Reconfigurable Machine Tools Design Methodology

Abstract: In today’s industry, the competitive market, the short life time of the products and rapid change in customer demand forms a big trend of appearance of new manufacturing system. Reconfigurable Machine Tool (RMT) is a kind of solution for future machining systems, thus it can not only provide customized solutions to the operation requirements but also is cost-effective. Thethesis aims to create and implement methodology of RMT design for manufacturing industry. The methodology is introduced and extended according to the five principals of modular machine tool design. The methodology will be applied step by step herein so as to make the methodology more clear. First of all is to get the concept or process requirements from the customer. The customer requires three reconfigurable part families for a high speed milling application including tables, spindles, and cutters. In this case, to fulfill customer’s requirements and concept, the dual spindle (Multi-tool) RMT is selected as an example to interpret the RMT design methodology. Secondly, the most important point in methodology of RMT design is to analyze the valuable proposal of the four principles of modular design based on extensive experience. This work turns the four principles, separation, and unification (standardization), connection, and adaptation, to practical design methodology. Based on the classical four principles, the principle of reusability is an addition principal in consider of zero waste concept. In order to perform the RMT design methodology effectively, it is necessary to complement the advantages of the reconfiguration in dual spindle RMT design and the reconfiguration for other part families in according to the RMT design methodology. A final step utilizes computer software to model the configuration in 3 dimensions. And evaluations can be discussed in Degree of Freedom (DOF), stiffness analysis and number of modules.