To do so becomes troublesome because each maker of test equipment has its own format for storing information. Meanwhile, owners and operators of machines are creating comprehensive databases of their test information, which they see as offering a number of potential uses. But they say the incompatible file formats are a source of frustration. They must translate the files of the different brands of test equipment into a common format to make them comparable and available throughout the organization. The test information is relevant to the activities of departments ranging from maintenance, which has to schedule servicing with the least disruption to the fac-tory, to budgeting, which has to predict how much to set aside to repair or replace machines.
Translation takes a lot of time and money.
Some of the file formats resist the process, and there is always a danger that errors of translation may creep into the record. What's more, each manufacturer is translating its data files into its own common language, and no two may be alike. James Katter, team leader for advanced production technologies at the Caterpillar Technical Center in Mossville, Ill., is one of several representatives of the private sector who are working with NIST to promote industry standards for documents relating to tools. Katter pointed out that, although a company may have a database of translated files for internal use, two companies can't exchange the information. For instance, a part specifier and a would-be supplier might communicate about a job more quickly and clearly if they could share information on the performance of tools.