Roy-G-Biv, Okuma set pact

Bingen, WA – Roy-G-Biv Corp . (RGB), a supplier of machine connectivity and enterprise integration software for discrete manufacturing, and Okuma , manufacturer of CNC machine tools, announced a strategic software development and licensing agreement to enhance Okuma’s new line of open architecture machine tools. The partnership offers customers several new software products in 2002-2003 to leverage the flexible data access and control capabilities of Okuma machine tools equipped with the OSP-P100 open controller.

Kirk Kitagawa, general manager of Okuma’s Factory Automation and OSP controls division, states, ”This partnership represents our continued commitment to growing industry demand for open software standards and open controls. RGB’s strong vision, XMC software technology, and industry standards leadership are complementary to our own business. Together, we offer customers a richer choice of open architecture Okuma machine tools and software products that improve data monitoring and collection, operator interface personalization, and lower overall ownership costs.”

RGB’s XMC Machine Interface is the first software product released for new Okuma P100-controlled machines. RGB and Okuma debuted the product on a MC-V4020 Vertical Machining Center last week at the 2002 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago, IL. The XMC Machine Interface product demonstrated the advantages of a standard software programming interface on an open controller. It allows a custom operator interface to be developed and deployed across many machine tools to create a common machine look-and-feel that reduces operator training and improves productivity.

XMC Machine Interface also provides timely access to critical machine production and maintenance data across the manufacturing and enterprise levels. The product debut illustrated the ease of automatically acquiring rich machine data, such as spindles loads, feed rates, machine faults, and machine uptime/downtime, and integrating it into the machine monitoring and utilization analysis system of a leading aerospace company.

”Discrete manufacturers are on the cusp of significant production and maintenance cost savings through standardized access to accurate machine tool intelligence, ” stated Jay Clark, ceo of Roy-G-Biv.

”Open architecture machine controls like Okuma’s OSP-P100 vastly improve the quality and access of key data over traditional, proprietary controls. Our XMC software platform links this rich information with a manufacturer’s factory floor supervisory system or supply chain infrastructure to improve a company’s quantitative decision-making abilities. Okuma is an exceptional, forward-thinking company who is truly working to bring these benefits of openness to the customer. We look forward to working together to usher in a new era of factory information integration for machine tools.”

Control Engineering Daily News DeskGary A. Mintchell, senior editor gmintchell@reedbusiness.com

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