Siemens added another virtual brick to its digital manufacturing vision this week with the release of new integration capabilities between its Teamcenter PLM application and its motion control technology.
The integration offering acts as a bridge from the manufacturing process management module of Siemens’ Teamcenter product to two tools within the company’s Motion Control Information System (MCIS) application, Direct Numerical Control and Tool Data Information. Siemens acquired the Teamcenter product in its 2007 buyout of PLM pioneer UGS.
The principle behind the integration tool, which Siemens has dubbed the Teamcenter to MCIS interface, is that efficient manufacturing operations depend on a precise handoff of process designs from engineers to factory floor machines. For instance, a manufacturer may need to transfer a numerical control part program written with CAM software from the Teamcenter planning stage to an actual manufacturing location within the facility. The interface allows that transition to happen seamlessly, helping to eliminate the scourge of excessive scrap and delayed production schedules.
Siemens officials characterized the offering as an important step in the move toward the digital factory, or digital manufacturing, concept.