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Dynamic Machine Scheduling, Expansion, And Control Of A Generic Workcell, Peter A. Murray

Theses

Factory automation has come a long way since the invention of the automatic flour mill. A workcell is a group of machines (robots) working together to produce a product. In the past workcells have been hard wired using methods such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). To change a part of this system would require reprogramming the entire system.

The Generic Work Cell (GWC) is a dynamic architecture which allows a workcell to be modified on the fly. The architecture enables the generation of new cells with minimal effort, and the modification of the system without reprogramming the entire system. The …

A Machine Entity For A Coordinate Measurement Machine : The Generic Workcell Project, Richard C. Meyer

Theses

The Center for Manufacturing Systems (CMS) department at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Siemens Corporate Research located in Princeton have agreed to jointly implement a research project in generic workcell control architectures. This paper discusses the module, called a Machine Entity, developed by the author that interfaces the Brown & Sharpe Coordinate Measurement Machine located on the CMS factory floor with the cell control software. The module has been designed in such a manner to simplify the development of future Machine Entities, thereby reducing the time required to integrate the CMS factory floor.