising a terminal linked to the server by a network, the terminal being configured for remote retrieval of the associated parametric representation and machining operation data. 9. The system of claim 8, a second machine tool being operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece and having at least one sensor operatively connected thereto for sensing a machine operation parameter, the at least one sensor on the second machine tool having a third processing unit operatively connected thereto for receiving data related to the machine operation parameter of the second machine tool, the second machine tool further having a controller operatively connected thereto and configured to output data related to the at least one machining operation of the second machine tool to the third processing unit, the system further comprising:a fourth processing unit configured to automatically collect the machining operation data and the machine operation parameter data from the third processing unit and to apply an algorithm to the collected data to generate at least one parametric representation of the machine operation parameter data of the second machine tool, the fourth processing unit being further configured to associate the at least one parametric representation of the machine operation parameter data of the second machine tool with respective machining operation data of the second machine tool and to send the associated data of the second machine tool to the data storage unit, andwherein the network server is configured to associate the data sent from the second processing unit with respective data sent from the fourth processing unit, thereby facilitating analysis of a specific machining operation performed on different machine tools. 10. A data management and networking system for automatically retrieving and storing data from a machine tool for distribution to a remote terminal over a network, the machine tool being operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece, the at least one machining operation including machining time and non-machining time, the machine tool having at least one sensor operatively connected thereto for sensing a machine operation parameter and for outputting signals related to the machine operation parameter to a first processing unit, the signals related to the machine operation parameter providing the first processing unit with machine operation parameter data, the machine tool further having a controller operatively connected thereto and configured to output signals related to the at least one machining operation to the first processing unit, the signals related to the at least one machining operation providing the first processing unit with machining operation data the system comprising:a data storage unit for storing data for subsequent retrieval; anda second processing unit configured to automatically collect the machining operation data and the machine operation parameter data from the first processing unit at a predetermined frequency greater than a cycle time for the at least one machining operation, and to separate out at least some data related to non-machining time, thereby leaving remaining machine operation parameter data, the second processing unit being further configured to apply an algorithm to the remaining machine operation parameter data to generate at least one parametric representation of the remaining machine operation parameter data, and to associate the machining operation data and the at least one parametric representation and to send the associated parametric representation and machining operation data to the data storage unit. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data related to non-machining time is sampled at a predetermined frequency and the sample is sent to the data storage unit, thereby providing data related to operation of the machine tool when the workpiece is not being machined. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one parametric representation includes at least one of a maximum, a minimum, an average, an average root mean square, a maximum root mean square, a minimum root mean square, a root mean square summation, a kurtosis, a kurtosis average, a kurtosis maximum, a kurtosis minimum, a kurtosis standard deviation, energy band values, and frequency band amplitudes. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the data related to the machine operation parameter is at least one of machine tool vibrations, machine tool current draw, machine tool temperature, machine tool torque, machine tool speed, and machine tool feed. 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the data storage unit resides in a network server, the system further comprising a terminal linked to the server by a network, the terminal being configured for remote retrieval of the associated parametric representation and machining operation data. 15. The system of claim 14, a second machine tool being operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece and having at least one sensor operatively connected thereto for sensing a machine operation parameter and for outputting signals related to the machine operation parameter to a third processing unit, the second machine tool further having a controller operatively connected thereto and configured to output signals related to the at least one machining operation of the second machine tool to the third processing unit, the system further comprising:a fourth processing unit configured to automatically collect the machining operation data and the machine operation parameter data from the third processing unit and to apply an algorithm to the collected data to generate at least one parametric representation of the machine operation parameter data of the second machine tool, the fourth processing unit being further configured to associate the at least one parametric representation of the machine operation parameter data of the second machine tool with respective machining operation data of the second machine tool and to send the associated data of the second machine tool to the data storage unit, andwherein the network server is configured to associate the data sent from the second processing unit with respective data sent from the fourth processing unit, thereby facilitating analysis of a specific machining operation performed on different machine tools. 16. A method for managing and networking data for a machine tool, comprising:performing a machining operation on a first workpiece and on a second workpiece, the machining operations on the first and second workpieces each including machining time and non-machining time;sensing a machine operation parameter while the machining operations are being performed on the first and second workpieces;capturing machine operation parameter data related to the sensed machine operation parameter for the machining operations performed on the first and second workpieces;capturing machining operation data related to the machining operations performed on the first and second workpieces;separating out at least some data related to the non-machining time from the captured machine operation parameter data for the machining operations performed on each of the first and second workpieces, thereby leaving remaining machine operation parameter data for each of the first and second workpieces;applying an algorithm to the remaining machine operation parameter data for each of the first and second workpieces to generate at least one parametric representation of the remaining machine operation parameter data for each of the first and second workpieces;associating the at least one parametric representation for each of the first and second workpieces with respective machining operation data; andstoring the associated parametric representation and machining operation data for each of the first and second workpieces for subsequent retrieval by a remote terminal over a network, thereby facilitating analysis of the machining operation performed on two workpieces. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second workpieces are machined on the same machine tool. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second workpieces are machined on different machine tools.