Project and development of an in-process gage for CNC lathes and milling machines

• Grant number: 07/01050-0
• Support type: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: April 01, 2008 - September 30, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Manufacturing Processes
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Del Guerra
• Grantee: Marcelo Del Guerra
• Company: Accure Technologies Intrumentos Ltda. - ME
• City: São Carlos
• Assoc. researchers: Denny Hua Jong

Abstract

Globalization and the competition between first class companies around the world has changed the way they develop their process, aiming to reduce costs and improve the use of automations to reach the global demand for high volume and low price products. To increase the performance of their machining process, companies have to be able to integrate automation and control with their CNC machines. Originally developed for Coordinate-Measuring Machines, (CMMs), Touch Trigger Probes (TTPs) are usually adapted to CNC machines to be able to do this integration. The adaptation creates difficulties to the machine operators due to the huge complexity of these equipments, too delicate to work at such dirty environments. The global demand for on-machine inspection systems has drastically increased during the last 10 years, at the same time, there is a lack of a device that fulfill the needs of the Machine Tools companies. On the Masters studies, a Touch Trigger Probe prototype was developed specially for CNC Lathe Machines. The initial practical results and technical/economical viability was proved, as well as the challenges to adequate the product to the machine environment and measurements accuracy was surpassed. Later, on the PhD, different sensors and physical principles were explored, searching for ways to develop a new TTP for Machine Tools. Looking for these facts, the project goals for the first phase is to develop an industrial prototype for CNC Lathes and test it on the Lab and on industrial environments. For the second phase, that will take longer, the goal is to develop a commercial model for CNC Lathes (to measure the produced parts diameter) and Milling Machines (Tool Setters to measure the length of machine tools). (AU)