scope:

This International Standard defines a neutral language for communication between information systems and Dimensional Measurement Equipment (DME) called the Dimensional Measuring Interface Standard (DMIS). DMIS is an execution language for measurement part programs and provides an exchange format for metrology data such as features, tolerances, and measurement results.

DMIS conveys the product and equipment definitions along with the process and reporting information necessary to perform dimensional measurements that employ coordinate metrology. DMIS contains product definitions for nominal features, feature constructions, dimensional and geometric tolerances, functional datums, and part coordinate systems. It also communicates equipment definitions for various measurement sensors, measurement resources, and machine parameters. DMIS instructs the DME's motions and measurements for product acceptance or verification and for manufacturing process validation and control. Furthermore, DMIS guides the analysis of coordinate data to report and tag measurement results that ascertain product/process quality.

Finally, to aid in its implementation, application functional subsets of DMIS have been defined that ensure successful interoperability and to validate DMIS conformance. Also, DMIS addresses the associativity of DMIS product definitions with CAD information.

While primarily designed for communication between automated equipment, DMIS is designed to be both humanreadable and human-writable, allowing inspection programs to be written and inspection results to be analyzed without the use of computer aids. With the enhancement of the High Level Language extensions, DMIS can function and be implemented as a complete DME language.

DMIS provides the vocabulary to pass inspection programs to dimensional measuring equipment and to pass measurement and process data back to an analysis, collection, and/or archiving system. A piece of equipment which interfaces to others, using the DMIS vocabulary, may do so directly or it may have a pre-processor to convert its own native data formats into the DMIS format and/or a postprocessor to convert the DMIS format into its own data structure.

An environment making use of the DMIS input and output formats as a data exchange standard is depicted in (Figure 1 - DMIS environment) . As illustrated, an inspection program can be created by many different approaches. Inspection program creation can be assisted by CAD systems, non -graphical systems, automated systems, or constructed manually. A programming system may require a pre-processor which converts the program into DMIS format. A DMIS inspection program can then be executed on dissimilar dimensional measuring equipments. In ( Figure 1 - DMIS environment), DME I has a DMIS pre -processor and post-processor which converts the DMIS data into its own unique data format. DME IV is utilizing DMIS as its native format and therefore no pre-processors or post-processors are required. Also, a host computer is being used to control DME II and DME III. The host has a post-processor which decodes the DMIS program and drives the two DMEs, either through DMIS formats, or through some user-defined data exchange format.

Resultant data may be passed back in DMIS format through various scenarios. For example, this data could be passed directly as DMIS or via a post-processor. Resultant data is typically passed to an analysis system and/or a storage system such as a Quality Information System (QIS).

The manual interface indicates that DMIS programs can be hand written, and results analyzed, without the use of computer aids. In addition, many other uses of the DMIS data exchange format could be applied.

The implementation of DMIS is dependent on individual users. DMIS simply defines a neutral data exchange format that can be transmitted via ASCII or UTF8 files from one DMIS supporting system to another. The method for the transmission, storage, and management of these files is user-dependent.