Rapid design of tool-wear condition monitoring systems for turning processes using novelty detection

Condition monitoring systems of manufacturing processes have been recognised in recent years as one of the key technologies that provide the competitive advantage in many manufacturing environments. It is capable of providing an essential means to reduce cost, increase productivity, improve quality and prevent damage to the machine or workpiece. Turning operations are considered one of the most common manufacturing processes in industry. It is used to manufacture different round objects such as shafts, spindles and pins. Despite recent development and intensive engineering research, the development of tool wear monitoring systems in turning is still ongoing challenge. In this paper, force signals are used for monitoring tool-wear in a feature fusion model. A novel approach for the design of condition monitoring systems for turning operations using novelty detection algorithm is presented. The results found prove that the developed system can be used for rapid design of condition monitoring systems for turning operations to predict tool-wear

Application of Audible Signals in Tool Condition Monitoring using Machine Learning Techniques

Machining is always accompanied by many difficulties like tool wear, tool breakage, improper machining conditions, non-uniform workpiece properties and some other irregularities, which are some of major barriers to highly-automated operations. Effective tool condition monitoring (TCM) system provides a best solution to monitor those irregular machining processes and suggest operators to take appropriate actions. Even though a wide variety of monitoring techniques have been developed for the online detection of tool condition, it remains an unsolved problem to look for a reliable, simple and cheap solution. This research work mainly focuses on developing a real-time tool condition monitoring model to detect the tool condition, part quality in machining process by using machine learning techniques through sound monitoring. The present study shows the development of a process model capable of on-line process monitoring utilizing machine learning techniques to analyze the sound signals collected during machining and train the proposed system to predict the cutting phenomenon during machining. A decision-making system based on the machine learning technique involving Support Vector Machine approach is developed. The developed system is trained with pre-processed data and tested, and the system showed a significant prediction accuracy in different applications which proves to be an effective model in applying to machining process as an on-line process monitoring system. In addition, this system also proves to be effective, cheap, compact and sensory position invariant. The successful development of the proposed TCM system can provide a practical tool to reduce downtime for tool changes and minimize the amount of scrap in metal cutting industry

Investigation into the effect of fixturing systems on the design of condition monitoring for machining operations

The global market competition has drawn the manufacturer’s attention on automated manufacturing processes using condition monitoring systems. These systems have been used for improving product quality, eliminating inspection, and enhancing manufacturing productivity. Fixtures are essential devices in machining processes to hold the tool or workpiece, hence they are influenced directly by the stability of the cutting tool. Therefore, tool and fixturing faults play an important part in the inaccuracy of the machining processes causing deterioration of surface roughness. For the above mentioned reasons, and the limited work in this domain, this thesis develops an experimental investigation to evaluate the effect of fixturing quality on the design of condition monitoring systems. The proposed monitoring system implements multisensors and signal processing methods able to analyse the sensory information and make an appropriate decision. Therefore, several sensors namely force, vibration, acoustic emission, eddy current, power, strain and sound, are combined with a newly suggested approach, named Taylor’s Equation Induced Pattern (TIP), and neural networks to detect tool wear and tool breakage. It also evaluates the monitoring system to provide valuable data to show the effect of fixturing quality. Surface roughness of the workpiece has been measured and compared with the sensitivity of the monitoring system, which reflects the state of tool and fixturing conditions

The design of an effective sensor fusion model for condition monitoring systems of turning processes

High energy price and the increasing requirements of quality and low cost of products have created an urgent need to implement new technologies in current automated manufacturing environments. Condition monitoring systems of manufacturing processes have been recognised in recent years as one of the essential technologies that provide the competitive advantage in many manufacturing environments. This research aims to develop an effective sensor fusion model for turning processes for the detection of tool wear. Multi-sensors combined with a novelty detection algorithm and Learning Vector Quantisation (LVQ) neural networks are used in this research to detect tool wear and provide diagnostic and prognostic information. A novel approach, termed ASPST, (Automated Sensor and Signal Processing Selection System for Turning) is used to select the most appropriate sensors and signal processing methods. The aim is to reduce the number of sensors needed in the overall system and reduce the cost. The ASPST approach is based on simplifying complex sensory signals into a group of Sensory Characteristic Features (SCFs) and evaluating the sensitivity of these SCFs in detecting tool wear. A wide range of sensory signals (cutting forces, strain, acceleration, acoustic emission and sound) and signal processing methods are also implemented to verify the capability of the approach. A cost reduction method is also implemented based on eliminating the least utilised sensor in an attempt to reduce the overall cost of the system without sacrificing the capability of the condition monitoring system. The experimental results prove that the suggested approach provides a responsive and effective solution in monitoring tool wear in turning with reduced time and cost

Towards Sustainable and Intelligent Machining:Energy Footprint and Tool Condition Monitoring for Media-Assisted Processes

Reducing energy consumption is a necessity towards achieving the goal of net-zero manufacturing. In this paper, the overall energy footprint of machining Ti-6Al-4V using various cooling/lubrication methods is investigated taking the embodied energy of cutting tools and cutting fluids into account. Previous studies concentrated on reducing the energy consumption associated with the machine tool and cutting fluids. However, the investigations in this study show the significance of the embodied energy of cutting tool. New cooling/lubrication methods such as WS2-oil suspension can reduce the energy footprint of machining through extending tool life. Cutting tools are commonly replaced early before reaching their end of useful life to prevent damage to the workpiece, effectively wasting a portion of the embodied energy in cutting tools. A deep learning method is trained and validated to identify when a tool change is required based on sensor signals from a wireless sensory toolholder. The results indicated that the network is capable of classifying over 90% of the tools correctly. This enables capitalising on the entirety of a tool’s useful life before replacing the tool and thus reducing the overall energy footprint of machining processes

A TOPSIS-Assisted Feature Selection Scheme and SOM-Based Anomaly Detection for Milling Tools Under Different Operating Conditions

Anomaly detection modeled as a one-class classification is an essential task for tool condition monitoring (TCM) when only the normal data are available. To confront with the real-world settings, it is crucial to take the different operating conditions, e.g., rotation speed, into account when approaching TCM solutions. This work mainly addresses issues related to multi-operating-condition TCM models, namely the varying discriminability of sensory features with different operating conditions; the overlap between normal and anomalous data; and the complex structure of input data. A feature selection scheme is proposed in which the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is presented as a tool to aid the multi-objective selection of sensory features. In addition, four anomaly detection approaches based on Self-Organizing Map (SOM) are studied. To examine the stability of the four approaches, they are applied on different single-operating-condition models. Further, to examine their robustness when dealing with complex data structures, they are applied on multi-operating-condition models. The experimental results using the NASA Milling Data Set showed that all the studied anomaly detection approaches achieved a higher assessment accuracy with our feature selection scheme as compared to the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Laplacian Score (LS), and extended LS in which we added a final step to the original LS method in order to eliminate redundant features

Surface profile prediction and analysis applied to turning process

An approach for the prediction of surface profile in turning process using Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural networks is presented. The input parameters of the RBF networks are cutting speed, depth of cut and feed rate. The output parameters are Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) vector of surface profile for the prediction of surface profile. The RBF networks are trained with adaptive optimal training parameters related to cutting parameters and predict surface profile using the corresponding optimal network topology for each new cutting condition. A very good performance of surface profile prediction, in terms of agreement with experimental data, was achieved with high accuracy, low cost and high speed. It is found that the RBF networks have the advantage over Back Propagation (BP) neural networks. Furthermore, a new group of training and testing data were also used to analyse the influence of tool wear and chip formation on prediction accuracy using RBF neural networks

Linear friction weld process monitoring of fixture cassette deformations using empirical mode decomposition

Due to its inherent advantages, linear friction welding is a solid-state joining process of increasing importance to the aerospace, automotive, medical and power generation equipment industries. Tangential oscillations and forge stroke during the burn-off phase of the joining process introduce essential dynamic forces, which can also be detrimental to the welding process. Since burn-off is a critical phase in the manufacturing stage, process monitoring is fundamental for quality and stability control purposes. This study aims to improve workholding stability through the analysis of fixture cassette deformations. Methods and procedures for process monitoring are developed and implemented in a fail-or-pass assessment system for fixture cassette deformations during the burn-off phase. Additionally, the de-noised signals are compared to results from previous production runs. The observed deformations as a consequence of the forces acting on the fixture cassette are measured directly during the welding process. Data on the linear friction-welding machine are acquired and de-noised using empirical mode decomposition, before the burn-off phase is extracted. This approach enables a direct, objective comparison of the signal features with trends from previous successful welds. The capacity of the whole process monitoring system is validated and demonstrated through the analysis of a large number of signals obtained from welding experiments

Linear friction weld process monitoring of fixture cassette deformations using empirical mode decomposition

Due to its inherent advantages, linear friction welding is a solid-state joining process of increasing importance to the aerospace, automotive, medical and power generation equipment industries. Tangential oscillations and forge stroke during the burn-off phase of the joining process introduce essential dynamic forces, which can also be detrimental to the welding process. Since burn-off is a critical phase in the manufacturing stage, process monitoring is fundamental for quality and stability control purposes. This study aims to improve workholding stability through the analysis of fixture cassette deformations. Methods and procedures for process monitoring are developed and implemented in a fail-or-pass assessment system for fixture cassette deformations during the burn-off phase. Additionally, the de-noised signals are compared to results from previous production runs. The observed deformations as a consequence of the forces acting on the fixture cassette are measured directly during the welding process. Data on the linear friction-welding machine are acquired and de-noised using empirical mode decomposition, before the burn-off phase is extracted. This approach enables a direct, objective comparison of the signal features with trends from previous successful welds. The capacity of the whole process monitoring system is validated and demonstrated through the analysis of a large number of signals obtained from welding experiments