Internet-based model for technology integration and access, Part 2: Applications to process modeling and fixture design

This paper provides specific illustrations of the application of the Software Testbed Model, described in Part 1, to the field of machining systems. A software testbed for machining process simulation, EMSIM for the end milling process, is described in some detail. A second testbed, FIXMA, for the design and analysis of machining fixtures is presented as well. This software testbed illustrates the concept of a distributed testbed, wherein a program on a server in one location calls a program on a server in another location, via the Internet, to complete the analysis. The paper discusses the contribution of these testbeds to the technology integration process and suggests how these testbeds might serve as long-term points of access for industrial users. The paper also briefly describes other software testbeds now under development by the Machine Tool Agile Manufacturing Research Institute, including those for face milling and for drill design and evaluation.