Design of a Modern, Low Cost, Expandable, Open Architecture Grinding Machine Control System

Abstract

An expandable, extendable grinding machine controller has been researched and designed, in order to take advantage of recent improvements in the functionality and affordability of commercial electronic hardware. In additional it would provide for the incorporation of previous research studies and projects aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the grinding process. Over the past 20 years there have been continuous improvements in the functional capabilities of grinding machines, their control systems and peripheral process monitoring equipment. Process enhancement technologies such as wheel balancing, touch detection (electrical power and acoustic emission) and in-process gauging may be incorporated into higher-end grinding machines according to specific customer requirements, however this requires significant customisation work by the manufacturer due to the differing features and functionality of equipment from different suppliers. Furthermore the implementation of long-proposed optimization strategies such as adaptive and intelligent control has not progressed significantly beyond specific research programs tied to a particular machine and controller, often using non-industrial (i.e. laboratory) equipment for the monitoring of key process data. A need was identified to produce a modern, innovative control system architecture for the Jones & Shipman 1300X research grinder at LJMU AMTReL. The controller should be intuitive to configure and operate, and should have flexibility to allow the addition of new equipment and machining features. It would be a significant advance to produce a controller that can more easily integrate and adopt the latest process control and monitoring equipment, and later be expanded to incorporate enhanced production cycles as well as previously explored process optimization techniques and strategies. The objective of the research was to unify the specification and implementation of key machine tool control features such as hardware configuration parameters, operational parameters, process variables and machining cycles into a rationalized, extendable, object-oriented framework suitable for implementation using current PC hardware, software and design methodologies. The design built on the outcomes of previous studies and developments in the area of optimised machine tool control. Several models of external monitoring equipment were evaluated in terms of functionality and interfacing, and a structured, integrated control system software design and application was produced. Its functionality was demonstrated on a subset of grinding operations and external hardware. In this thesis the historical developments in controller architectures and technology are discussed, and previous studies into grinding process analysis and optimization are summarized. Various different types of grinding machines and their machining cycles are presented, and the features and functionality of several auxiliary monitoring devices are explained and quantified. The analysis and design of a hierarchical, modular, integrated system structure is then described, and finally the outcomes of the research are reviewed and further development recommendations suggested.