1	Advanced Virtual Manufacturing Lab AVML Advanced Science and Automation Corporation
2	Advanced Science and Automation Corporation Founded in 1998, our mission is to provide high impact solutions for our customers using state-of-the-art science and technology. Advanced Science and Automation Corp. has three main technology products: Virtual-reality Engineering modeling and simulation Intelligent agents
3	Virtual Reality IVRESS/toolkit Object-oriented virtual-reality toolkit for creation of interactive immersive dynamic virtual environments. IVRESS includes an extensive library of objects, covering applications from advanced large-scale scientific data visualization to virtual training simulators.
4	Engineering Modeling and Simulation DIS DIS (Dynamic Interactions Simulator) is a general-purpose finite element code. Provides accurate time-dependent finite element modeling of structures, multibody systems, and fluid flow. DIS/Belt is the only code on the market that can accurately and efficiently model the stick-slip behavior of belt-drives.
5	Intelligent Agents LEA LEA (Learning Environments Agent) is a new concept in course development for interactive web learning. Allows an instructor to extract knowledge from sources such as technical papers, presentations, web pages, etc. and easily build a knowledge base. As an intelligent instructor, LEA can give an interactive multimedia lecture to the user. In task oriented training applications, LEA can effectively guide, supervise, and certify users. Natural Language Interface with synchronized gestures and emotions that allow natural interaction as close as possible to a human instructor.
6	Advanced Virtual Manufacturing Lab (AVML) Objective: Develop a highly realistic virtual manufacturing lab which includes CNC milling machines and lathes for use in training and research Funded by: NSF Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund
7	AVML Applications Virtual advanced manufacturing training and education in academia and industry Visualization of next generation machine tools Virtual product realization and optimization Virtual factory
8	National Interest Thousands of manufacturing jobs in the US are lost every month and unless we reverse this trend, engineering innovation will suffer A key factor to retaining manufacturing jobs is a highly skilled workforce that can effectively and efficiently use state-of-the-art machine tools Most potential manufacturing workers do not have access to state-of-the-art manufacturing labs that can provide such training The President’s Executive Order 13329 dated 2/24/2004 identifies manufacturing workforce skills improvement technologies as high-priority
9	Academic Customer Needs 1 Provide education and training on state-of-the-art advanced machine tools Current Practice The majority of equipment at Universities' manufacturing labs is old equipment that unnecessarily takes up usable lab space. AVML Improvement AVML will provide a virtual manufacturing lab with state-of-the-art equipment.
10	Academic Customer Needs 2 Remain current and relevant in today’s rapidly advancing manufacturing engineering world Current Practice Removal of old machines, upgrading the infrastructure such as ventilation, electrical, etc., and the installation of modern machine tools. This process must be repeated every few years. The investment required can be substantial. AVML Improvement A better and more accessible alternative at a fraction of the cost.
11	Academic Customer Needs 3 Colleges/universities that don’t have a full-blown manufacturing department/program but desire to have an advanced manufacturing lab Current Practice Advanced manufacturing technology training is currently unavailable at a feasible quality-cost combination. AVML Improvement provide a feasible quality-cost combination to satisfy this unaccommodated demand.
12	Academic Customer Needs 4 Small community/technical colleges Current Practice Small community/technical colleges cannot spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on building a manufacturing lab and tens of thousands of dollars each year on maintaining it. AVML Improvement Demand will be induced by the new unique features and cost savings enabled by AVML.
13	Academic Customer Needs 5 Increase access to advanced manufacturing training Current Practice Currently, students have to be introduced to the CNC machines in small groups and could only operate the machine and get hands-on-experience for a very short time due to limited lab hours. AVML Improvement Web-based so that any number of students and researchers from various geographic locations can cooperate on research and learning activities related to advanced manufacturing experiments at any time.
14	Academic Customer Needs 6 Increase the quality of the advanced manufacturing training Current Practice Practically, it is very difficult to bring a student, in a semester or two, to a level where he/she would feel comfortable operating CNC machine tools without supervision. Typically, departments will never take the risk of unsupervised operation of machine tools by students. AVML Improvement The AVML provides an environment that allows unsupervised usage of (virtual) machine tool laboratories.
15	Academic Customer Needs 7 Increase the effectiveness and completeness of advanced manufacturing training Current Practice It is not possible currently for more sophisticated machine tools (e.g. 5-axis milling machines) and production size units to become part of the training due to the very high initial investment needed, relatively high overhead cost, as well as space limitations. AVML Improvement AVML will provide easy and inexpensive access to training on highly sophisticated machine tools.
16	Academic Customer Needs 8 Reduce the amount of time it takes to gain proficiency in the manufacturing process Current Practice Manufacturing processes can take hours and sometime days to complete. AVML Improvement AVML allows simulating manufacturing processes that require hours or days to complete, in a few minutes.
17	Academic Customer Needs 9 Customization of the training to the individual student needs Current Practice Training in manufacturing labs is not customizable to individual students. AVML Improvement The pace and sophistication of the training can be easily adjusted in AVML to suite individual expertise level.
18	Academic Customer Needs 10 Enhance manufacturing students creativity Current Practice Students are not able to try new manufacturing approaches that may involve a certain amount of risk. AVML Improvement AVML increases creativity by providing a safe environment that allows students and experts alike to explore and try new approaches that would be too risky to try on the real machine.
19	Academic Customer Needs 11 Increase safety of advanced manufacturing training Current Practice Sources of danger while operating a CNC machine include broken tools and flying chips. Also, a user can easily damage the machine by entering the wrong data that would overload it, damage parts of it (e.g. the machine table), or break expensive equipment (sensors, touch probe, etc.). AVML Improvement AVML will allow students to explore and manipulate virtual heavy machinery without risk of injury to self and others or damage to the equipment. AVML will guarantee accident-free training.
20	Academic Customer Needs 12 Enhance discovery and understanding of manufacturing models Current Practice Students cannot easily see what happens to variables such as temperature and deflection when machining parameters are changed. They are also unable to see small scale detail in manufacturing experiments. AVML Improvement Allow interactive exploration that is impossible to perform in the real world. For example: Visualization of various features and parameters through coloring using a scalar quantity such as temperature, stress, deflection, etc. On demand real-time interactive 3D point and surface probes colored using a scalar quantity. Ability to zoom in and walkthrough or flythrough small-scale details in the experiment.
21	Industrial Customer Needs 1 Increase effectiveness of on the job training Current Practice On the job training of manufacturing workers is expensive and time consuming. AVML Improvement AVML can be used to inexpensively train factory workers on advanced machine tools. The training can encompass conditions that are hard or expensive to duplicate in the real factory such as effects of raw material shortages, emergency breakdowns, handling of hazardous situations, and unplanned interruptions. Advanced manufacturing machinery training in a risk free environment and without negative impact to production schedules for heavily utilized machinery.
22	Industrial Customer Needs 2 Improve design of next generation machine tools Current Practice Customers of next generation machine tools don't get to use them until after they have been delivered. At that time, it is often too late for modifications. Also, initially it takes a long time for the operators to get the new machine to full productivity. AVML Improvement Provide immersive interactive visualization of various design alternatives for end users long before the machine tool is made and delivered. This will optimize the configuration and reduce the cost and increase the quality of the resulting system. Easily and inexpensively train operators even before the machine's installation, thus greatly accelerating deployment in production and shortening the time it takes to achieve maximum productivity.
23	Academic and Industrial Customers Joint Needs Foster cooperation between academia and local industry Current Practice Local colleges and university students are given basic training on generic and outdated manufacturing equipment that is not directly relevant to local employers. AVML Improvement Allow local colleges and universities in partnership with local employers to easily and cost effectively develop training on virtual machine tools that are directly relevant to local manufacturing employers.
24	Summary Economic Benefits: Strengthen US manufacturers competitiveness in global markets and advance important national interests. Societal Benefits: AVML will provide accessibility to education and training on advanced manufacturing machinery for underrepresented groups and underprivileged sectors of society who would not otherwise have access to an advanced manufacturing lab. Such access will enable those groups to reclaim manufacturing jobs that otherwise would be outsourced overseas.
25	Summary Educational Benefits: AVML has broad impacts to the advancement of manufacturing technology and the promotion of creativity and collaboration in manufacturing education and training. Due to high cost, there are only a handful of universities that have manufacturing labs that are on the leading edge of technology. This greatly restricts access of both students and researchers to such high-end labs. What is unique about AVML is that it will allow, for the first time, broad access to advanced manufacturing labs. Foster cooperation between academia and local industry in workforce development
26	Next Steps Pilot Implementations Purdue School of Engineering & Technology at IUPUI Paul D. Camp Community College Ivy Tech State College Incorporate violation of process constraints such as tool breakage CNC Lathe Production grade 5-axis CNC Machining Center with Automatic Pallet Changer
27	Demonstration of basic machining process screen shots
28	AVML is web based and can be accessed from anywhere using regular PC or notebook computers running Internet Explorer
29	A virtual tutor gives the student an introductory multimedia lecture about the virtual lab, machining centers, and CNC programming
30	The virtual tutor speech and gestures are synchronized with the multimedia lecture and pointers such as flashing arrows
31	The student can ask the virtual tutor any question using typed or spoken natural language commands. For example, here the student asks “what are endmills?”
32	The student can request more information. If the virtual tutor cannot find more information in the lecture’s knowledge base it can perform a web search
33	The virtual tutor can make parts of the machine semi-transparent to show the student the internal components of the machine
34	The virtual tutor can make parts of the machine semi-transparent to show the student the internal components of the machine
35	Virtual tutors collaborate to provide hands-on training to the user. Here the virtual assistant in the lab will help us startup the machine
36	The first step is to go to the power junction cabinet and switch on the red power lever. The lab assistant guides us through the process
37	If we make a mistake the assistant will tell us how to correct it. If we repeat it 3 times, the assistant will perform the process step for us
38	The machine initializes after pressing the green start button. The monitor shows the axis position from the world coordinate system
39	The virtual tutor will let us know that the machine is turned on and ready for use
40	Next we will go to the workpiece preparation area and prepare a workpiece for machining
41	We select a workpiece that is an 80mm cube
42	We place the workpiece inside the machine tool between the jaws of the fixture
43	Next we tighten the vice to hold the workpiece
44	Exactly like in the actual machine, we go to the functions menu on the machine controller and press “0” on the keyboard for disk then “1” to load our G-code
45	As in the actual machine, we hit manual three times on the keyboard and then press auto and hit the green start button to start the execution of our G-code
46	The turret inserts the tool selected into the holder and machining starts
47	As the part is machined, the solid model is updated in real-time. The flying chips as well as machining sounds are generated
48	You can stop the machine by pressing the Slide Hold, Manual, then Jog buttons on the controller and jog the Z-axis up and stop the spindle by pressing Spindle Stop
49	End of Demonstration