The purpose of the project is to establish the groundwork for a working computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) cell around the currently available CNC machines. The immediate (not fully automated) cell will consist of a CNC lathe, CNC mill, a SCARA robot for servicing the lathe, a table top jointed arm robot for servicing the mill, a programmable logic controller for overall system coordination, and a personal computer for on/off line programming and system operation. The award is being matched by an equal amount from the principal investigator's institution. //
