Foundations for a CNC software factory

A software factory for computerized numerical controllers (CNCs) is an environment that allows the automatic or semiautomatic (operator-assisted) building of CNC software that is exactly in conformance with the requirements of a machine-tool manufacturer. This environment relies upon an underlying CNC architecture and on an associated method that provides the human operator with a sequence of steps guiding the process of specifying the requirements and building the CNC software. A new CNC architecture based on a hierarchical finite state machine (HFSM) and functional units (FU) is presented. The concept of a commands accessibility tree, which helps in the process of building the HFSM, is introduced. Time constants on FUs are briefly investigated