Enabling cognitive manufacturing through automated on-machine measurement planning and feedback

With the manufacturing industry shifting from seller markets to buyer markets, cognitive capabilities have become enablers for high flexibility and changeability that facilitate efficient production for the fast changing markets. Process planning in such a manufacturing system needs to be adaptive to machine tools and manufacturing environments. Real-time acquisition of production and process data and feedback to process control is essential. However, the current information flow between manufacturing processes is segmented due to the lack of a consolidated data model to represent information. This paper presents a consolidated data model and system structure for an automatic and integrated process planning for machining, inspection, and feedback. The data model is based on the newly developed ISO standard STEP/STEP-NC, which provides semantic level information for the manufacturing system. The system structure and algorithms developed for the system are described first. A software prototype was developed and used to test the proposed data model and the integrated process planning and feedback system. The system provides important cognitive capability, such as automatic on-line monitoring, automated reasoning and adjustment to unforeseen changes during machining processes, for a manufacturing system. This facilitates the realization of cognitive manufacturing in the near future.