Energy Consumption Modeling and Optimization of a Hobbing Machine Tool Considering Multi-Axis Coupling

Abstract

Energy consumption of machine tools has always been a hot issue in the manufacturing sector due to the concern about climate change. To decrease the energy consumption of machine tools, this paper investigates the multi-axis coupling mechanism of a hobbing machine tool during machining from the design stage, and develops an energy consumption model under multi-axis coupling of the whole machine. Firstly, the multi-axis coupling mechanism in the actual machining process is studied. The hob speed and the feed speed of Z axis moving component will affect the hobbing force, and the component of hobbing force in each direction will affect the load and energy consumption of each axis. Meanwhile, the tracking error of each axis is reduced by a sliding mode controller. Next, a comprehensive energy consumption optimization model of a hobbing machine tool under multi-axis coupling is constructed. Furthermore, three optimization algorithms are implemented to the energy consumption model. Compared with the initial scheme, the simulation experiment results of the case-study indicate that the hobbing machine tool energy consumption is reduced by 1.19%, the steady-state error of each axis is reduced by 35.27%, 21.70%, and 36.34%, respectively, and the maximum deformation of the tool holder is reduced by 10.91%. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —This work is dedicated to dealing with the issue of a hobbing machine tool energy consumption. Based on our previous work, the multi-axis coupling mechanism of the gear hobbing machine tool is investigated, and a comprehensive energy consumption model of the gear hobbing machine tool is proposed. The design variables of the energy consumption optimization model include the structural parameters of the Z axis moving component and the sliding mode controller parameters of the three axes (B, C, and Z axis). Three optimization algorithms are used to drive the optimization model. The simulation results verify the feasibility of the method. The control performance of the system is improved, and the mass of moving component is reduced.