02 June 2011
Blum Novotest power consumption monitoring reveals tool deterioration
Broken cutting tools and the damage caused components can be eliminated, says Blum Novotest, using the TMAC tool monitoring solution. The ingenious new Tool Monitor Adaptive Control (TMAC) system protects the CNC machine while providing valuable information regarding the cutting process.
The TMAC has been developed by Caron Engineering, a technical partner of Blum Novotest. It operates on the principle that the horsepower required to cut a part increases as the condition of the cutting edges of the tool deteriorate. It comprises a main controller, horsepower transducer, vibration sensor and the TMS display software – all of which can be simply integrated into any CNC machine tool and Windows-based PC. The software conveniently enables the machine to be monitored from the shopfloor or remotely from the office.
TMAC can work in conjunction with the Blum laser control system where tool breakage detection and tool wear monitoring is done with TMAC, while tool length and radius measurement, thermal effects compensation or deviations due to high spindle speeds can be done with the laser. Customers using TMAC and laser systems as a complement to each other can have the complete production (cutting) process under control.
TMAC 'learn mode' learns the tools for each job and their respective horsepower. In this mode, the operator can set the horsepower limitations for each tool. For example, a 25 per cent increase in power can be considered as wear, while a 50% increase can be considered as extreme. This information is relayed to the CNC control to allow corrective action. To further enhance the cutting process the adaptive control feature of TMAC will automatically override the feedrate to maintain constant horsepower.
The adaptive control system is a necessity for a number of reasons. These include material variations commonplace in castings and forgings, variations in tooling and tool run-out, variations in coolant flow and concentration, and contour cutting with a continually changing material thickness and cutter load.
The adaptive control reduces cycle times by an average of 10-40% by optimising feedrates, reducing feedrates in hard spots and increasing them in soft areas or voids. This feature optimises cycle times and still provides limits to protect the machine and tool. Added to this, a new built-in feature of adaptive control is the ability to control approach and exit feed rates with a fixed value.
The system has vibration monitoring that can be an advantage for non-rotating tools (turning, boring and facing tools), coolant flow monitoring and a multitude of additional tools to view the tool performance live and gather historical data to compile performance reports.
The TMAC system has already been adopted in the US by Pratt & Witney, Smith & Wesson, John Deere, Smiths Aerospace, Volvo Aerospace, Arvin Meritor, MTU Aero Engines, Stryker Howmedica and General Electric Aircraft.
Author
Celia Cadwallader
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Blum-Novotest Ltd