Development Trends of Sensors for Cutting Processing

(1) Indispensable in the production site

With the high modernization of production systems, various sensors are needed to achieve high-precision, high-speed, flexible, information-based and high-reliability processing. Sensor technology is one of the key technologies that are indispensable in the production site. In order to control the machine tool according to the cutting processing instructions, it is necessary to use sensors to detect the position, speed, deformation, vibration and other factors of the machine tool on the relative displacement between the tool and the workpiece. It is also necessary to monitor the state of the processing process and change the processing conditions including tool change according to the detection results to maintain the processing accuracy and achieve high-precision cutting processing. In addition, in order to achieve unmanned and labor-saving processing, it is also necessary to use sensors to output feedback on the processing detection results. (2) Pay attention to the final processing accuracy In mechanical processing, the final processing accuracy is the most important. The size of the workpiece is the straight line distance between two points, and its base point is a point. To detect the position of a point on the workpiece, contact sensors and tiny light spot non-contact optical displacement sensors are usually used. Contact sensors (trigger measuring heads) use the probe on the measuring rod to touch the surface of the workpiece to obtain the required parameters. It is a common sensor that can measure effectively and with high reliability, and is still used in many measurements. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the use of scanning probes. This probe continuously performs profiling measurements along the contour of the workpiece, and can obtain a large amount of measurement data in a short period of time. It can obtain measurement results that are closer to the actual situation and more reliable, which is its greatest advantage. In addition, in terms of tool management, an electromagnetic combined identification system (ID system) can be used to identify tools and manage tool life. (3) A diverse sensor market is being formed A variety of sensors are being used in the field of mechanical processing. Their functions are to identify workpieces, determine the clamping position of workpieces, confirm clamping, and inspect poor clamping. The sensors used include small non-contact switches and limit switches. In addition, various sensors have been developed for environmental protection and ensuring processing safety. A diverse sensor market is currently being formed. For example, the OMP60 contact measurement head developed by Renishaw to integrate optical signal transmission probe groups can be used in conjunction with the interface of a new optical instrument to eliminate the influence of optical interference and interference noise. The small and light weight of products requires machine tools to be able to complete micro, precise and high-speed processing. The workpiece materials are also moving towards lightweight and composite, which requires sensors to be miniaturized, high-precision, high-resolution and high-response. Therefore, the role of sensors is not only to consider the automation of machine tools, but also to consider the expansion of applications such as reducing environmental load and safety measures.