Computerized numerical controls are more and more executed on off-the-shelf system platforms and can thus benefit from the developments in the area of processor technology. Multi-core processors provide sufficient processing power for these controls but require a specific system design that allows exploiting the parallel processing unit. This paper presents an approach on how computerized numerical controls may be partitioned on a task and a functional level using task and data parallelism for the efficient execution on multi-core system platforms.

Multi-core processors offer a performance increment compared to single-core platforms. This leap in performance is desired to be ported to computerized numerical controls. However, in order to profit of the benefits multi-core processors can bring, the software has to be tailored to real parallel execution. In this paper a concept is proposed for partitioning numerical control software functions for being concurrently executed on multi-core systems. Specifically, the interpreter and the cutter radius compensation modules have been analyzed for devising a feasible parallel architecture. The parser algorithm has been implemented following the proposed scheme in a thread-based approach. Experiments were conducted under a real time Linux kernel extension utilizing the PREEMPT_RT patch. The results were compared against its serial version in terms of execution times to validate the concept.

Tool path generation for CNC machine tools is mainly responsible for quality, accuracy and productivity of the manufacturing process and therefore in the focus of research activities. Many approaches regarding this topic yield to complex algorithms and thus, demand for the availability of sufficient processing performance realizing this algorithms in a CNC real-time environment. For that reason this paper presents an approach on how to use multi-core processors for CNC tool path generation functions. A partitioning concept is presented allowing to concurrently execute multiple threads realizing interpolation and arc length calculation algorithms. At the example of B-spline interpolation the execution time of the tool path generation function could be reduced significantly using the presented approach.

This paper presents an approach to how existing production systems that are not Industry 4.0-ready can be expanded to participate in an Industry 4.0 factory. Within this paper, a concept is presented how production systems can be discovered and included into an Industry 4.0 (I4.0) environment, even though they did not have I4.0-interfaces when they have been manufactured. The concept is based on a communication gateway and an information server. Besides the concept itself, this paper presents a validation that demonstrates applicability of the developed concept.

This paper presents an approach to how existing production systems that are not Industry 4.0-ready can be expanded to participate in an Industry 4.0 factory. Within this paper, a concept is presented how production systems can be discovered and included into an Industry 4.0 (I4.0) environment, even though they did not have I4.0-interfaces when they have been manufactured. The concept is based on a communication gateway and an information server. Besides the concept itself, this paper presents a validation that demonstrates applicability of the developed concept.

The tool path trajectory generation for CNC machining has been a main topic in the improvement of the manufacturing process for many years. Different approaches tried to merge efficiency and minimal tool wear with reasonable computing times. A smooth curvature progression of the tool path is a main requirement to limit jerks in all axes and thus ensure minimal tool wear. Currently this requirement is met by constructing tool paths with polynomials or smoothing simpler linear and circular curves. This paper presents an alternative interpolation method based on curvature-smooth clothoids.

Machine tools realize tool movements with high accuracy mainly due to highly developed computerized numerical controls (CNCs). As articulated industrial robots are used more and more for machining, robot controllers (RC) have to be equipped with additional path planning capabilities, similar to machine tools. A RC is very similar to a CNC from a software and hardware point of view, but with one major difference, the RC has an additional transformation stage, the transformation from Cartesian space to joint space. Machining with robots is a field intensely researched in the last years. CNC systems for robots are commercially available, furthermore, more and more CAM systems have extensions for machining with robots. Most of these offer a simulation of the machining process using a robot model, in order to solve the inverse kinematic problem and, additionally, to take into consideration axis motion limits (maximum angular amplitudes) and singularities. Moreover, path planning for machining robots is done in exactly the same way as for machine tools, with the mentioned additional transformation stage. This paper describes the advantages and challenges which result from the integration of the kinematic transformation in the path planning stage.

The importance of information availability from field device to management level is continuously growing against the background for meeting the demands on competitive and flexible production systems in discrete manufacturing. Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm seems to promise to fulfill this requirement. However, SOA will not be applicable to every field device due to e.g. computational limitations. Therefore this paper presents an approach for the integration of manufacturing field devices based on fieldbus information models and services. This is done by a controller-based SOA gateway and a semantic transformation of fieldbus information models and services into OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA). An on-the-fly transformation of data and services based on OPC UA is proposed and validated using sercos III as Real-Time-Ethernet (RTE)-based fieldbus.