Leverage the Power of Tool Condition Monitoring for Optimal Machine Health
Machine tool monitoring and inspection systems are indispensable because they continuously track tool performance in real time. The advantages are many, including the ability for shops to minimize downtime, extend tool lifespan, and ensure that every part meets the highest standards — all while optimizing maintenance schedules and reducing costs.
Real Time Bar Feeder Vibration Detection and Control
Caron Engineering’s (Wells, ME) DTect-IT product features robust vibration detection and monitoring capabilities designed to identify and respond to excessive bar feeder vibration in CNC machining before it impacts part quality or machine health. Bar feeders play a critical role in automated lathe operations, but imperfections in bar stock often go unnoticed until they cause costly issues. Material inconsistencies, alignment problems, and excessive vibration can result in dimensional inaccuracies, compromised surface finishes, increased machine wear and unplanned downtime, and high scrap rates.
DTect-IT solves this challenge with a real-time monitoring and correction system that detects excessive vibration at the spindle and takes immediate corrective action — before part quality is affected. The high-resolution vibration sensor is mounted on the main spindle to continuously monitor vibration signals during cutting. When vibration exceeds user-defined thresholds the system signals the CNC to reduce spindle rpm incrementally until vibration falls within acceptable levels — keeping the process within tolerance and preserving part quality. If excessive vibration cannot be corrected through rpm adjustments, DTect-IT commands the CNC to stop, preventing equipment damage and unnecessary scrap.
Key features of DTect-IT include customizable vibration thresholds, data logging and analysis and more. DTect-IT is not limited to bar feeder applications and supports a wide variety of sensor types.
App Ensures Easy Ballbar Testing
CARTO Ballbar Connect is Renishaw Inc.’s (West Dundee, IL) smartphone app for the QC20 ballbar. Designed for swift and intuitive testing, it features a primary test sequence (3D Check) that runs a quick, static performance assessment on machine tools. The app uses on-machine macros to automate complex and repetitive tasks, allowing users to customize a single-line machine instruction for configuring and running a QC20 ballbar test.
Renishaw’s QC20 ballbar delivers fast, efficient health checks for machine tool performance. It is a highly accurate, telescopic linear sensor tool that allows users to identify and diagnose error sources, minimize reactive maintenance and concentrate on valuable preventative measures.
CARTO Ballbar Connect allows users with less experience to run ballbar tests quickly, easily and with confidence. It gives a snapshot of machine tool performance and presents results in a single quantitative and visual way. For new users, the app quickly builds knowledge and confidence of the QC20 ballbar. The intuitive user interface and in-app animations help guide them through the test process.
Wireless Transmission of Signals for Production Monitoring
With its new Telemetric Measurement System (TMS) the Kistler Group (Winterthur, Switzerland) for the first time achieves wireless, wear-free transmission of signals for process and tool monitoring in dynamic structures such as turret lathes. The system consists of the charge amplifier unit type 5190A and the base unit type 5290A and delivers reliable data without the use of slip rings, batteries or cables. This opens up entirely new possibilities for process monitoring in series production. The TMS charge amplifier provides a robust solution for monitoring highly dynamic processes in industries where maximum process reliability is essential — such as automotive, aerospace and medical technology. The generic system is suited for a wide range of monitoring applications in metal cutting and other industrial applications.
Traditional hard-wired measurement systems quickly reach their limits when machine parts are in motion or difficult to access. It is not wear and tear, but rather the risk of cable breakage that poses the greatest challenges — especially for components subject to dynamic loads.
In addition, cables often disrupt operation and restrict flexibility and mobility of sensor systems. As a result, critical processes often remain unmonitored, posing high risks of wear, scrap and process instability.
The TMS was specifically developed for single-channel piezoelectric measurements in moving machine elements, such as turret lathes, multi-spindle machines, r
obots or assembly lines. Compared to indirect methods, such as spindle current analysis, the TMS — in combination with the highly sensitive piezoelectric sensor — offers significantly higher measurement sensitivity.
