{"81751":{"#nid":"81751","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Factory Floor Communication: Researchers Help Standardize Information Systems for \u0027Plug and Play\u0027 Power","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThat increases costs and delays production. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn response, researchers at Georgia Tech\u0027s Manufacturing Research Center (MARC) and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are working with the electronics-assembly industry to develop a family of international standards for interoperability. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EKnown as Computer Aided Manufacturing using XML (CAMX), these specifications enable different machines and software on the factory floor to talk to each other in real-time. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe newest addition to the CAMX family is the IPC-2501, recently approved by the IPC, a trade association for the electronics interconnect industry. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThis standard provides a critical piece to the communications puzzle. Although earlier standards have dealt with the content of messages, the IPC-2501 provides a method for exchanging those messages. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe IPC-2501 features a centralized message broker, which uses an HTTP interface to pass XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language, a universal format for Web-based documents and data) messages. \u0022The message broker acts like a Web server and each piece of equipment or software application functions like a Web client,\u0022 explains Andrew Dugenske, manager of research services at MARC and director of Georgia Tech\u0027s Framework Implementation Project.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn contrast to previous proprietary methods for message exchange, the IPC-2501 defines an open standard for routing information. \u0022Now manufacturers can build their own systems and exchange messages seamlessly between different equipment and applications,\u0022 Dugenske says. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDecreasing the complexity of communication yields significant benefits: \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 \u003Cem\u003ELower programming costs\u003C\/em\u003E. According to industry statistics, for every $1 spent to purchase software, $4 is required to install and integrate it. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 \u003Cem\u003EFaster production\u003C\/em\u003E. Speed is critical in today\u0027s competitive manufacturing arena, especially for electronics-assembly players. Time spent waiting for custom software to be written and integrated hurts manufacturers by delaying product introduction. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0095 \u003Cem\u003EGreater flexibility\u003C\/em\u003E. Electronics manufacturers can use the best piece of equipment or software application for the job, regardless of vendor.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Electronics manufacturers use equipment and software from a variety of vendors, and this mix-and-match scenario causes a problem: Information systems must be modified whenever there\u0027s a change in assembly lines.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2004-04-15 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:38","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2004-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2004-04-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtresearchnews.gatech.edu\/newsrelease\/camx.htm","title":"Significant benefits"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=\u0022\u003EContact  \u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}