Software is the CNC. (includes related article on retrofits)(computer numerical control)

From: Modern Machine Shop | Date: November 1, 1997| Author: Albert, Mark | Copyright information

Jackson, MI-based Melling Manufacturing Group replaced its old hardware-based computer numerical control (CNC) with a software-based system which runs on a mail-order personal computer. The new system, called OpenCNC, is manufactured by Manufacturing Data Systems Inc of Ann Arbor, MI. The new CNC has allowed Melling's machine to run at faster feed rates and better accuracies. This software is proprietary while the rest is entirely independent of computer hardware.

Imagine a computer n...

Read all of this article with a FREE trial to HighBeam Research

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

No wrench in domestic machine tools demand
China Daily ; Domestic demand for machine tools, especially for advanced computer-numerical-controlled (CNC) tools, will remain strong in the coming years. The annual growth rate will be kept at 20 per cent, according to figures released by the China Machine Tool & Tool Builders' Association. And by 2005, the
Machine tools, the new growth industry
Manufacturing Engineering ; I spend about a third of each year visiting customers in the United States, western Europe, and developing nations in Asia, Central and South America, and eastem Europe. During plant visits in industrialized countries, I am always surprised to see so many very old machine tools working on the floor
DOMESTIC MARKET OF MACHINE TOOLS DOMINATED BY IMPORT PRODUCTS
Indonesian Commercial Newsletter ; The domestic industry of machine tools still plays a small role in meeting the domestid demand for such products. This can be seen from the fact that Indonesia's machine tool imports are still high. Import machine tools usually enter Indonesia in the same package as other types of machines used by
An assessment of quasi-static and operational errors in NC machine tools
Journal of Manufacturing Systems ; Abstract This paper reports the results of a comparative study of predictive error modeling and machining-cycle machine tool accuracy. The total positional error due to geometric accuracy errors was modeled for a particular type of NC machine tool. Subsequently, the NC machine tool was tested for
Are machine tools important to our national security?(government matters)
American Machinist ; Apparently, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is not concerned about the health of the manufacturing technology industry. In late May, the DOD issued regulations to initiate the machine tool purchase incentive program that Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif chairman of the House Armed Services
A new millennium for machine tools.
American Machinist ; MORI SEIKI'S PRESIDENT TALKS ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS AND OTHER CHANGES TAKING SHAPE IN THE MACHINE TOOL INDUSTRY. Machine tool builders are proving the importance of partnerships by cooperating with each other and successfully competing in the world market. Such is the case with three Japanese-based
Machine tools on the upswing
Manufacturing Engineering ; US machine tool sales have been riding a wave since 1991. AMTThe Association for Manufacturing Technology (Rockville, MD), which tracks the numbers for metalcutting, metalforming, and other machine tools along with the AMTDA (American Machine Tool Distributors' Assn reports $8.6 billion in sales in
Can education save US machine tools?
Manufacturing Engineering ; Earlier this year, Manufacturing Engineering published a list of the world's top 20 machine (tool builders. Of the top 20, only two are US manufacturers, and 10 are Japanese. I find this situation appalling and rather scary. Being a member of this profession for more than 30 years, I find myself
What single factor will most affect investment in machine tools? (Speaking Out).
Tooling & Production ; When asked that question, machine tool executives participating in T&P's 2003 Outlook Survey replied: Dan Janka, VP-sales and marketing, UNOVA The factor that would most affect the recovery of investment in machine tools is a revision of our country's economic policy from a stimulation perspective.
Germany hosts the world of machine tools and metalworking technology.(Exposition mondiale de La Machine-Outil)(Brief Article)
Modern Machine Shop ; Many machine tool users in the United States mistakenly think that the big machine tool fair in Hanover, Germany, this month is called EMO because it takes place in Europe. Europe does begin with E, but that is not what this letter stands for in this case. EMO is short for Exposition mondiale de La