A numerical control system tool life management method

Abstract

The application discloses a numerical control system tool life management and control method, which comprises a tool life state detection method and a tool broken detection and determination method; the tool life state detection method is to detect the life states of all tools, replace the tools if the life of the tools reaches the limit, and activate the tool starting program for processing again; the tool life state comprises tool processing time, workpiece processing piece number and tool wear; the tool broken detection and determination method is to determine whether the tool workload reaches the tool broken detection periodic early warning value, and perform tool broken detection when the tool workload reaches the tool broken detection periodic early warning value. The method can effectively manage the use condition of tool processing, truly reflect the tool life condition, replace the damaged tool in time, improve the processing precision, avoid early replacement of the tool, reduce the replacement frequency of the tool, and improve the processing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of CNC system technology, and more specifically to a method for controlling the tool life of a CNC system. Background Technology

[0002] The high-speed machining capabilities of machining centers have significantly improved production efficiency, and high efficiency and high quality are the core of modern manufacturing technology. As product process characteristics become increasingly complex and process routing designs become more centralized, the required specifications, types, and quantities of machining tools also increase. To improve the accuracy of machined products and the stability of machining conditions, the application and development of tool management systems have received widespread attention.

[0003] During mass production, the lack of tool life monitoring can lead to untimely tool replacements, affecting the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of the product. To address these issues, existing technologies control tool life; however, these technologies still have the following shortcomings:

[0004] 1. The lifespan of all tools in the tool magazine cannot be read in advance. The system will only pause and alarm when a tool whose lifespan has expired is called or prepared. Although the lifespan warning function can remind the user to replace the tool, this function requires the user to actively check each device and only gives an advance warning that the lifespan is about to expire. If the number of production devices increases, it will affect the continuity of production.

[0005] 2. After the product is finished, all the tools involved in the processing are counted uniformly. When processing products with complex structures, the same tool or combination of tools, multi-layer polishing wheels, grinding wheels, etc., need to be used at different positions of the tool and the secondary cutting edge to process the process position. In the existing technology, the life of each workpiece is calculated as one, which cannot truly reflect the life of the tool. Moreover, the tool life is subtracted before or after processing. For mid-process stoppages, the above statistical method is not accurate. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned problems and provide a method for controlling the tool life of a CNC system. This method can effectively manage the usage status of the tool during machining, accurately reflect the tool life, and allow for timely replacement of damaged tools to improve machining accuracy. It also avoids premature tool replacement, thereby reducing the frequency of tool replacement, lowering production costs, and improving machining efficiency.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] A method for controlling tool life in a CNC system includes a tool life status detection method and a tool breakage detection and determination method; wherein...

[0009] The tool life status detection method involves detecting the life status of all tools. If a tool reaches the end of its lifespan, it needs to be replaced with a new tool, and the tool startup program needs to be reactivated for machining. The tool life status includes tool machining time, number of workpieces machined, and tool wear.

[0010] The tool breakage detection and determination method is to determine whether the number of working operations of the tool has reached the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection. When the number of working operations of the tool reaches the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection, tool breakage detection is performed.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps for detecting the life status of all tools are as follows: the tool detection module automatically starts detecting the life status from the first cutting edge of the first tool until the life status detection of the last cutting edge of the last tool is completed.

[0012] Preferably, the tool life condition detection method specifically includes the following steps:

[0013] (A1) Set alarm values ​​for tool life; the alarm values ​​for tool life include alarm values ​​for tool processing time, alarm values ​​for the number of workpieces processed, and alarm values ​​for tool wear.

[0014] (A2) Set the tool number to T and the tool edge number to D;

[0015] (A3) The machining program is started, the tool detection module is started, and the tool number T is read;

[0016] (A4) Read the tool edge number D;

[0017] (A5) Retrieve the actual value of the current tool life, which includes the actual value of tool processing time, the actual value of the number of workpieces processed, and the actual value of tool wear.

[0018] (A6) Determine whether the tool life detection simultaneously meets the following conditions: actual tool processing time ≤ tool processing time alarm value, actual number of workpieces processed ≤ workpieces processed alarm value, and actual tool wear ≤ tool wear alarm value; if all three conditions are met, proceed to step (A7); if none of the three conditions are met, the program terminates processing, displays a tool life alarm, replaces the tool, manually cancels the tool life alarm, reactivates the tool, and returns to step (A3);

[0019] (A7) Determine whether the current tool edge number has reached the last tool edge number of the current tool. If yes, proceed to step (A8); otherwise, the tool edge number is D = D + 1, and return to step (A4).

[0020] (A8) Determine whether the tool number of the current tool has reached the tool number of the last tool. If yes, proceed to step (A9); otherwise, the tool number is T = T + 1, and return to step (A3).

[0021] (A9) Tool life status detection is normal, normal machining is allowed.

[0022] In the above-mentioned tool life status detection method, the tool detection module automatically starts the life status detection from the first cutting edge of the first tool until the life status detection of the last cutting edge of the last tool is completed. The tool life status includes the tool processing time, the number of workpieces processed, and the tool wear. During detection, when any one of the actual values ​​of the actual tool processing time, the actual number of workpieces processed, and the actual tool wear reaches the set alarm value of the tool life, processing is stopped and an alarm is triggered. The program can only be re-executed after a new tool is replaced and the tool life alarm is manually canceled.

[0023] Preferably, the tool life status detection method is set at any point in the program. The purpose is to detect the real-time status of the tool regardless of whether the program is in progress or after machining.

[0024] Preferably, the tool breakage detection and determination method includes the following steps:

[0025] (B1) Set the number of tasks to be called by the tool to be p;

[0026] (B2) Set the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection when calling the tool to q;

[0027] (B3) Call the tool to work, the workload is p = p + n; where n is the number of intervals;

[0028] (B4) Call the tool breakage detection function to check whether the workload p has reached the periodic warning value q for tool breakage detection. If it has, proceed to step (B5); otherwise, proceed to step (B6).

[0029] (B5) Tool breakage detection: Detect whether the tool is broken. If the tool is broken, the program terminates the machining and displays a tool life alarm. If the tool is not broken, proceed to step (B6).

[0030] (B6) Normal processing.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0032] 1. The CNC system tool life control method of the present invention can effectively manage the usage of tools in machining by detecting tool life status and tool breakage. It can prevent damaged tools from being left unreplaced in time, which would affect machining accuracy, and also prevent tools from being replaced too early, which would increase the tool change frequency, increase production costs, and slow down production efficiency. Therefore, the CNC system tool life control method of the present invention can replace damaged tools in a timely manner, improve machining accuracy, and at the same time avoid premature tool replacement, thereby reducing the tool change frequency, lowering production costs, and improving machining efficiency.

[0033] 2. The tool life control method of the CNC system in this invention can accurately and timely replace tools, avoiding unexplained downtime caused by failure to replace tools in time; thus improving production efficiency and machine tool utilization.

[0034] 3. The CNC system tool life control method in this invention can enrich tool life detection by detecting tool processing time, number of workpieces processed, and tool wear, which can truly reflect the tool life status and improve the detection accuracy of tool life.

[0035] 4. The tool life control method of the CNC system in this invention determines whether the number of working operations of the tool has reached the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection. When the number of working operations of the tool reaches the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection, tool breakage detection is performed, which can ensure the yield of products and greatly improve the production efficiency of products. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the tool life status detection method in this invention.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the tool breakage detection and determination method in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments and accompanying drawings, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0039] See Figures 1-2 This embodiment discloses a tool life control method for CNC systems, including a tool life status detection method and a tool breakage detection and judgment method.

[0040] See Figure 1The tool life status detection method involves detecting the life status of all tools. If a tool reaches the end of its lifespan, it needs to be replaced with a new tool and the tool startup program needs to be reactivated. The tool life status includes the tool processing time, the number of workpieces processed, and the tool wear.

[0041] See Figure 1 The specific steps for detecting the life status of all tools are as follows: the tool detection module automatically starts detecting the life status from the first cutting edge of the first tool until the life status of the last cutting edge of the last tool is detected.

[0042] In this embodiment, all tools refer to the tools on the spindle and in the tool magazine.

[0043] See Figure 1 The tool life condition detection method specifically includes the following steps:

[0044] (A1) Set alarm values ​​for tool life; the alarm values ​​for tool life include alarm value I for tool processing time, alarm value J for number of workpieces processed, and alarm value K for tool wear.

[0045] (A2) Set the tool number to T and the tool edge number to D;

[0046] (A3) The machining program is started, the tool detection module is started, the tool number T is read, and the tool number T = 1 when the detection starts;

[0047] (A4) Read the tool edge number D;

[0048] (A5) Retrieve the actual value of the current tool life, which includes the actual value of tool processing time i, the actual value of the number of workpieces processed j, and the actual value of tool wear k.

[0049] (A6) Determine whether the tool life detection simultaneously meets the following conditions: actual tool processing time i ≤ tool processing time alarm value I, actual number of workpieces processed j ≤ workpiece processing number alarm value J, and actual tool wear k ≤ tool wear alarm value K.

[0050] If all three conditions are met simultaneously, proceed to step (A7); if none of the three conditions are met simultaneously (i.e., any one condition is not met), the program terminates the machining process and displays a tool life alarm. Replace the tool with a new one, manually cancel the tool life alarm, reactivate the tool, and return to step (A3).

[0051] (A7) Determine whether the current tool edge number has reached the last tool edge number of the current tool. If yes, proceed to step (A8); otherwise, the tool edge number is D = D + 1, and return to step (A4).

[0052] (A8) Determine whether the tool number of the current tool has reached the tool number of the last tool. If yes, proceed to step (A9); otherwise, the tool number is T = T + 1, and return to step (A3). At this time, the tool number read in step (A3) is T + 1.

[0053] (A9) Tool life status detection is normal, normal machining is allowed.

[0054] In the above-mentioned tool life status detection method, the tool detection module automatically starts the life status detection from the first cutting edge of the first tool until the life status detection of the last cutting edge of the last tool is completed. The tool life status includes the tool processing time, the number of workpieces processed, and the tool wear. During detection, when any one of the actual values ​​of the actual tool processing time, the actual number of workpieces processed, and the actual tool wear reaches the set alarm value of the tool life, processing is stopped and an alarm is triggered. The program can only be re-executed after a new tool is replaced and the tool life alarm is manually canceled.

[0055] The tool life status detection method can be set at any point in the program. Its purpose is to detect the real-time status of the tool regardless of whether the program is in progress or after machining.

[0056] In this embodiment, the tool life status detection method is embedded in the system startup program and executed. First, the life status of all tools is detected. If the tool life has expired, a new tool needs to be replaced and the tool startup program needs to be reactivated for machining. If it is only a pre-alarm, the system will only prompt that the program can still start, effectively preventing the possibility of stopping the machine to change tools midway through a long machining program. If the tool life is detected to have expired after machining is completed, the system will issue an alarm and display the life information of the corresponding tool.

[0057] See Figure 1 In this embodiment, the tool life status detection method can accurately count the life of each tool edge. The system continuously calculates and updates data during the processing and records the actual tool life status (including tool processing time, number of workpieces processed, and tool wear) in the system variables. Engineers can view and monitor the tool life status at any time.

[0058] See Figure 2 The tool breakage detection and determination method is to determine whether the number of working operations of the tool has reached the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection. When the number of working operations of the tool reaches the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection, tool breakage detection is performed.

[0059] See Figure 2The tool breakage detection and determination method includes the following steps:

[0060] (B1) Set the number of tasks to be called by the tool to be p;

[0061] (B2) Set the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection when calling the tool to q;

[0062] (B3) Call the tool to work, the workload is p = p + n; where n is the number of intervals;

[0063] (B4) Call the tool breakage detection function to check whether the workload p has reached the periodic warning value q for tool breakage detection. If it has, proceed to step (B5); otherwise, proceed to step (B6).

[0064] (B5) Tool breakage detection: Detect whether the tool is broken. If the tool is broken, the program terminates the machining and displays a tool life alarm. If the tool is not broken, proceed to step (B6).

[0065] (B6) Normal processing.

[0066] See Figure 2 In step (B3), n is used to control the detection cycle, specifically, how many times (n) the tool is used before performing a tool breakage detection, so that tool breakage detection is not performed frequently, thus improving efficiency.

[0067] See Figure 2 In this embodiment, when the tool breakage detection function is activated, it is necessary to determine whether the tool breakage detection meets the conditions before proceeding. In a machining program, a tool may be used multiple times. In existing technologies, simple tool breakage detection cannot distinguish between various sub-situations. If tool breakage detection is performed after each tool has been used for each position, it will severely impact production efficiency and the continuity of machining. In this embodiment, tool breakage detection is determined first. Based on the machining location and number of times each tool has been used, a periodic warning value for tool breakage detection is set. Tool breakage detection is only performed when the number of tool uses reaches the set periodic warning value; otherwise, tool breakage detection is skipped, and machining continues.

[0068] The above are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above content. Any changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, or simplifications made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be considered equivalent substitutions and shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling tool life in a CNC system, characterized in that, This includes methods for detecting tool life and methods for detecting and determining tool breakage; among them, The tool life status detection method involves detecting the life status of all tools. If a tool reaches the end of its lifespan, it needs to be replaced with a new tool, and the tool startup program needs to be reactivated for machining. The tool life status includes tool machining time, number of workpieces machined, and tool wear. The tool breakage detection and determination method is to determine whether the number of working operations of the tool has reached the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection. When the number of working operations of the tool reaches the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection, tool breakage detection is performed. The specific steps for detecting the life status of all tools are as follows: the tool detection module automatically starts detecting the life status from the first cutting edge of the first tool until the life status of the last cutting edge of the last tool is detected. The tool life status detection method specifically includes the following steps: (A1) Set alarm values ​​for tool life; the alarm values ​​for tool life include alarm values ​​for tool processing time, alarm values ​​for the number of workpieces processed, and alarm values ​​for tool wear. (A2) Set the tool number to T and the tool edge number to D; (A3) The machining program is started, the tool detection module is started, and the tool number T is read; (A4) Read the tool edge number D; (A5) Retrieve the actual value of the current tool life, which includes the actual value of the tool processing time, the actual value of the number of workpieces processed, and the actual value of the tool wear. (A6) Determine whether the tool life detection simultaneously meets the following conditions: actual tool processing time ≤ tool processing time alarm value, actual number of workpieces processed ≤ workpieces processed alarm value, and actual tool wear ≤ tool wear alarm value; if all three conditions are met simultaneously, proceed to step (A7); if none of the three conditions are met simultaneously, the program terminates processing, displays a tool life alarm, replaces the tool, manually cancels the tool life alarm, reactivates the tool, and returns to step (A3). (A7) Determine whether the current tool edge number has reached the last tool edge number. If yes, proceed to step (A8); otherwise, the tool edge number is D=D+1, and return to step (A4). (A8) Determine whether the tool number of the current tool has reached the tool number of the last tool. If yes, proceed to step (A9); otherwise, the tool number is T=T+1, and return to step (A3). (A9) Tool life status test is normal, normal machining is allowed; The method for detecting and determining tool breakage includes the following steps: (B1) Set the number of tasks to be called by the tool to be p; (B2) Set the periodic warning value for tool breakage detection when calling the tool to q; (B3) The tool is called to work, and the number of operations is p = p + n; where n is the number of intervals; (B4) Call the tool breakage detection function to check whether the workload p has reached the periodic warning value q for tool breakage detection. If it has, proceed to step (B5); otherwise, proceed to step (B6). (B5) Tool breakage detection: Detect whether the tool is broken. If the tool is broken, the program terminates the machining and displays a tool life alarm. If the tool is not broken, proceed to step (B6). (B6) Normal processing.

2. The method for controlling tool life in a CNC system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tool life status detection method can be set at any point in the program.

Images