I/UCRC for The Machine-Tool Systems Research Center (MSRC)

9314639卡普尔对任何工业化国家来说，最重要和最基础的工业之一是“机床工业”。机床是任何制造业最基本的基础，也是工业经济最可靠的指标之一，因为机床的需求和供给直接关系到工业需求的状况。自第二次世界大战以来，美国一直是世界上机床生产的领头羊。然而，最近，美国的机床产量仅次于日本、德国和苏联，在世界机床产量中排名第四。生产系统“集成柔性”的日益增长的趋势表明，未来的加工系统必须模糊“作业”和“作业计划”、“材料处理”和“材料加工”以及所谓的“敏捷制造”和“大规模制造”之间的界限。为解决这些问题，伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳分校成立了机床系统研究工业/大学合作研究中心。机床系统研究中心的初步研究议程将涉及：1.)系统/计划和控制；2.)机床结构；3.)流程开发和创新。一项名为“SmartCuts”的新计划是设计、制造和测试代表着机械加工技术进步的重要一步的下一代机床系统。目前，有8家公司赞助商参与了中心的研究项目，每年承诺约34万美元。伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳分校的首席调查员/中心主任和他的同事们拥有运营该中心的知识和设施。项目经理建议伊利诺伊大学香槟分校在五年持续奖励的第一年获得5万美元的奖励。每12个月接近结束时，项目主任和/或工程教育中心司司长将根据一系列标准审查中心的进展情况，包括：1)大学与产业互动的发展程度；支持基础正在发展的程度；3)一个强有力的研究项目正在发展的程度。如果审查结果令人满意，项目主管将建议对下一阶段的持续奖励提供支持。

9314639 Kapoor One of the most important and basic industries for any industrialized country is the "Machine Tool Industry". Machine Tools are not only the most basic foundation of any manufacturing industry, but also one of the most reliable indexes of industrial economy since the demand and supply of machine tools directly relate to state of the industrial needs. The U.S. has been the leading country of machine tools in the world since World War II. However, recently the U.S. is fourth in the world machine tool production after Japan, Germany, and U.S.S.R. The increasing trends toward "integrated flexibility" in production systems suggests future machining system must blur the boundaries between "operation" and "operation planning", between "material handling" and "material processing", and between "the so-call "agile manufacturing" and "mass manufacturing." An Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Machine-Tool System Research at the University of Illinois - Urbana has been established to address these issues. The initial research agenda of machine tool system research Center will address: 1.) system/planning and control; 2.) machine tool structure; 3.) process development and innovation. A new initiative "SMARTCUTS" is to design, build, and test a future generation machine tool system that represents a major step forward in the advancement of machining technology. Currently, there are 8 company sponsors involved in Center's research projects and committing approximately $340,000/year. The Principle Investigator/Center Director and his colleagues at the University of Illinois - Urbana have the knowledge and facilities to run this Center. The Program Manager recommends the University of Illinois, Champaign be awarded $50,000 for the first year of a five-year continuing award. Near the end of each 12 month period the Program Director and/or the Division Director of the Engineering Education Centers Division will review the progress of the Center on a number of criteria, including the following: 1.) the extent to which the university/industry interaction is developing; 2.) the extent to which the support base is developing; 3.) the extent to which a robust research program is developing. If the review is satisfactory, the Program Director will recommend support for the next period of this continuing award.