Re: (CIM) Wooden Block CIM whitepaper

Dave,

I really enjoyed your post! This is exactly the kind of 'out of the
box' thinking that I was hoping to find on this list!

> The problem with CNC as I see it is in the programming, setup, and
> babysitting it requires. We have "virtual paper tape" now, and it
> runs faster and smoother, but it's all the same game as 40 years ago
> pretty much.

Boy do I agree here. We have been working with a 40 year old paper
tape paradigm and almost nobody has realized that there might be
completely different ways for computer controlled machine tools to
work. Its like the story of the initial chainsaw salesmen who would
show the new chainsaws to farmers and the first thing that the farmers
would do is to start chopping on a log just like they did with an ax
without even starting it up!

> Even with CAD data of a part, it's still a good hour or two of work
> to set up the toolpaths and so forth in a CAM program. [snip]

This is one reason that I wanted to start with an ideal vision of how
we wanted a Home Shop CIM system to operate from a user's point of
view and then to work backwards from there. Maybe we work backwards
and still end up with traditional CAD/CAM but just maybe we will
discover vastly superior ways of implementing the vision.

> I'd like to couple that to machine vision, but to actually handle
> the machining ops, rather than to let a human watch. [snip]

You found out my secret weapon! I have been researching pattern
recognition software development techniques for a few months and now
that digital web cameras are becoming so inexpensive the software is
all that is missing. I think that we can build machine vision systems
that will do all that you have described here and more. All we need
is a clear objective and a prioritized plan for implementing it.
(well, we will need more programmer's two but the internet should help
us to find them).

> A second phase would be to encode decision heuristics into the
> system, so that it can determine the optimal way to make a part in
> the same way that machinists do, [snip]

Wow, you got me here! I had not thought this far ahead but these
ideas sound fantastic!

> I think the EMC folks working with STEP-NC are on the right track.

I had not seen STEP-NC before. It looks very interesting and I will
need to research it some more.

> Easily a 5-10 year project to handle general cases, but I think
> it'd be a landmark improvement. Faster drives, prettier interfaces,
> more commands in the CAM - not so much...

I ball parked this as a 5-10 year project also with the 80/20 rule
bearing usable fruit within a year or two.


Talk to you in a week,

Ted