Latest Developments in Industrial Hybrid Machine Tools that Combine Additive and Subtractive Operations

Hybrid machine tools combining additive and subtractive processes have arisen as a solution to increasing manufacture requirements, boosting the potentials of both technologies, while compensating and minimizing their limitations. Nevertheless, the idea of hybrid machines is relatively new and there is a notable lack of knowledge about the implications arisen from their in-practice use. Therefore, the main goal of the present paper is to fill the existing gap, giving an insight into the current advancements and pending tasks of hybrid machines both from an academic and industrial perspective. To that end, the technical-economical potentials and challenges emerging from their use are identified and critically discussed. In addition, the current situation and future perspectives of hybrid machines from the point of view of process planning, monitoring, and inspection are analyzed. On the one hand, it is found that hybrid machines enable a more efficient use of the resources available, as well as the production of previously unattainable complex parts. On the other hand, it is concluded that there are still some technological challenges derived from the interaction of additive and subtractive processes to be overcome (e.g., process planning, decision planning, use of cutting fluids, and need for a post-processing) before a full implantation of hybrid machines is fulfilledSpecial thanks are addressed to the Industry and Competitiveness Spanish Ministry for the support on the DPI2016-79889-R INTEGRADDI project and to the PARADDISE project H2020-IND-CE-2016-17/H2020-FOF-2016 of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program

Quality and inspection of machining operations: Review of condition monitoring and CMM inspection techniques 2000 to present

In order to consistently produce quality parts, many aspects of the manufacturing process must be carefully monitored, controlled, and measured. The methods and techniques by which to accomplish these tasks has been the focus of numerous studies in recent years. With the rapid advances in computing technology, the complexity and overhead that can be feasibly incorporated in any developed technique has dramatically improved. Thus, techniques that would have been impractical for implementation just a few years ago can now be realistically applied. This rapid growth has resulted in a wealth of new capabilities for improving part and process quality and reliability. In this paper, overviews of recent advances that apply to machining are presented. Moreover, due to the relative significance of two particular machining aspects, this review focuses specifically on research publications pertaining to using tool condition monitoring and coordinate measurement machines to improve the machining process. Tool condition has a direct effect on part quality and is discussed first. The application of tool condition monitoring as it applies to turning, drilling, milling, and grinding is presented. The subsequent section provides recommendations for future research opportunities. The ensuing section focuses on the use of coordinate measuring machines in conjunction with machining and is subdivided with respect to integration with machining tools, inspection planning and efficiency, advanced controller feedback, machine error compensation, and on-line tool calibration, in that specific order and concludes with recommendations regarding where future needs remain

Micro-manufacturing : research, technology outcomes and development issues

Besides continuing effort in developing MEMS-based manufacturing techniques, latest effort in Micro-manufacturing is also in Non-MEMS-based manufacturing. Research and technological development (RTD) in this field is encouraged by the increased demand on micro-components as well as promised development in the scaling down of the traditional macro-manufacturing processes for micro-length-scale manufacturing. This paper highlights some EU funded research activities in micro/nano-manufacturing, and gives examples of the latest development in micro-manufacturing methods/techniques, process chains, hybrid-processes, manufacturing equipment and supporting technologies/device, etc., which is followed by a summary of the achievements of the EU MASMICRO project. Finally, concluding remarks are given, which raise several issues concerning further development in micro-manufacturing

Automatic Detection of Industrial Robot Tool Damage Based on Force Measurement

This paper proposes a solution for diagnosing the condition of the tools applied in metal alloy robotic machining. Determination of the condition of a cutting tool requires specific methods that depend on the damage type or the wear level. Methods that involved measurements of basic geometric dimensions of cutting tools based on force sensor, and testing the forces of inertia caused by tool unbalance were applied in the work covered herein. Damage of cutting tool, including unbalance, fracture or complete tool wear were detected with a system of force measurement, which was part of the standard equipment of the robot in a process used to investigate the methods covered herein. All methods proposed herein were performed automatically and require no human intervention. This paper presents examples of solutions for determining the condition of a grinding pin, which is a common machining tool

DIG-MAN: Integration of digital tools into product development and manufacturing education

General objectives of PRODEM education. Teaching of product development requires various digital tools. Nowadays, the digital tools usually use computers, which have become a standard element of manufacturing and teaching environments. In this context, an integration of computer-based technologies in manufacturing environments plays the crucial and main role, allowing to enrich, accelerate and integrate different production phases such as product development, design, manufacturing and inspection. Moreover, the digital tools play important role in management of production. According to Wdowik and Ratnayake (2019 paper: Open Access Digital Tool’s Application Potential in Technological Process Planning: SMMEs Perspective, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29996-5_36), the digital tools can be divided into several main groups such as: machine tools and technological equipment (MTE), devices (D), internet(intranet)-based tools (I), software (S). The groups are presented in Fig. 1.1. Machine tools and technological equipment group contains all existing machines and devices which are commonly used in manufacturing and inspection phase. The group is used in physical shaping of manufactured products, measurement tasks regarding tools and products, etc. The next group of devices (D) is proposed to separate the newest trends of using mobile and computer-based technologies such as smartphones or tablets and indicate the necessity of increased mobility within production sites. The similar need of separation is in the case of internet(intranet)-based tools which indicate the growing interest in network-based solutions. Hence, D and I groups are proposed in order to underline the significance of mobility and networking. These two groups of the digital tools should also be supported in the nearest future by the use of 5G networks. The last group of software (S) concerns computer software produced for the aims of manufacturing environments. There is also a possibility to assign the defined solutions (e.g. computer programs) to more than one group (e.g. program can be assigned to software and internet-based tools). The main role of tools allocated inside separate groups is to support employees, managers and customers of manufacturing firms focused on abovementioned production phases. The digital tools are being developed in order to increase efficiency of production, quality of manufactured products and accelerate innovation process as well as comfort of work. Nowadays, digital also means mobile. Universities (especially technical), which are focused on higher education and research, have been continuously developing their teaching programmes since the beginning of industry 3.0 era. They need to prepare their alumni for changing environments of manufacturing enterprises and new challenges such as Industry 4.0 era, digitalization, networking, remote work, etc. Most of the teaching environments nowadays, especially those in manufacturing engineering area, are equipped with many digital tools and meet various challenges regarding an adaptation, a maintenance and a final usage of the digital tools. The application of these tools in teaching needs a space, staff and supporting infrastructures. Universities adapt their equipment and infrastructures to local or national needs of enterprises and the teaching content is usually focused on currently used technologies. Furthermore, research activities support teaching process by newly developed innovations. Figure 1.2 presents how different digital tools are used in teaching environments. Teaching environments are divided into four groups: lecture rooms, computer laboratories, manufacturing laboratories and industrial environments. The three groups are characteristic in the case of universities’ infrastructure whilst the fourth one is used for the aims of internships of students or researchers. Nowadays lecture rooms are mainly used for lectures and presentations which require the direct communication and interaction between teachers and students. However, such teaching method could also be replaced by the use of remote teaching (e.g. by the use of e-learning platforms or internet communicators). Unfortunately, remote teaching leads to limited interaction between people. Nonverbal communication is hence limited. Computer laboratories (CLs) usually gather students who solve different problems by the use of software. Most of the CLs enable teachers to display instructions by using projectors. Physical gathering in one room enables verbal and nonverbal communication between teachers and students. Manufacturing laboratories are usually used as the demonstrators of real industrial environments. They are also perfect places for performing of experiments and building the proficiency in using of infrastructure. The role of manufacturing labs can be divided as: • places which demonstrate the real industrial environments, • research sites where new ideas can be developed, improved and tested. Industrial environment has a crucial role in teaching. It enables an enriched student experience by providing real industrial challenges and problems

Reverse engineering : an evaluation of contact technology and application in manufacturing systems

There are many instances where one-of-a-kind parts, such as prototypes or custom-built parts, need to be reproduced. When a Computer Aided Design (CAD) of an existing part is not available, reverse engineering is involved in recreation of such part. Currently, geometric measurements from the surface of a prototype are extracted manually and sent to a CAD system. It is typically time consuming, tedious, and potentially a source of error. This study outlines a methodology, for the development of a CAD model, rapid prototype, and subsequently manufacturing of the part. The method developed uses a contact technique to extract 2-D or 3-D data from the surface of parts using a coordinate measurement machine. Procedures for processing the data into a polygon mesh representation and orthographic projections are detailed. CAD solid modelling to Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), which is an important step in manufacturing industries are described by CNC code generations and use of ethernet to send the machine code file to the CNC machine tool on the shopfloor

Computer-Aided Inspection Approach Using 3D Digitizer

An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. It involves the measurements, tests, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity. This project related to inspection using 3D scanning device, digitizer. Renishaw Cyclone 3D laser digitizer was used to perform a computer-aided inspection on test piece with dome shaped contour with 50mm diameter. Results obtained indicate that the dimensions captured by digitizer deviate range by 0.02 to 0.03mm with an average of 0.026mm. In order to establish more definitive result, further research need to be done to cover various dimensions so as statistical analysis could be done to establish the deviation. Recommendation was given for further improvement

Feature-based hybrid inspection planning for complex mechanical parts

Globalization and emerging new powers in the manufacturing world are among many challenges, major manufacturing enterprises are facing. This resulted in increased alternatives to satisfy customers\u27 growing needs regarding products\u27 aesthetic and functional requirements. Complexity of part design and engineering specifications to satisfy such needs often require a better use of advanced and more accurate tools to achieve good quality. Inspection is a crucial manufacturing function that should be further improved to cope with such challenges. Intelligent planning for inspection of parts with complex geometric shapes and free form surfaces using contact or non-contact devices is still a major challenge. Research in segmentation and localization techniques should also enable inspection systems to utilize modern measurement technologies capable of collecting huge number of measured points. Advanced digitization tools can be classified as contact or non-contact sensors. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a hybrid inspection planning system that benefits from the advantages of both techniques. Moreover, the minimization of deviation of measured part from the original CAD model is not the only characteristic that should be considered when implementing the localization process in order to accept or reject the part; geometric tolerances must also be considered. A segmentation technique that deals directly with the individual points is a necessary step in the developed inspection system, where the output is the actual measured points, not a tessellated model as commonly implemented by current segmentation tools. The contribution of this work is three folds. First, a knowledge-based system was developed for selecting the most suitable sensor using an inspection-specific features taxonomy in form of a 3D Matrix where each cell includes the corresponding knowledge rules and generate inspection tasks. A Travel Salesperson Problem (TSP) has been applied for sequencing these hybrid inspection tasks. A novel region-based segmentation algorithm was developed which deals directly with the measured point cloud and generates sub-point clouds, each of which represents a feature to be inspected and includes the original measured points. Finally, a new tolerance-based localization algorithm was developed to verify the functional requirements and was applied and tested using form tolerance specifications. This research enhances the existing inspection planning systems for complex mechanical parts with a hybrid inspection planning model. The main benefits of the developed segmentation and tolerance-based localization algorithms are the improvement of inspection decisions in order not to reject good parts that would have otherwise been rejected due to misleading results from currently available localization techniques. The better and more accurate inspection decisions achieved will lead to less scrap, which, in turn, will reduce the product cost and improve the company potential in the market