An xml interfaceto step-nc svstems for remote collaborative concurrent engineering

The STEP-NC specification, coupled with XML, premises to connect CNCs to the Internet and streamline the NC machining process. In the present work we show a procedure able to manipulate a XML AP238 format file, that contains the part program data related to the geometrical definitions, to the features, to the production strategies and to the tools employed in a production cycle. This procedure will allow operating also in remote mode, typically employed in Concurrent Engineering. Moreover it is able to communicate also with commercial CAD/CAM Software, allowing a complete integration and an easier migration toward the use of such new standards.