Machine control system development typically relies on the developer’s experience and trial-and-error.
This ad hoc approach can undermine the very success of the system development, with a lengthy and
costly development period and, possibly, an endless cycle of upgrade and maintenance. The resulting
system also lacks the interchangeability and reusability. This paper presents the framework based on
Axiomatic Design for the systematic design and implementation of machine control systems. It
structures a complex control system and guides the design and development of its subcomponents.
Various levels of system design issues are addressed in this structural approach. Based on the
methodology presented in this paper, a control system for an industrial scale Chemical-Mechanical
Polishing (CMP) machine has been developed.