A Generic Kinematic Model for Three Main Types of Five-axis Machine Tools

Material removal is one of the most used processes in manufacturing. Five-axis CNC machines are believed to be the best tools in sculptured surface machining. In this study, a generic and unified kinematic model was developed as a viable alternative to the particular solutions that are only applicable to individual machine configurations. This versatile model is then used to verify the feasibility of the two rotational joints within the kinematic chain of three main types of a five-axis machine-tool. This versatile model is very useful applied to the design of five-axis machine tools.

Spindle Thermal Error Optimization Modeling of a Five-axis Machine Tool

Aiming at the problem of low machining accu- racy and uncontrollable thermal errors of NC machine tools, spindle thermal error measurement, modeling and compensation of a two turntable five-axis machine tool are researched. Measurement experiment of heat sources and thermal errors are carried out, and GRA（grey relational analysis） method is introduced into the selection of tem- perature variables used for thermal error modeling. In order to analyze the influence of different heat sources on spindle thermal errors, an ANN （artificial neural network） model is presented, and ABC（artificial bee colony） algorithm is introduced to train the link weights of ANN, a new ABC- NN（Artificial bee colony-based neural network） modeling method is proposed and used in the prediction of spindle thermal errors. In order to test the prediction performance of ABC-NN model, an experiment system is developed, the prediction results of LSR （least squares regression）, ANN and ABC-NN are compared with the measurement results of spindle thermal errors. Experiment results show that the prediction accuracy of ABC-NN model is higher than LSR and ANN, and the residual error is smaller than 3 pm, the new modeling method is feasible. The proposed research provides instruction to compensate thermal errors and improve machining accuracy of NC machine tools.

Identification of Kinematic Errors of Five-axis Machine Tool Trunnion Axis from Finished Test Piece

Compared with the traditional non-cutting measurement,machining tests can more accurately reflect the kinematic errors of five-axis machine tools in the actual machining process for the users.However,measurement and calculation of the machining tests in the literature are quite difficult and time-consuming.A new method of the machining tests for the trunnion axis of five-axis machine tool is proposed.Firstly,a simple mathematical model of the cradle-type five-axis machine tool was established by optimizing the coordinate system settings based on robot kinematics.Then,the machining tests based on error-sensitive directions were proposed to identify the kinematic errors of the trunnion axis of cradle-type five-axis machine tool.By adopting the error-sensitive vectors in the matrix calculation,the functional relationship equations between the machining errors of the test piece in the error-sensitive directions and the kinematic errors of C-axis and A-axis of five-axis machine tool rotary table was established based on the model of the kinematic errors.According to our previous work,the kinematic errors of C-axis can be treated as the known quantities,and the kinematic errors of A-axis can be obtained from the equations.This method was tested in Mikron UCP600 vertical machining center.The machining errors in the error-sensitive directions can be obtained by CMM inspection from the finished test piece to identify the kinematic errors of five-axis machine tool trunnion axis.Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method can reduce the complexity,cost,and the time consumed substantially,and has a wider applicability.This paper proposes a new method of the machining tests for the trunnion axis of five-axis machine tool.

Research on Visual Virtual Design Platform for NC Machine Tools

The fundamental ideas on building the collaborative design platform of virtual visualization for NC machine tools are introduced. The platform is based on the globally shared product model conforming to the STEP Standard,and used PDM system to integrate and encapsulate CAD/CAE and other application software for the product development. The platform also integrated the expert system of NC machine tools design,analysis and estimation. This expert system utilized fuzzy estimation principle to evaluate the design and simulation analysis results and make decisions. The platform provides the collaborative intelligent environment for the design of virtual NC machine tools prototype aiming at integrated product design team. It also supports the customized development of NC machine tools.

Research on virtual dynamic optimization design for NC machine tools

Virtual dynamic optimization design can avoid the repeated process from de-sign to trial-manufacture and test.The designer can analyze and optimize the productstructures in virtual visualization environment.The design cycle is shortened and the costis reduced.The paper analyzed the peculiarity of virtual optimization design,and put for-wards the thought and flow to implement virtual optimization design.The example to opti-mize the internal grinder was studied via establishing precise finite element model,modi-fying the layout of Stiffened Plates and designing parameters of the worktable,and usingthe technology of modal frequency revision and the technology of multiple tuned damper.The result of optimization design compared the new grinder with the original grinder showsthat the entire machine's first orders natural frequency is enhanced by 17%,and the re-sponse displacement of the grinding-head has dropped by 28% under the first order natu-ral frequency and by 41% under second order natural frequency.Finally,the dynamic per-formance of the internal grinder was optimized.

PLANNING METHOD OF TOOL ORIENTATION IN FIVE-AXIS NC MACHINING

The planning method of tool orientation in the five-axis NC machining is studied. The problem of the existing method is analyzed and a new method for generating the global smoothing tool orientation is proposed by introducing the key frame idea in the animation-making. According to the feature of the part, several key tool orientations are set without interference between the tool and the part. Then, these key tool orientations are inter- polated by the spline function. By mapping the surface parameter to the spline parameter, the spline function value is obtained and taken as the tool orientation when generating the CL file. The machining result shows that the proposed method realizes the global smoothing of the tool orientation and the continuity of the rotational speed and the rotational acceleration. It also avoids the shake of the machine tool and improves the machining quality.

DRIVE AND CONTROL OF VIRTUAL-AXIS NC MACHINE TOOLS

The structure features and driving modes of virtual axis NC machine tools are studied. Accor ding to different application requirements,the three axis control method,the five axis control method and the sixfreedom control method are put forward.These results lay a foundation for the product development of the virtual axis NC machine tools

Tool wear condition monitoring method of five-axis machining center based on PSO-CNN

The effective monitoring of tool wear status in the milling process of a five-axis machining center is important for improving product quality and efficiency,so this paper proposes a CNN convolutional neural network model based on the optimization of PSO algorithm to monitor the tool wear status.Firstly,the cutting vibration signals and spindle current signals during the milling process of the five-axis machining center are collected using sensor technology,and the features related to the tool wear status are extracted in the time domain,frequency domain and time-frequency domain to form a feature sample matrix;secondly,the tool wear values corresponding to the above features are measured using an electron microscope and classified into three types:slight wear,normal wear and sharp wear to construct a target Finally,the tool wear sample data set is constructed by using multi-source information fusion technology and input to PSO-CNN model to complete the prediction of tool wear status.The results show that the proposed method can effectively predict the tool wear state with an accuracy of 98.27%;and compared with BP model,CNN model and SVM model,the accuracy indexes are improved by 9.48%,3.44%and 1.72%respectively,which indicates that the PSO-CNN model proposed in this paper has obvious advantages in the field of tool wear state identification.

An Open CAM System for Dentistry on the Basis of China-made 5-axis Simultaneous Contouring CNC Machine Tool and Industrial CAM Software

China-made 5-axis simultaneous contouring CNC machine tool and domestically developed industrial computer-aided manufacture （CAM） technology were used for full crown fabrication and measurement of crown accuracy, with an attempt to establish an open CAM system for dental processing and to promote the introduction of domestic dental computer-aided design （CAD）/CAM system. Commercially available scanning equipment was used to make a basic digital tooth model after preparation of crown, and CAD software that comes with the scanning device was employed to design the crown by using domestic industrial CAM software to process the crown data in order to generate a solid model for machining purpose, and then China-made 5-axis simultaneous contouring CNC machine tool was used to complete machining of the whole crown and the internal accuracy of the crown internal was measured by using 3D-MicroCT. The results showed that China-made 5-axis simultaneous contouring CNC machine tool in combination with domestic industrial CAM technology can be used for crown making and the crown was well positioned in die. The internal accuracy was successfully measured by using 3D-MicroCT. It is concluded that an open CAM system for den-tistry on the basis of China-made 5-axis simultaneous contouring CNC machine tool and domestic industrial CAM software has been established, and development of the system will promote the introduction of domestically-produced dental CAD/CAM system.

Kinematic calibration method with high measurement efficiency and robust identification for hybrid machine tools

Geometric error is the main factor affecting the machining accuracy of hybrid machine tools.Kinematic calibration is an effective way to improve the geometric accuracy of hybrid machine tools.The necessity to measure both position and orientation at each pose,as well as the instability of identification in case of incomplete measurements,severely affects the application of traditional calibration methods.In this study,a kinematic calibration method with high measurement efficiency and robust identification is proposed to improve the kinematic accuracy of a five-axis hybrid machine tool.First,the configuration is introduced,and an error model is derived.Further,by investigating the mechanism error characteristics,a measurement scheme that only requires tool centre point position error measurement and one alignment operation is proposed.Subsequently,by analysing the effects of unmeasured degrees of freedom(DOFs)on other DOFs,an improved nonlinear least squares method based on virtual measurement values is proposed to achieve stable parameter identification in case of incomplete measurement,without introducing additional parameters.Finally,the proposed calibration method is verified through simulations and experiments.The proposed method can efficiently accomplish the kinematic calibration of the hybrid machine tool.The accuracy of the hybrid machine tool is significantly improved after calibration,satisfying actual aerospace machining requirements.

WEB-BASED VIRTUAL CNC MACHINE MODELING AND OPERATION

A CNC simulation system based on intemet for operation training of manufacturing facility and manufacturing process simulation is proposed. Firstly, the system framework and a rapid modeling method of CNC machine tool are studied under the virtual environment based on PolyTrans and CAD software. Then, a new method is proposed to enhance and expand the interactive ability of virtual reality modeling language（VRML） by attaining communication among VRML, JavaApplet, JavaScript and Html so as to realize the virtual operation for CNC machine tool. Moreover, the algorithm of material removed simulation based on VRML Z-map is presented. The advantages of this algorithm include less memory requirement and much higher computation. Lastly, the CNC milling machine is taken as an illustrative example for the prototype development in order to validate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

基于Virtools并联机床虚拟装配系统的研究

并联机床,机构简单而数学复杂,是一种知识密集型机构。它的出现积极响应了现代制造业对高速、高精度制造装配的需求,同时也带来了全新的机遇和挑战。为了弥补学校及企业在并联机床教学及培训方面的不足,提高学生及工人对并联机床工作机理及产品装配的掌握,设计了基于Virtools的并联机床的虚拟装配系统。通过UG建立并联机床的三维模型,通过3d Max渲染及制作运动仿真动画,在此基础上利用Virtools平台设计了交互式的并联机床的虚拟装配系统。该系统界面友好、交互性强,不仅节省开发时间和成本,而且大大减少对资源的利用,能够满足高校及企业的教学与培训需求。

Tool Positioning Algorithm Based on Smooth Tool Paths for 5-axis Machining of Sculptured Surfaces

The current research of the 5-axis tool positioning algorithm mainly focuses on searching the local optimal tool position without gouging and interference at a cutter contact（CC） point,while not considering the smoothness and continuity of a whole tool path.When the surface curvature varies significantly,a local abrupt change of tool paths will happen.The abrupt change has a great influence on surface machining quality.In order to keep generated tool paths smooth and continuous,a five-axis tool positioning algorithm based on smooth tool paths is presented.Firstly,the inclination angle,the tilt angle and offset distance of the tool at a CC point are used as design variables,and the machining strip width is used as an objective function,an optimization model of a local tool positioning algorithm is thus established.Then,a vector equation of tool path is derived by using the above optimization model.By analyzing the equation,the main factors affecting the tool path quality are obtained.Finally,a new tool position optimization model is established,and the detailed process of tool position optimization is also given.An experiment is conducted to machine an aircraft turbine blade by using the proposed algorithm on a 5-axis blade grinding machine,and the machined blade surface is measured with a coordinate measuring machine（CMM）.Experimental and measured results show that the proposed algorithm can ensure tool paths are smooth and continuous,improve the tool path quality,avoid the local abrupt change of tool paths,and enhance machining quality and machining efficiency of sculptured surfaces.

Development of Virtual Simulation System for Remote Collaborative Surface Machining

Most researches about virtual machine tool are emphasized on simulations of machine motion and machining process for single machine. In this paper,a virtual simulation system for remote collaborative surface machining is developed. The motion command of machine tool is generated by an interpolator,which can derive synchronized motion commands according to feedrate. Thus,the system can estimate the machining time. For universal assembly of five-axis virtual machine tool,it is based on the D-H notation representation and machining constraints consideration. The remote collaborative virtual manufacturing system based on the CORBA technology is proposed in this paper. It demonstrated that the developed virtual machine tool can be used to verify and simulate the machining process for the collaboration of the surface design and manufacturing team.

五轴联动机床虚拟加工系统构建及仿真验证

五轴联动机床具有3个直线轴和2个回转轴,能在一次装夹中完成复杂曲面及异形几何特征类零件加工。实际加工过程中,刀具与工件相对运动复杂,常遇到刀具干涉。基于此,以五轴联动机床为研究对象,进行机床结构的运动链分析和零部件建模、装配,进而阐述了虚拟加工系统构建方法。最后以风扇叶轮加工为例,在已构建的系统上进行仿真验证。结果表明,该系统可以模拟双转台型五轴联动机床实际切削运动过程,可以发现加工过程中可能存在的干涉、碰撞等,对实际生产起到一定的指导作用。该研究不仅可以为类似五轴数控机床虚拟加工系统构建提供借鉴,而且对提高加工仿真技术及五轴机床应用水平也具有重要的价值。

基于Unity3D的机床加工实训仿真系统

针对目前高校机械专业学生在机床加工实训当中普遍存在设备操作危险、实训加工设备不足且实训效果不佳的情况,本研究以工业机器人转运及机床加工阶梯轴过程为研究对象,借助Unity3D开发平台设计出虚拟现实机床加工实训仿真系统。运用SolidWorks与3DsMax软件完成了三维建模,运用Photoshop软件对模型进行贴图和UI界面设计。使用Unity Animation组件完成阶梯轴生产加工过程动画,利用Unity3D配合C#语言实现了场景漫游、视角定位切换、虚拟手抓取等功能,最终完成并发布了机床生产加工仿真实训系统。该系统展示了阶梯轴在机床上的加工过程,实现了加工过程的可视化及进程控制,同时具备人机交互功能,选择使用虚拟手替代工业机器人完成上料,控制视角转移观察加工过程,能够极大的提高学生的实训兴趣,提高实训效率,改变传统生产加工实训方式。

基于网络节点-TIC的数字孪生机床数据可信度评估方法研究

新质生产力以其高科技、高效能和高质量等主要特征,获得广泛关注。其中大力发展数字经济,促进数实交融,是新质生产力的重点。而数据要素作为第五大生产要素以及实现制造业数字化智能化的基础,正在不断探索进步。提出一种数字孪生机床数据可信度评估方法,通过仿真系统构建数据交互网络节点图,以数据传输频率、数据吞吐量、数据延迟和数据重要程度为基础计算各系统间数据交互权重,使用Theil不等式系数(Theil’s inequality coefficient,TIC)方法计算数据可信度,计算二者结合后的可信度阈值与单一TIC方法计算的可信度阈值,并验证该方法的有效性。

Design and development of a five-axis machine tool with high accuracy,stiffness and efficiency for aero-engine casing manufacturing

In order to satisfy the machining requirements of aero-engine casing in modern aviation industry, this paper investigates three main issues during the design and development process of a five-axis machine tool with high accuracy, stiffness and efficiency, including whole structure design,key components design, and supporting stiffness design. First, an appropriate structure of five-axis machine tool is determined considering the processing characteristics of aero-engine casing. Then, a dual drive swing head and a compact motorized spindle are designed with enough drive capability and stiffness, and related structure, assembly method, cooling technology, and performance simulation are given in detail. Next, a design method of supporting stiffness of guide is proposed through the deformation prediction of the spindle end. Based on above work, a prototype of machine tool is developed, and some experiments are carried out, including performance tests of swing head and motorized spindle, and machining of a simulated workpiece of aero-engine casing. All experimental results show that the machine tool has satisfactory accuracy, stiffness and efficiency, which meets the machining requirements of aero-engine casing. The main work can be used as references for engineers and technicians, which are meaningful in practice.

基于虚拟仿真技术的高精度数控机床自动控制系统

为实现高精度数控加工,设计基于虚拟仿真技术的高精度数控机床自动控制系统。该系统依托SolidWorks、Deep Exploration等软件,建立数控机床虚拟仿真三维模型,设计数控机床控制约束关系,获取数控机床运行数据,并将该数据内的跟随误差、误差积分、误差微分等作为控制输入变量,设计由神经网络和PID组成的混合控制器,利用该混合控制器输出数控机床自动控制量,实现高精度数控机床自动控制。实验表明:该系统在各种运行环境下的软件移植完整程度均超过95%,在控制数控机床运动速度时,跟随误差始终保持在-50~50 mm/min,应用效果较为显著。

Improved closed-loop tracking interferometer measurement for a five-axis machine tool with a bi-rotary milling head

Tracking interferometer based on bi-rotary milling head is a novel scheme to conduct volumetric accuracy measurement of a five-axis machine tool.The laser beam direction of the interferometer can be regulated to follow the retroreflector by moving the bi-rotary head.This is a low-cost implementation of multilateration measurement,and its measurement accuracy is mainly affected by the error motion of the rotary axes.This paper proposes an improved multilateration principle to identify the positionindependent geometric errors of rotary axis and laser beam,and minimize their impact on the measurement uncertainty.A closed-loop tracking interferometer system installed on the spindle is developed to perform the measurement with high tracking accuracy.The device can be installed on an ordinary five-axis machine tool without modifying the machine tool structure.The proposed scheme is conducive to improving the accuracy and practical application of the tracking interferometer based on birotary milling head.Experiments with the corresponding closed-loop tracking interferometer and uncertainty analysis are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed measurement scheme.