A multi-sensor approach to the monitoring of end milling operations

Abstract

The application of multi-sensor systems for the monitoring of machining processes is becoming more common-place to improve productivity, automation and reliability. The sensors employed in such systems possess signal- and information-ability for enhancing the monitoring and control of machining processes. Although measuring force, power and acoustic emission (AE) signals has been commonly used for the monitoring of turning and drilling operations, their application to the milling process has not been well developed, perhaps due to the complexity of the process. In order to enhance knowledge in this area of applications, a multi-sensor system was developed and installed for the monitoring of end milling operations. The signals acquired and analyzed by the system include force, torque and AE under different machining conditions. The measured signal data was used to perform frequency domain analysis. The results indicate the feasibility of using the frequency peaks of the AE RMS and the torque power spectra for the monitoring of end milling operations.