Identical NC-code on Different Machine Tools - Similarities and Differences in Timing and Positioning

Process and tool condition monitoring systems are a prerequisite for autonomous production. For online monitoring, it is the state of the art to use reference signals of correct processes to improve failure sensitivity and reduce false alarms. Transferring these reference signals from other machines economizes on teach-in processes and complex simulations. However, the varying behaviour of the two machines leads to differences that need to be considered for the transfer. This work aims to identify similarities and differences in the timing and positioning of multiple machines when executing identical machining instructions. A comparison of process signals quantifies similarities and differences among machines. Results describe differences between process sequences, rapid traverse speeds, rapid traverse paths, machining feed speeds, machining feed paths, tool engagement time, and the temporal alignment of signals. Differences primarily originated from different control parameters and strategies as well as physical drive limitations. During machining differences occurred most frequently when axes were accelerated. Differences accumulated over prolong periods of machining and eventually became relevant from the perspective of online monitoring

Multivariate time series data of milling processes with varying tool wear and machine tools

Machining is an essential part of modern manufacturing. During machining, the wear of cutting tools increases, eventually impairing product quality and process stability. Determining when to change a tool to avoid these consequences, while still utilizing most of a tool's lifetime is challenging, as the tool lifetime can vary by more than 100% despite constant process parameters [1]. To account for these variations, all tools are usually changed after a predefined period of time. However, this strategy wastes a significant proportion of the remaining lifetime of most tools. By monitoring the wear of tools, all tools can potentially be used until their individual end of life. Research, development, and assessment of such monitoring methods require large amounts of data. Nevertheless, only very few datasets are publicly available. The presented dataset provides labeled, multivariate time series data of milling processes with varying tool wear and for varying machine tools. The width of the flank wear land VB is used as a degradation metric. A total of nine end milling cutters were worn from an unused state to end of life (VB ≈ 150 µm) in 3-axis shoulder milling of cast iron 600–3/S. The tools were of the same model (solid carbide end milling cutter, 4 edges, coated with TiN-TiAlN) but from different batches. Experiments were conducted on three different 5-axis milling centers of a similar size. Workpieces, experimental setups, and process parameters were identical on all of the machine tools. The process forces were recorded with a dynamometer with a sample rate of 25 kHz. The force or torque of the spindle and feed drives, as well as the position control deviation of feed drives, were recorded from the machine tool controls with a sample rate of 500 Hz. The dataset holds a total of 6,418 files labeled with the wear (VB), machine tool (M), tool (T), run (R), and cumulated tool contact time (C). This data could be used to identify signal features that are sensitive to wear, to investigate methods for tool wear estimation and tool life prediction, or to examine transfer learning strategies. The data thereby facilitates research in tool condition monitoring and predictive maintenance in the domain of production technology

Wear curve based online feature assessment for tool condition monitoring

The performance of a process monitoring system is determined by the information available to it. Existing methods for selecting relevant process information (features) work offline with data of faulty processes that is often unavailable or neglect random disturbances. This increases the risk of choosing non-sensitive features. Hence, this paper investigates whether a non-sensitive feature is detectable online in an initial selection of features presumed to be sensitive. A method for quantifying and assessing trends in features online is described. In the validation with turning and drilling processes, a single non-sensitive feature was detected successfully in seven out of eight test cases. © 2020 The Authors

Artificial Wear for the Assessment of Monitoring Performance

Various tool condition monitoring systems exist, that can increase machine availability and process reliability. Assessing and comparing their performance, however, requires high expenditure due to real process failures being scarce, too different or costly to reproduce. Hence, this paper investigates the reproducible simulation of flank wear. It introduces and validates a geometry for indexable inserts that results in process changes similar to those caused by natural flank wear. The validation considers turning processes with different feeds, depth of cut and cutting speeds in steel. Results demonstrate that the proposed geometry for indexable inserts affects process forces similar to natural flank wear

Transfer of Process References between Machine Tools for Online Tool Condition Monitoring

Process and tool condition monitoring systems are a prerequisite for autonomous production. One approach to monitoring individual parts without complex cutting simulations is the transfer of knowledge among similar monitoring scenarios. This paper introduces a novel monitoring method which transfers monitoring limits for process signals between different machine tools. The method calculates monitoring limits statistically from cutting processes carried out on one or more similar machines. The monitoring algorithm aims to detect general process anomalies online. Experiments comprise face‐turning operations at five different lathes, four of which were of the same model. Results include the successful transfer of monitoring limits between machines of the same model for the detection of material anomalies. In comparison to an approach based on dynamic time warping (DTW) and density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN), the new method showed fewer false alarms and higher detection rates. However, for the transfer between different models of machines, the successful application of the new method is limited. This is predominantly due to limitations of the employed process component isolation and differences between machine models in terms of signal properties as well as execution speed

Mutational Characterization of the Bile Acid Receptor TGR5 in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

TGR5, the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 (GPBAR1), has been linked to inflammatory pathways as well as bile homeostasis, and could therefore be involved in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) a chronic inflammatory bile duct disease. We aimed to extensively investigate TGR5 sequence variation in PSC, as well as functionally characterize detected variants. Complete resequencing of TGR5 was performed in 267 PSC patients and 274 healthy controls. Six nonsynonymous mutations were identified in addition to 16 other novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms. To investigate the impact from the nonsynonymous variants on TGR5, we created a receptor model, and introduced mutated TGR5 constructs into human epithelial cell lines. By using confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and a cAMP-sensitive luciferase assay, five of the nonsynonymous mutations (W83R, V178M, A217P, S272G and Q296X) were found to reduce or abolish TGR5 function. Fine-mapping of the previously reported PSC and UC associated locus at chromosome 2q35 in large patient panels revealed an overall association between the TGR5 single-nucleotide polymorphism rs11554825 and PSC (odds ratio = 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.26, p = 0.010) and UC (odds ratio = 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.11-1.27, p = 8.5 x 10(-7)), but strong linkage disequilibrium precluded demarcation of TGR5 from neighboring genes. Resequencing of TGR5 along with functional investigations of novel variants provided unique insight into an important candidate gene for several inflammatory and metabolic conditions. While significant TGR5 associations were detected in both UC and PSC, further studies are needed to conclusively define the role of TGR5 variation in these diseases

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Case Report: First longitudinal study of a patient with CALR positive clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential developing into pre-fibrotic myelofibrosis

Initial diagnosis of overt myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) represents the juncture during clonal evolution when symptoms or complications prompt an afflicted individual to seek medical attention. In 30-40% of the MPN subgroups essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myelofibrosis (MF), somatic mutations in the calreticulin gene (CALR) are drivers of the disease resulting in constitutive activation of the thrombopoietin receptor (MPL). In the current study, we describe a healthy CALR mutated individual during a 12 year follow-up from initial identification of CALR clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) to the diagnosis of pre-MF. The pre-diagnostic exponential development dynamics of the malignant clone demonstrated close correlation with the platelet counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) ratio, and inversely correlated to hemoglobin and erythrocyte counts. Backward extrapolation of the growth rate indicated the potential for discovery of the malignant clone many years prior to presentation of overt disease, opening a window of opportunity for early treatment intervention. We did not find any additional mutations associated with MPNs and the current case report provides novel information regarding the development of a driver mutation and the association with blood cell counts prior to clinical manifestation of symptoms suggesting that pre-diagnostic dynamics may supplement future diagnostic criteria for early diagnosis and intervention in MPN patients

Genome-Wide Association Analysis in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We aimed to characterize the genetic susceptibility to primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) by means of a genome-wide association analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. METHODS: A total of 443,816 SNPs on the Affymetrix SNP Array 5.0 (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) were genotyped in 285 Norwegian PSC patients and 298 healthy controls. Associations detected in this discovery panel were re-examined in independent case-control panels from Scandinavia (137 PSC cases and 368 controls), Belgium/The Netherlands (229 PSC cases and 735 controls), and Germany (400 cases and 1832 controls). RESULTS: The strongest associations were detected near HLA-B at chromosome 6p21 (rs3099844: odds ratio [OR], 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6-6.5; P = 2.6 X 10(-26); and rs2844559: OR, 4.7; 95% CI, 3.5-6.4; P = 4.2 X 10(-26) in the discovery panel). Outside the HLA complex, rs9524260 at chromosome 13q31 showed significant associations in 3 of 4 study panels. Lentiviral silencing of glypican 6, encoded at this locus, led to the up-regulation of proinflammatory markers in a cholangiocyte cell line. Of 15 established ulcerative colitis susceptibility loci, significant replication was obtained at chromosomes 2q35 and 3p21 (rs12612347: OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.06-1.50; and rs3197999: OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02-1.47, respectively), with circumstantial evidence supporting the G-protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1 and macrophage-stimulating 1, respectively, as the likely disease genes. CONCLUSIONS: Strong HLA associations and a subset of genes involved in bile homeostasis and other inflammatory conditions constitute key components of the genetic architecture of PS