Direct numerical control

Introduction of Direct numerical control

Stand alone CNC machine tools will generally be used in tool rooms and repair shops whereas in regular production shops, we may find a large number of CNC machine tools and other machine tools. In such a situation, it is necessary that these machine tools need to have some form of communication methods to be used for the purpose of achieving proper integration of the various activities involved. In this unit, we will study some of the communication methods used with advanced manufacturing systems.

Objectives of Direct numerical control

After studying this unit, you should be able to

• Understand the communication methods possible between computers and CNC machine tools,
•  Various types of communication networks used in manufacturing shops,
•  Understand the concept of direct numerical control and how it is required for efficient operation of a shop, and
•  Understand the various standards that are necessary for integrating various computer controlled devices used in a factory operation.