DEVELOPMENT OF AN IN-PROCESS TOOL-LIFE DETECTION SYSTEM FOR CUTTING

Study on the progress of automatic machining systems has been centered actively onto CNC machine tools recently, to lead applied production technology such as unmanned machining to a practical level. In order to make this application more efficient, in-process methods of tool wear and breakage detection are required. In this study, which is chiefly on turning, the cutting force around the tool surface is determined by use of a cutting-resistant sensor and then changed into an electric signal and compared with standards, to enable the tool-life detection system to assess the tool life. When the cutting resistance detected by the cutting-resistant sensor has increased to the level of the standards, the measuring system can decide whether the tools should be changed on the basis of a comparative circuit. The model is shown to be very reliable for a cutting-tool-life detection system.