Tool Monitoring - Controlling a Process with Better Tool Monitoring

[Coleman Donnelly]

Does anyone have any experience who can point someone with no experience when it comes to tool monitoring...

I am looking to control a process with better tool monitoring but I don't really know where to begin...

Machining Cobalt Chrome on an Okuma LU15

 

[Helmut Jilling]

Does anyone have any experience who can point someone with no experience when it comes to tool monitoring...

I am looking to control a process with better tool monitoring but I don't really know where to begin...

Machining Cobalt Chrome on an Okuma LU15

Congratulations, you are on a good trail.

If machining tools wear in a predictable manner, then the resulting parts typically will show variance in the same predictable manner. This could be a starting point.

However, a CNC will typically index in a way that the worn reduced tool starts a cut in a slightly closer position. That may make the chart of tool wear less predictable, thus this approach may be less useful.

A series of measurements of both the tool and a series of parts may give you a pattern that you can use. At a minimum, you should be able to determine when the tool is close to not rendering good parts.

 

[Coleman Donnelly]

Currently I am looking to monitor tool pressure - I am not sure if there are other options available. It would seem that as the tool wears the pressure should increase at a predictable rate. When tool pressure reaches a threshold it will need to be replaced.

The current process is a rough/finish process and my concern is that as the roughing tool wears the finish tool begins to do extra work. This is VERY bad... Monitoring tool pressure will tell me when the tool is worn but it won’t show me how much material is being removed in the roughing process...

These are all assumptions as I am still at a pretty early phase in the project.

 

[palmer]

Is this high volume?

I don't have experience in the turning of metal parts but I do have it in the turret punch press part. We tried to keep 60% of the turret loaded with standard punches but had to monitor wear.

Our issues would be metal thickness (die clearance), type of metal (Cold-rolled steel, Stainless steel 304 & 316, and aluminum.

70% was CRS, 27% was SST, and 3% was aluminum.

Then we had to go into metal thickness (gauge) that was running.

During changeovers we would try to do a visual inspection, especially between types of metal or large jumps in metal thickness.

We ended up performing tooling changes on estimates and visual inspections/measurements. This was back in the early 80's and we were embarking in areas that no had tried much. At least to our knowledge with other fabricators in our area (no internet then).

I would think that an internet search of this would produce some valuable information to use for your guidelines. Why reinvent the wheel if you don't need to.

 

[Coleman Donnelly]

Oh I have definately searched the internet... Caron Engineering seems to be a solution to what I am looking for, but i was hoping to hear from people who have been down this road and are not simply looking to sell me a product...

I am also interested to hear from people who have found creative soloutions with Cobalt Chrome in general...