Re: (CIM) Wooden Block CIM whitepaper

Fun,

> Don't know very much about network, so if I am too much offtrack,
> hope the more knowledgeable will chime in, but in my mind I see the
> Gecko (or other motor driver) controlled by a motor controller
> software like Master5 or Turbocnc, so rather than the Gecko being
> directly controlled by the "outpost" if the "outpost can control
> Master5 or Turbocnc, that seem to be more appropriate.

The primary goals of an Outpost based distributed controller are to:

1) Minimize user-perceived complexity.

2) Maximizing flexibility and snapability.

3) Be able to scale up to supporting very large systems.

The way that Outpost proposes to achieve these goals is to leverage
the very latest network-centric platform and programming language
technologies.

Neither Master5 nor TurboCNC is a network-centric technology and since
leveraging a network is the easiest way to achieve flexibility and
scalability, these kind of PC based controllers are barred from this.

As an example of this lack of flexibility, imagine having 20 machines
in a CIM system broken up into various workcells. Using PC based
controllers, this would mean that at least 20 PCs would be needed to
control these machines. How are these machines suppose to be managed?
Is the shop owner going to constantly run around the shop manually
attending to each PC, booting it up, shutting it down, loading files
into it, configuring it and recovering from crashes?

With network-centric Outpost based technology, the whole CIM system,
from 1 machine up through hundreds of machines, is designed to be
managed from any computer on the network that is capable of hosting a
Java enabled web browser. The whole system can also be managed from
anywhere in the world using a Java enabled wireless PDA or cellphone
if desired.

I have great respect for applications like Master5 and TurboCNC
because I found out what kind of heavy-duty programming is needed to
support multi-axis CNC controls when I wrote the software needed to
control a 12 axis stepper motor driven machine a few years ago.

But the recent explosion of network-centric technologies has forced a
huge paradigm shift on us and thereby made possible a great leap
forward. My goal is to attempt to make just such a leap with Outpost
based technologies.

> Imagine this: CNC mill just finished milling a workpiece.
> Motor controller software send signal to "outpost" to indicate work
> end.
> "outpost" send signal to off vacuum table, slide off workpiece, feed
> another workpiece to vacuum table, on vacuum.
> "outpost" send signal to activate another cycle of machining ("click"
> start button in motor controller program like Master5.
>
> Will all this be economically achievale in a home setting?

Yes, one will just snap a system like this together in an afternoon
using network-centric Outpost based technologies and all of the
complexity needed to coordinate the activity will automatically be
handled by the software. If one does not leverage a network, then the
alternative way to interface these devices and allow them to
communicate with each other is by an ad-hoc mess of wires.

If the Outpost concept actually works, Fun, you will be astounded at
how easy all of this is going to be.

Ted