A proposed mapping method for aligning machine execution data to numerical control code

The visions of the digital thread and smart manufacturing have boosted the potential of relating downstream data to upstream decisions in design. However, to date, the tools and methods to robustly map across the related data representations is significantly lacking. In response, we propose a mapping technique for standard manufacturing data representations. Specifically, we focus on relating controller data from machining tools in the form of MTConnect, an emerging standard that defines the vocabulary and semantics as well as communications protocols for execution data, and G-Code, the most widely used standard for numerical control (NC) instructions. We evaluate the efficacy of our mapping methodology through an error measurement technique that judges the alignment quality between the two data representations. We then relate the proposed methodology to a case study, that includes verified process plans and real execution data, derived from the Smart Manufacturing Systems Test Bed hosted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.