Machining System Measurement and Modelling

Abstract: Machine tools need to be tested to check they behave correctly while machining. A bigger production (capacity), improving the accuracy in final products (quality) or reducing costs are some of the main goals. Reducing the maintenance of the machines, their nonproductive time and a higher quality of the final parts, have a strong influence in the costs. Even machines built to the same specification present different properties and behaviours, which leads into a reduction of the flexibility when it comes to move operations among them. This study is focused on the measurement and modelling of four machine tools (M1, M2, M3 and M4), with same specifications, from the static point of view. Methods used to measure all these properties are the circular tests under loaded conditions, with the device Loaded Double Ball Bar (LDBB), which measures positional accuracy and static stiffness. Different pressures (0.5, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 bar) and locations for the LDBB have been used.   After the tests were performed, all the machines shown good properties with the detail of M4, which had a lower stiffness than the other three ones due to its table attachments.