Cutting Tool Condition Monitoring in Machining Processes - A Comprehensive Approach Using ANN Based Multisensor Fusion Strategy

Abstract

On-line cutting tool condition monitoring becomes one of the most critical requirements in machining processes for improving the efficiency and the autonomy of CNC machine tools. The processes can be significantly improved by using an intelligent integration of sensor information to detect and identify accurately the tool condition under various cutting parameters. This paper presents a structured and comprehensive approach for tool condition monitoring in machining processes using ANN based multisensor fusion strategy. Various sensing techniques are combined to select suitable monitoring indices and several models are proposed to establish the relationship between tool condition and the selected monitoring indices. The proposed approach is built progressively by examining monitoring indices from various aspects and making monitoring decision step by step. The results indicate a significant improvement and a good reliability in identifying various tool conditions regardless of the variation in cutting parameters.