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Intelligent Toolholders

Ox

Diamond
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Location
Northwest Ohio
Have you seen this yet?

I found this in the current issue of Manufacturing News, but I wasn't able to quickly find a way to find this article there, so - off to the Horse....

Now - while there may be a bit of interest - or curiosity with this item, what I really found was a writ chock full of Baffle with BS, and very little real world application savvy info, but here's the writ.

Press releases



Intelligent toolholder regulates the metal cutting process in real time

09.2018 | Clamping Technology
Vibrations, chatter marks, tool failure – what has so far robbed many a machine operator of sleep will soon be a thing of the past: With the smart iTENDO hydraulic expansion toolholder, SCHUNK and start-up enterprise TOOL IT present the world's first intelligent toolholder that monitors the machining process directly at the tool, and allows real-time control of the cutting parameters.







csm_1809-SCHUNK-iTENDO_Anwendung_9796d46e62.jpg

The smart iTENDO enables real-time process monitoring and control directly on the tool. The geometry and performance data of the toolholders remain unchanged even with sensors. Photo: SCHUNK

The intelligent toolholders from SCHUNK, which were developed in cooperation with the Vienna University of Technology and TOOL IT GmbH Vienna, fully use the potential of the integrated process monitoring directly where the chip is formed. SCHUNK calls the strategy "Closest-to-the-part", whereby the intelligence is integrated directly into the first wear-free element of the machine equipment that is closest to the workpiece. The smart tool, which will initially be offered in combination with SCHUNK TENDO hydraulic expansion toolholders from 2019, allows complete documentation of process stability, unmanned limit value monitoring, tool breakage detection and real-time control of the speed of rotation and feed rate.
"The iTENDO is a milestone in toolholder technology," emphasizes Chief Executive Officer, Henrik A. Schunk. "For the first time, we combine the outstanding mechanical properties of our flagship TENDO with the possibilities of digital process monitoring." According to Friedrich Bleicher, Managing Board Director of the Institute of Manufacturing Technology (IFT) of the Vienna University of Technology and founder of TOOL IT, the intelligent toolholder makes a unique synergy possible: "Embedded systems technology combines the highest degree of process transparency with the potential of autonomous process control without users having to do without the quality and performance of proven precision toolholders," says Bleicher.






Geometry and performance data remain unchanged with sensors

The toolholders with integrated process intelligence have the same interfering contours as the conventional toolholder mountings. The use of cooling lubricant is possible as usual. Equipped with a sensor, battery, and transmitting unit, the intelligent system records the process directly on the tool, transmits the data wirelessly to a receiving unit in the machine room, and from there via cable to a control and evaluation unit, where the data is evaluated. An algorithm continuously determines a parameter for process stability. Depending on the particular application, a web service can be used to define both the exact limits and corresponding reactions if they are exceeded. The entire process data remains within the closed control loop of the machine, ensuring the highest possible data security.






csm_1809-SCHUNK-iTENDO_b45bdb5527.jpg

The smart iTENDO enables real-time process monitoring and control directly on the tool. The geometry and performance data of the toolholders remain unchanged even with sensors. Photo: SCHUNK

Permanent process control and regulation

During machining, the intelligent toolholder permanently analyzes the machining process. If the process becomes unstable, it can either be stopped in real time and without the intervention of the operator, reduced to previously defined basic parameters, or adapted until the cut returns to a stable range. On the one hand, the system enables complete documentation and limit value monitoring as well as an improvement of the machining quality by automatically adjusting the cutting data during vibration. Moreover, the intelligent toolholders should additionally enable an analysis of the tool condition as well as an increase in the metal removal rate. The system is extremely easy to retrofit without the need for modification or replacement of machine components. Since the algorithms run autonomously and the operator defines only exact limit and reactions, no expert assessment of the data determined is necessary. Instead, the system manages the process autonomously and in real time based on the specifications.
Part of the standard program from 2019

In a first step, SCHUNK offers the intelligent toolholder mountings customized in the project business. At the beginning of 2019, standardization is planned within the toolholder program. In addition to TENDO hydraulic expansion toolholders, further toolholders from the SCHUNK total tooling program will be equipped with intelligent sensor systems in the future.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox


 
Interesting, but seems like any gains you might get are immediately taken away with a gage length that is 3x longer than needed. :crazy:
 
Yeah, but you couldn't justify 3 new 6 figure positions in the office to annalize info if you bought a 2" gage line holder....


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Looks great. But needs to be much shorter. Best is something not part of the tool holder. Nobody want to replace an expensive "smart tool holder" if an endmill spins inside and damages the holder.

I speak to a lot of machinists many of them fresh in this type of work. When they are just starting out all they want to order are shrink holders, milling chucks, and hydraulic chucks. Then they break a few of them. Then they want a whole bunch of collet chucks and endmill holders :-)
 
I speak to a lot of machinists many of them fresh in this type of work. When they are just starting out all they want to order are shrink holders, milling chucks, and hydraulic chucks. Then they break a few of them. Then they want a whole bunch of collet chucks and endmill holders :-)



I don't think its so much the machinists that want to get away from the pricey holders, but the people who have to "pay" for the pricey tool holders.

Spiral flute taps are great and worth every penny for blind holes. However through holes a spiral point tap with two flutes I believe is the better choice. They are stronger, chance of chips binding up when reversing is greatly reduced since chips are pushed ahead and they cost less.
No the less, if I leave spiral flute taps outside its always the first tool anyone grabs whether a blind hole or not. If tap crunches..replace with another and add tapping fluid...crunches again, another tap and add alot more tapping fluid.


Odd that its such a long length, with its intelligence I bet they can almost get that tool to run as fast as a short gauge tool.
 
Looks great. But needs to be much shorter. Best is something not part of the tool holder. Nobody want to replace an expensive "smart tool holder" if an endmill spins inside and damages the holder.

I speak to a lot of machinists many of them fresh in this type of work. When they are just starting out all they want to order are shrink holders, milling chucks, and hydraulic chucks. Then they break a few of them. Then they want a whole bunch of collet chucks and endmill holders :-)

So when are you gonna buy some cheap Chinese PCB boards with LED's and stick them into a holder? It'll be a great intelligent tool. If someone buys it, you know they aren't the sharpest tool in the crib.
 
Looks great. But needs to be much shorter. Best is something not part of the tool holder. Nobody want to replace an expensive "smart tool holder" if an endmill spins inside and damages the holder.

I speak to a lot of machinists many of them fresh in this type of work. When they are just starting out all they want to order are shrink holders, milling chucks, and hydraulic chucks. Then they break a few of them. Then they want a whole bunch of collet chucks and endmill holders :-)

I suppose I am not working to the tolerance where I would see a benefit in tool life and/or finish with shrinks or hydraulics. We cut aluminum and brass all day everyday at current job. Shrink would be nice on our smaller tools (1/32" and under) for runout, but I've heard too many stories about not being able to properly remove 1/8" tools on shrinkfits. :toetap:
 
I see a few applications for it. I wouldnt want to pay to fill an entire magazine. But I might want one around when trying to optimize a specific toolpath or when testing different tools. I occasionally get into some applications where we are pushing the limits of some tools and maybe we could get some useful data.

Sounds odd..but....I have contacted tool manufacturers trying to get speed / feed DOC info for their tools and had them tell me that I couldnt use their tool to do what i was trying to do only to experiment a bit and find out they were wrong. LOL This sort of tool could give useful feedback in that application.
And of course the opposite is true as well.....Tools that are supposed to be the best thing since Cold beer that are garbage and the rep keeps saying ...well it must be your machine....
 
The length does seem to make it kind of pointless for a VMC but maybe it is for HMC or 5th machines where a lot of the tools are all that long for access anyway?

Also could have sworn I saw an article in MMS on this same type of "instant feedback realtime adjustment" technology packaged differently.
 
I'm guessing this is essentially a vibration detecting sensor contained within the toolholder?

Our Mikron has vibration sensors inside the spindle that can sense the amplitude of the vibrations during cutting. High amplitude vibrations = chatter.

We have the ability with an M-code to set a limit to either trigger a warning or stop the machine if we get vibrations/chatter past said limit.

The thing is, there's still a pretty wide range of "unfavorable" machining conditions that don't necessarily result in violent chatter.

Seems kinda neat and maybe useful for some applications but probably not a game changer
 
It would seem that "DeVibe" tech (if that works for live tooling?) would be better $pent money, but it will be interesting to see how this turns out.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
In all seriousness I tip my hat to them. It is a great start and can lead to some pretty cool possibilities. How about using this in a drilling application? Maybe it can be so sensitive that it decides when the machine should peck instead of the programmer. Now that would be incredible !! Also it can detect a no load situation and then know that a tool is broken.

I remember spending 15K on a 50" plasma tv in 1999. Now you can get a 75 inch 4K LCD that will use 1/5 the power of a 50inch plasma for $3500.00. Crazy times.
 
Unfortunately!! This is the direction we're going. Maybe the first few will suck, but I think over time they'll get better and cheaper. Embrace change, ye old bastards.

R
 
Unfortunately!! This is the direction we're going. Maybe the first few will suck, but I think over time they'll get better and cheaper. Embrace change, ye old bastards.

R

The tool holder is kinda neat but the underlying issue will be the challenge to know what to do with the data that the holder generates.


A skilled knowledgeable machinist has many intuitive analyzing skills. The trick will be how to get that skill set and knowledge base into software.

I can see the aerospace guys jumping on this where parts are very expensive and complicated to manufacture. Tooling expense and development costs can easily be absorbed by the project value.

To get this technology for the widget makers to be practical will be awhile.
 








 
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