Measurement Pallet - a new concept to automated quality monitoring of FMS machines
The Autocomp project was initiated to automate the measurement results analysis of machining tools, as well as to compute the compensation data and its transfer to the machines´s controller. The first Autocomp project was concentrated on defining the basics for automated analysis. The second ongoing project, Autocomp II will design a concrete measurement device and analysis software to enable quality monitoring of FMS units. The goal of this project is to ensure preventive maintenance actions for FMS machining centres. Monitoring the machining tool´s ability to produce quality is an essential element of the overall production quality assurance in flexible automation. Many of existing commercial quick-test applications cannot be applied to automated production or to unsupervised measurements and analyses because of their lack of measurement routines. In addition, the analysisof the measurement results is often too general, especially when it comes to the deviation data of the target machine tools. To be constantly informed of equipment condition, measurements have to be done regularly based on the results analysed with trends that allow preventive and corrective measures to be taken on.
New effective measurement device With the automated condition monitoring of machine tools, the measurement routines minimise the time used for measurements and eliminate the time normally required for analysing results. This also applies to settings and other preparatory actions prescribed for conventional measurements. As a result of the new concept, measurement does not depend any longer on the various load characteristics of the machines being monitored. The Autocomp project aims at developing a new effective measurement equipment called "Measurement Pallet". This device will be built on a machining-centre pallet and mounted with a double-ball-bar (DBB) type of sensor and with other instruments for measuring the critical quality parameters of the machine. Wireless data transfer between the pallet and the PC used for data collection secures a seamless flow of information. This device is designed only for applications measuring mechanisation centres in flexible manufacturing systems. The goal is to enable the control system to steer the pallet as if it were a standard mechanisation pallet. If the FMS control system is capable of independently conducting the pallet´s measurement cycles at certain regular intervals (without the user having to do it), the monitoring operation can be realised as a regular function. In this way, real-time measurement becomes a standard function in the FMS unit. Contact information:
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