HISTORY OF PIONEERING NIST FACILITY CHRONICLED.

Automating the Future: A History of the Automated Manufacturing Research Facility 1980-1995 (NIST SP 967), recently published by NIST as part of its centennial celebration, chronicles 15 years of collaboration between government, industry and academia that linked robots, computers and machine tools into what American Machinist magazine once called "the free world's largest and most advanced public research facility for the study of automated manufacturing."

The 98-page book recounts the effort that led to one of the first demonstrations of the feasibility of an automated factory. It highlights metrological, technological and management innovations that not only contributed to the success of the AMRF but have now found their place in factories across the nation. These include robotic technologies such as grippers, quick change wrists and image processors; machine tool innovation such as laser interferometer tracking devices, tool wear monitors and special magnet-resistant skin; and standards promoting seamless interfacing between computers.

Readers of Automating the Future will understand how the AMRF's achievements illustrate the benefit of multisector sharing of expertise and knowledge; provide insight into how recent manufacturing advances have shaped industry and government; and show the impact of automated manufacturing on the American economy.