Virtual Manufacturing Tools for Collaborative Exploration of Hexapod Machine Capabilities and Applications Joseph A. Falco Ernest W. Kent Intelligent Systems Division Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland falco@cme.nist.gov kent@cme.nist.gov Abstract The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently initiated the National Advanced Manufacturing Testbed (NAMT). This is a testbed to demonstrate how machines, software, and people can be efficiently and effectively networked together to improve productivity and foster innovation at all levels of a manufacturing enterprise. "Characterization, Remote Access, and Simulation of Hexapod Machines,” a technical project within the NAMT, involves the investigation of a new class of parallel- actuated machine tools based on the Stewart Platform. This paper describes how the characterization and simulation efforts of this project are being integrated with a remote virtual environment. This environment will allow external collaborators to perform real-time experiments and to interactively use simulation and modeling tools for this experimental machine tool from geographically distributed locations. Introduction Hexapod machine tools offer potential benefits of high stiffness, high speed, and acceleration due to low moving mass and reduced need for special foundations. However, non-intuitive kinematics, work volume, and error characteristics of these machines create obstacles to industry’s acceptance. To address these difficulties, this project is developing modeling and simulation tools to assist with application development. Remote access capabilities are also being developed to enhance collaborative research between geographically distributed government agencies, industry, and university partners who are involved in research and development activities on these new machines. A suite of modeling and simulation tools is being incorporated into the project. This includes machine animations, custom workspace analysis, part placement software, and novel machine error modeling and visualization capabilities. Internet access of these tools is being explored to provide potential machine users with an opportunity to understand Hexapod motion capabilities. These virtual manufacturing simulation tools will assist in developing applications for Hexapod machines. They will also help to improve NIST’s understanding of the effects of individual error sources on machine motion. The NIST Hexapod is also outfitted with a wide variety of measurement instrumentation to characterize machine performance. An important aspect of this project is the availability of such sensor data over the Internet in (near) real- time to allow remote participation in Hexapod machining experiments. These remote capabilities, as well as live audio and video of the machine, are expected to be useful tools for both Hexapod machine tool research collaborators and potential end users who will determine the feasibility of using Hexapod machine tools for their manufacturing applications. This paper provides an overview of the NAMT Hexapod Project [5] and describes a remote virtual environment being explored for remote collaboration. The NAMT Hexapod Project Recently, several machine tool builders introduced prototypes of a new class of machines based on the Stewart platform [1][2][8] . These new machines derive their stiffness from the geometric arrangement of the structural components. Current prototype Hexapod machine tools (Fig. 1) include the Giddings & Lewis Variax, the Hexel Tornado 2000, the Geodetic Hexapod, and the Ingersoll Octahedral