Digital Twin Modeling Enabled Machine Tool Intelligence:A Review

Machine tools,often referred to as the“mother machines”of the manufacturing industry,are crucial in developing smart manufacturing and are increasingly becoming more intelligent.Digital twin technology can promote machine tool intelligence and has attracted considerable research interest.However,there is a lack of clear and systematic analyses on how the digital twin technology enables machine tool intelligence.Herein,digital twin modeling was identified as an enabling technology for machine tool intelligence based on a comparative study of the characteristics of machine tool intelligence and digital twin.The review then delves into state-of-the-art digital twin modelingenabled machine tool intelligence,examining it from the aspects of data-based modeling and mechanism-data dual-driven modeling.Additionally,it highlights three bottleneck issues facing the field.Considering these problems,the architecture of a digital twin machine tool(DTMT)is proposed,and three key technologies are expounded in detail:Data perception and fusion technology,mechanism-data-knowledge hybrid-driven digital twin modeling and virtual-real synchronization technology,and dynamic optimization and collaborative control technology for multilevel parameters.Finally,future research directions for the DTMT are discussed.This work can provide a foundation basis for the research and implementation of digital-twin modeling-enabled machine tool intelligence,making it significant for developing intelligent machine tools.

Geometric Error Identification of Gantry-Type CNC Machine Tool Based on Multi-Station Synchronization Laser Tracers

Laser tracers are a three-dimensional coordinate measurement system that are widely used in industrial measurement.We propose a geometric error identification method based on multi-station synchronization laser tracers to enable the rapid and high-precision measurement of geometric errors for gantry-type computer numerical control(CNC)machine tools.This method also improves on the existing measurement efficiency issues in the single-base station measurement method and multi-base station time-sharing measurement method.We consider a three-axis gantry-type CNC machine tool,and the geometric error mathematical model is derived and established based on the combination of screw theory and a topological analysis of the machine kinematic chain.The four-station laser tracers position and measurement points are realized based on the multi-point positioning principle.A self-calibration algorithm is proposed for the coordinate calibration process of a laser tracer using the Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear least squares method,and the geometric error is solved using Taylor’s first-order linearization iteration.The experimental results show that the geometric error calculated based on this modeling method is comparable to the results from the Etalon laser tracer.For a volume of 800 mm×1000 mm×350 mm,the maximum differences of the linear,angular,and spatial position errors were 2.0μm,2.7μrad,and 12.0μm,respectively,which verifies the accuracy of the proposed algorithm.This research proposes a modeling method for the precise measurement of errors in machine tools,and the applied nature of this study also makes it relevant both to researchers and those in the industrial sector.

Numerical Investigation of Thermal Behavior of CNC Machine Tool and Its Effects on Dimensional Accuracy of Machined Parts

The dimensional accuracy of machined parts is strongly influenced by the thermal behavior of machine tools (MT). Minimizing this influence represents a key objective for any modern manufacturing industry. Thermally induced positioning error compensation remains the most effective and practical method in this context. However, the efficiency of the compensation process depends on the quality of the model used to predict the thermal errors. The model should consistently reflect the relationships between temperature distribution in the MT structure and thermally induced positioning errors. A judicious choice of the number and location of temperature sensitive points to represent heat distribution is a key factor for robust thermal error modeling. Therefore, in this paper, the temperature sensitive points are selected following a structured thermomechanical analysis carried out to evaluate the effects of various temperature gradients on MT structure deformation intensity. The MT thermal behavior is first modeled using finite element method and validated by various experimentally measured temperature fields using temperature sensors and thermal imaging. MT Thermal behavior validation shows a maximum error of less than 10% when comparing the numerical estimations with the experimental results even under changing operation conditions. The numerical model is used through several series of simulations carried out using varied working condition to explore possible relationships between temperature distribution and thermal deformation characteristics to select the most appropriate temperature sensitive points that will be considered for building an empirical prediction model for thermal errors as function of MT thermal state. Validation tests achieved using an artificial neural network based simplified model confirmed the efficiency of the proposed temperature sensitive points allowing the prediction of the thermally induced errors with an accuracy greater than 90%.

Further Analysis of Machine Tool Dimensional Accuracy and Thermal Stability under Varying Floor Temperature

Machining is as old as humanity, and changes in temperature in both the machine’s internal and external environments can be of great concern as they affect the machine’s thermal stability and, thus, the machine’s dimensional accuracy. This paper is a continuation of our earlier work, which aimed to analyze the effect of the internal temperature of a machine tool as the machine is put into operation and vary the external temperature, the machine floor temperature. Some experiments are carried out under controlled conditions to study how machine tool components get heated up and how this heating up affects the machine’s accuracy due to thermally induced deviations. Additionally, another angle is added by varying the machine floor temperature. The parameters mentioned above are explored in line with the overall thermal stability of the machine tool and its dimensional accuracy. A Robodrill CNC machine tool is used. The CNC was first soaked with thermal energy by gradually raising the machine floor temperature to a certain level before putting the machine in operation. The machine was monitored, and analytical methods were deplored to evaluate thermal stability. Secondly, the machine was run idle for some time under raised floor temperature before it was put into operation. Data was also collected and analyzed. It is observed that machine thermal stability can be achieved in several ways depending on how the above parameters are joggled. This paper, in conclusion, reinforces the idea of machine tool warm-up process in conjunction with a carefully analyzed and established machine floor temperature variation for the approximation of the machine tool’s thermally stability to map the long-time behavior of the machine tool.

Research on Machine Tool Fault Diagnosis and Maintenance Optimization in Intelligent Manufacturing Environments

In the context of intelligent manufacturing,machine tools,as core equipment,directly influence production efficiency and product quality through their operational reliability.Traditional maintenance methods for machine tools,often characterized by low efficiency and high costs,fail to meet the demands of modern manufacturing industries.Therefore,leveraging intelligent manufacturing technologies,this paper proposes a solution optimized for the diagnosis and maintenance of machine tool faults.Initially,the paper introduces sensor-based data acquisition technologies combined with big data analytics and machine learning algorithms to achieve intelligent fault diagnosis of machine tools.Subsequently,it discusses predictive maintenance strategies by establishing an optimized model for maintenance strategy and resource allocation,thereby enhancing maintenance efficiency and reducing costs.Lastly,the paper explores the architectural design,integration,and testing evaluation methods of intelligent manufacturing systems.The study indicates that optimization of machine tool fault diagnosis and maintenance in an intelligent manufacturing environment not only enhances equipment reliability but also significantly reduces maintenance costs,offering broad application prospects.

Spatial Expression of Assembly Geometric Errors for Multi-axis Machine Tool Based on Kinematic Jacobian-Torsor Model

Assembly geometric error as a part of the machine tool system errors has a significant influence on the machining accuracy of the multi-axis machine tool.And it cannot be eliminated due to the error propagation of components in the assembly process,which is generally non-uniformly distributed in the whole working space.A comprehensive expression model for assembly geometric error is greatly helpful for machining quality control of machine tools to meet the demand for machining accuracy in practice.However,the expression ranges based on the standard quasistatic expression model for assembly geometric errors are far less than those needed in the whole working space of the multi-axis machine tool.To address this issue,a modeling methodology based on the Jacobian-Torsor model is proposed to describe the spatially distributed geometric errors.Firstly,an improved kinematic Jacobian-Torsor model is developed to describe the relative movements such as translation and rotation motion between assembly bodies,respectively.Furthermore,based on the proposed kinematic Jacobian-Torsor model,a spatial expression of geometric errors for the multi-axis machine tool is given.And simulation and experimental verification are taken with the investigation of the spatial distribution of geometric errors on five four-axis machine tools.The results validate the effectiveness of the proposed kinematic Jacobian-Torsor model in dealing with the spatial expression of assembly geometric errors.

Energy-Efficient Approaches for a Machine Tool Building in a University through Field Measurement and Energy Modelling

The heating,ventilating,and air conditioning(HVAC)system consumes nearly 50%of the building’s energy,especially in Taiwan with a hot and humid climate.Due to the challenges in obtaining energy sources and the negative impacts of excessive energy use on the environment,it is essential to employ an energy-efficient HVAC system.This study conducted the machine tools building in a university.The field measurement was carried out,and the data were used to conduct energymodelling with EnergyPlus(EP)in order to discover some improvements in energy-efficient design.The validation between fieldmeasurement and energymodelling was performed,and the error rate was less than 10%.The following strategies were proposed in this study based on several energy-efficient approaches,including room temperature settings,chilled water supply temperature settings,chiller coefficient of performance(COP),shading,and building location.Energy-efficient approaches have been evaluated and could reduce energy consumption annually.The results reveal that the proposed energy-efficient approaches of room temperature settings(3.8%),chilled water supply temperature settings(2.1%),chiller COP(5.9%),using shading(9.1%),and building location(3.0%),respectively,could reduce energy consumption.The analysis discovered that using a well-performing HVAC system and building shading were effective in lowering the amount of energy used,and the energy modelling method could be an effective and satisfactory tool in determining potential energy savings.

Machines,Tools and Tool Transporter Concurrent Scheduling in Multi⁃machine FMS with Alternative Routing Using Symbiotic Organisms Search Algorithm

This study explored the concurrent scheduling of machines, tools, and tool transporter(TT) with alternative machines in a multi-machine flexible manufacturing system(FMS), taking into mind the tool transfer durations for minimization of the makespan(MSN). When tools are expensive, just a single copy of every tool kind is made available for use in the FMS system. Because the tools are housed in a central tool magazine(CTM), which then distributes and delivers them to many machines, because there is no longer a need to duplicate the tools in each machine, the associated costs are avoided. Choosing alternative machines for job operations(jb-ons), assigning tools to jb-ons, sequencing jb-ons on machines, and arranging allied trip activities, together with the TT’s loaded trip times and deadheading periods, are all challenges that must be overcome to achieve the goal of minimizing MSN. In addition to a mixed nonlinear integer programming(MNLIP) formulation for this simultaneous scheduling problem, this paper suggests a symbiotic organisms search algorithm(SOSA) for the problem’s solution. This algorithm relies on organisms’ symbiotic interaction strategies to keep living in an ecosystem. The findings demonstrate that SOSA is superior to the Jaya algorithm in providing solutions and that using alternative machines for operations helps bring down MSN.

Simulation Study of the Workspace of the Parallel Machine Tool

A new three dimensional simulation method is introduced to study the workspace of a 6 PSS (P denotes a prismatic kinematic pair, S denotes a spherical kinematic pair) parallel machine tool. This algorithm adopts the method of numerical analysis to investigate the boundary points in a series of sections which form the surface of the workspace. That is, to study such points that have the largest polar radius on a certain section in a system of polar coordinates according to conditions of constraint. The constraint conditions considered in the article include the maximum and minimum displacements of each dieblock, the maximum and minimum angles of oscillation in each hinge. By converting the constraint inequalities into constraint equations, the largest polar radius corresponding to every constraint condition can be evaluated and the minimum one is used to decide the boundary point. This algorithm greatly simplifies the computational process and can be used to analyze any section of the workspace. It provides a theoretical basis for the structural design of such a machine tool.

METHOD FOR SUPPRESSING CUTTING CHATTER IN NUMERICAL CONTROL MACHINE TOOLS

A new method for suppressing cutting chatter is studied by adjusting servo parameters of the numerical control （NC） machine tool and controlling the limited cutting width. A model of the cutting system of the NC machine tool is established. It includes the mechanical system, the servo system and the cutting chatter system. Interactions between every two systems are shown in the model. The cutting system stability is simulated and relation curves between the limited cutting width and servo system parameters are described in the experiment. Simulation and experimental results show that there is a mapping relation between the limited cutting width and servo parameters of the NC machine tool, and the method is applicable and credible to suppress chatter.

STUDY ON THE COMPENSATION TECHNIQUE OF POSITIONING ERRORS FOR NC MACHINE TOOLS

Through analysis of the basic transformation of a typical body,the error transformations of the position vector and the displacement vector are employed,a general model for positioning errors of NC machine tools by using kinematics of the multi body system is discussed.By means of 8031 single chip system,intelligent error compensation controller has been developed.The results of experiments on XH714 machining center show that the positioning accuracy is enhanced effectively by more than 50%.

STIFFNESS ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN MODULE FOR PARALLEL MACHINE TOOLS BY FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

With the aid of commercial finite element analysis software package ANSYS,investigations are made on the contributions of main components to stiffness of the main module for parallel machine tools,and it is found that the frame is the main contributor.Then,influences of constraints,strut length and working ways of the main module have also been investigated.It can be concluded that when one of the main planes of the frame without linear drive unit is constrained,the largest whole stiffness can be acquired.And,the stiffness is much better when the main module is used in a vertical machine tool instead of a horizontal one.Finally,the principle of stiffness variation is summarized when the mobile platform reaches various positions within its working space and when various loads are applied.These achievements have provided critical instructions for the design of the main module for parallel machine tools.

High Accurate Interpolation of NURBS Tool Path for CNC Machine Tools

Feedrate fluctuation caused by approximation errors of interpolation methods has great effects on machining quality in NURBS interpolation, but few methods can efficiently eliminate or reduce it to a satisfying level without sacrificing the computing efficiency at present. In order to solve this problem, a high accurate interpolation method for NURBS tool path is proposed. The proposed method can efficiently reduce the feedrate fluctuation by forming a quartic equation with respect to the curve parameter increment, which can be efficiently solved by analytic methods in real-time. Theoretically, the proposed method can totally eliminate the feedrate fluctuation for any 2nd degree NURBS curves and can interpolate 3rd degree NURBS curves with minimal feedrate fluctuation. Moreover, a smooth feedrate planning algorithm is also proposed to generate smooth tool motion with considering multiple constraints and scheduling errors by an efficient planning strategy. Experiments are conducted to verify the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method. This research presents a novel NURBS interpolation method with not only high accuracy but also satisfying computing efficiency.

Applying CBR to Machine Tool Product Configuration Design Oriented to Customer Requirements

Product customization is a trend in the current market-oriented manufacturing environment. However, deduction from customer requirements to design results and evaluation of design alternatives are still heavily reliant on the designer＇s experience and knowledge. To solve the problem of fuzziness and uncertainty of customer requirements in product configuration, an analysis method based on the grey rough model is presented. The customer requirements can be converted into technical characteristics effectively. In addition, an optimization decision model for product planning is established to help the enterprises select the key technical characteristics under the constraints of cost and time to serve the customer to maximal satisfaction. A new case retrieval approach that combines the self-organizing map and fuzzy similarity priority ratio method is proposed in case-based design. The self-organizing map can reduce the retrieval range and increase the retrieval efficiency, and the fuzzy similarity priority ratio method can evaluate the similarity of cases comprehensively. To ensure that the final case has the based on grey correlation analysis is proposed to evaluate similar cases best overall performance, an evaluation method of similar cases to select the most suitable case. Furthermore, a computer-aided system is developed using MATLAB GUI to assist the product configuration design. The actual example and result on an ETC series machine tool product show that the proposed method is effective, rapid and accurate in the process of product configuration. The proposed methodology provides a detailed instruction for the product configuration design oriented to customer requirements.

Algorithm for Detecting Volumetric Geometric Accuracy of NC Machine Tool by Laser Tracker

Quick and accurate detecting the error of NC machine tool and performing the error compensation are important to improve the machining accuracy of NC machine tool. Currently, there are many methods for detecting the geometric accuracy of NC machine tool. However, these methods have deficiencies in detection efficiency and accuracy as well as in versatility. In the paper, a method with laser tracker based on the multi-station and time-sharing measurement principle is proposed, and this method can rapidly and accurately detect the geometric accuracy of NC machine tool. The machine tool is controlled to move in the preset path in a 3D space or 2D plane, and a laser tracker is used to measure the same motion trajectory of the machine tool successively at different base stations. The original algorithm for multi-station and time-sharing measurement is improved. The space coordinates of the measuring point obtained by the laser tracker are taken as parameter values, and the initial position of each base point can be determined. The redundant equation concerning the base point calibration can be established by the distance information of the laser tracker, and the position of each base point is further determined by solving the equation with least squares method, then the space coordinates of each measuring point can be calibrated. The singular matrix does not occur in calculation with the improved algorithm, which overcomes the limitations of the original algorithm, that the motion trajectory of machine tool is in a 3D space and there exits height difference between the base stations. Adopting the improved algorithm can expand the application of multi-station and time-sharing measurement, and can meet the quick and accurate detecting requirements for different types of NC machine tool.

Temperature Variable Optimization for Precision Machine Tool Thermal Error Compensation on Optimal Threshold

Machine tool thermal error is an important reason for poor machining accuracy. Thermal error compensation is a primary technology in accuracy control. To build thermal error model, temperature variables are needed to be divided into several groups on an appropriate threshold. Currently, group threshold value is mainly determined by researchers experience. Few studies focus on group threshold in temperature variable grouping. Since the threshold is important in error compensation, this paper arms to find out an optimal threshold to realize temperature variable optimization in thermal error modeling. Firstly, correlation coefficient is used to express membership grade of temperature variables, and the theory of fuzzy transitive closure is applied to obtain relational matrix of temperature variables. Concepts as compact degree and separable degree are introduced. Then evaluation model of temperature variable clustering is built. The optimal threshold and the best temperature variable clustering can be obtained by setting the maximum value of evaluation model as the objective. Finally, correlation coefficients between temperature variables and thermal error are calculated in order to find out optimum temperature variables for thermal error modeling. An experiment is conducted on a precise horizontal machining center. In experiment, three displacement sensors are used to measure spindle thermal error and twenty-nine temperature sensors are utilized to detect the machining center temperature. Experimental result shows that the new method of temperature variable optimization on optimal threshold successfully worked out a best threshold value interval and chose seven temperature variables from twenty-nine temperature measuring points. The model residual of z direction is within 3 μm. Obviously, the proposed new variable optimization method has simple computing process and good modeling accuracy, which is quite fit for thermal error compensation.

Bayesian Reliability Modeling and Assessment Solution for NC Machine Tools under Small-sample Data

Although Markov chain Monte Carlo（MCMC） algorithms are accurate, many factors may cause instability when they are utilized in reliability analysis; such instability makes these algorithms unsuitable for widespread engineering applications. Thus, a reliability modeling and assessment solution aimed at small-sample data of numerical control（NC） machine tools is proposed on the basis of Bayes theories. An expert-judgment process of fusing multi-source prior information is developed to obtain the Weibull parameters＇ prior distributions and reduce the subjective bias of usual expert-judgment methods. The grid approximation method is applied to two-parameter Weibull distribution to derive the formulas for the parameters＇ posterior distributions and solve the calculation difficulty of high-dimensional integration. The method is then applied to the real data of a type of NC machine tool to implement a reliability assessment and obtain the mean time between failures（MTBF）. The relative error of the proposed method is 5.8020×10-4 compared with the MTBF obtained by the MCMC algorithm. This result indicates that the proposed method is as accurate as MCMC. The newly developed solution for reliability modeling and assessment of NC machine tools under small-sample data is easy, practical, and highly suitable for widespread application in the engineering field; in addition, the solution does not reduce accuracy.

DYNAMICS ANALYSIS OF SPECIAL STRUCTURE OF MILLING-HEAD MACHINE TOOL

The milling-head machine tool is a sophisticated and high-quality machine tool of which the spindle system is made up of special multi-element structure. Two special mechanical configurations make the cutting performance of the machine tool decline. One is the milling head spindle supported on two sets of complex bearings. The mechanical dynamic rigidity of milling head structure is researched on designed digital prototype with finite element analysis（FEA） and modal synthesis analysis （ MSA ） for identifying the weak structures. The other is the ram structure hanging on milling head. The structure is researched to get dynamic performance on cutting at different ram extending positions. The analysis results on spindle and ram are used to improve the mechanical configurations and structure in design. The machine tool is built up with modified structure and gets better dynamic rigidity than it was before.

ADAPTABLE DESIGN OF MACHINE TOOLS STRUCTURES

Adaptable design aims to extend the utilities of design and product. The specific methods are developed for practical applications of adaptable design in the design of mechanical structures, including adaptable platform, interface and module designs. Adaptable redesign problems are formulated as adaptable platform design under adaptability bound constraints. Analysis tools are then suggested for the implementation of the redesign of machine tool structures, including variation techniques based sensitivity analysis, similarity-based commonality analysis, performance improvement, and adaptability measures. The specific measure of adaptability for machine tool structures is measured through the quantification of the structural similarity and performance improvement gained from adaptable design. The method provides designers with an approach that brings adaptability into the design process, with considering the cost and benefits of such adaptability. The redesign of CNC spiral bevel gear cutting machine structures has been included to illustrate these concepts and methods.

Parameters Optimization of a Novel 5-DOF Gasbag Polishing Machine Tool

The research on the parameters optimization for gasbag polishing machine tools, mainly aims at a better kinematics performance and a design scheme. Serial structural arm is mostly employed in gasbag polishing machine tools at present, but it is disadvantaged by its complexity, big inertia, and so on. In the multi-objective parameters optimization, it is very difficult to select good parameters to achieve excellent performance of the mechanism. In this paper, a statistics parameters optimization method based on index atlases is presented for a novel 5-DOF gasbag polishing machine tool. In the position analyses, the structure and workspace for a novel 5-DOF gasbag polishing machine tool is developed, where the gasbag polishing machine tool is advantaged by its simple structure, lower inertia and bigger workspace. In the kinematics analyses, several kinematics performance evaluation indices of the machine tool are proposed and discussed, and the global kinematics performance evaluation atlases are given. In the parameters optimization process, considering the assembly technique, a design scheme of the 5-DOF gasbag polishing machine tool is given to own better kinematics performance based on the proposed statistics parameters optimization method, and the global linear isotropic performance index is 0.5, the global rotational isotropic performance index is 0.5, the global linear velocity transmission performance index is 1.012 3 m/s in the case of unit input matrix, the global rotational velocity transmission performance index is 0.102 7 rad/s in the case of unit input matrix, and the workspace volume is 1. The proposed research provides the basis for applications of the novel 5-DOF gasbag polishing machine tool, which can be applied to the modern industrial fields requiring machines with lower inertia, better kinematics transmission performance and better technological efficiency.