Testing STEP-NC implementations

STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product model data, ISO 10303) data for numerical control, or STEP-NC, is intended to provide full product and process data interoperability between computer-aided manufacturing systems and machine tool controllers. Numerous prototype and several commercial implementations of STEP-NC are currently being developed. Testing is an essential step toward ensuring conformance to a specification and achieving interoperability between different implementations. Test methods and valid test cases that address specific operational scenarios are vital to speed the development process. This paper describes proposed test methods and metrics, validation methods for test data, and test case development.