OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, June 23 1994 The Y-12 National Security Complex and SILMA Inc., of Cupertino, Calif.,specialists in computer-simulated manufacturing software have completed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) that improves the software that assists manufacturers in programming coordinate measuring machines to inspect parts for quality. 

The focus of the project was the development of enhancements to SILMA's coordinate measuring machine off-line programming software package, CimStation Inspection. 

The Inspection software allows users to create dimensional measurement interface specification programs off-line and to simulate the coordinate measuring machine's motions before the program is downloaded into the machine. The CRADA enhancements check for additional program correctness and provide testing to verify inspection coordinates either generated by the system or loaded from another system. 

Using the new functionality added to CimStation Inspection, Y-12 researchers have decreased the amount of time it takes them to program a coordinate measuring machine by 50 percent and increased the confidence rate of the program from 70 to 95 percent. 

SILMA and a group of engineers within Y-12's Numerical Control Engineering Division headed by Marshall Biddix, the principal investigator for the CRADA, have been partners on developing SILMA's CimStation Inspection product since 1989. Y-12 has provided the technical and industrial experience needed to ensure a quality product. 

After using the product for several years, Y-12 engineers identified several areas that could benefit from development of new functionality. All of the functionality they proposed has been completed, and about half has been incorporated into the latest release of CimStation. As SILMA continues to update the product, all of the functionality will be included. 

"We are pleased with the results of the CRADA work. The new functionality has been added that has enhanced and benefitted the product. The incorporation of the new functions was successful and done on schedule. The CRADA strengthens our commitment to provide manufacturers with the right products for increasing their operators' and machines' productivity. Y-12 maintains stringent quality controls, and by using their experience we can continue to produce accurate and reliable programs for commercial use," said Laurent Mayer, president of SILMA. 

SILMA develops and markets software for Digital Pre-Manufacturing. SILMA CimStation Inspection, CimStation Robotics, Soft Machines and Soft Assembly software are used by leading companies throughout the world to help improve manufacturing productivity, implement simultaneous engineering technology, and reduce the design to manufacturing cycle. 

SILMA is headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., with offices in Michigan, France and Germany and distribution in Japan, Korea, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. 

Major technology transfer activities for Y-12 and ORNL are carried out in the Centers for Manufacturing Technology. 

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