A Good Foundation for Machining Can Improve Machining Accuracy

Machining

A Good Foundation for Machining Can Improve Machining Accuracy

Machining is the most important process used in any manufacturing industry. There are many different machining methods and each of these methods may require different cutting tools. The cutting process often causes some problems, which not only affect the machining accuracy, but also reduce the quality of the workpiece, and even cause accidents. Understanding the cutting processes, machine tools, factors affecting accuracy, the basics of cutting machining, and monitoring smart tool holders are important things for avoiding problems, also will make your machining more effective and require less labor.

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What Is Machining?

Machining refers to the procedure of using some sort of tool such as cutting tools or grinding tools to remove material from a workpiece to give the material its desired shape. The machining methods can be divided into cold forming and hot forming according to the machining temperature.

It is called cold forming when machining under normal temperature and doesn’t cause the workpieces any chemical reactions. On the contrary, when machining under a temperature that is hotter than normal and causing workpieces chemical reactions, it is called hot forming. In general, cold forming includes cutting and pressure machining, for hot forming, includes heat treatment, forging, casting, and welding.

According to different cutting tools, there will be different cutting methods, such as turning, drilling, broaching, etc. to use cutting tools with fixed blade shapes and a number of blades for cutting. For grinding and polishing, they are to use non-fixed abrasives or abrasives materials. Cutting is the most important method in mechanical machining. It occupies an important position because it has a wide range of adaptability and can achieve high precision and low surface roughness.

Machine tool

When it comes to machining, we have to talk about machine tools. Machine tools are usually based on design drawings and are processed according to specifications. Although the current machine tools have been gradually digitized, it is not enough to import machine tools. The most important thing Or how to use these machine tools to achieve the best benefits, some manufacturers will also develop their own tools or fixtures to face market competition by improving technology. In fact, each machine tool has its own characteristics. The operator must be familiar with each character and adjust the parameters according to each machine tool to achieve high-precision machining.

【Read more】What is a machine tool? Why is it called "Mother of Machinery"?

What is the machining accuracy?

Machining accuracy refers to the degree to which the actual size, shape, and position of the workpiece surface conform to the ideal parameters required by the design drawing after the machining is completed. The machining accuracy is measured by the tolerance level. The smaller the level value is, the higher the accuracy will be. The larger the value is, the larger the error will be.

The actual parameters obtained by any machining method cannot be guaranteed to be accurate, but from the function of the workpiece, as long as the machining error is within the required tolerance range, which means good machining accuracy.

Factors Affecting Machining Accuracy

1.The machining errors from Machine tool: The errors include spindle rotation error, guide rail error, and drive-chain error, which may be caused by uneven wear, installation quality, manufacturing, and assembly errors of components, etc., which directly affect the accuracy of the workpiece to be processed. It may be caused by uneven wear, installation quality, manufacturing and equipment errors of components, etc., which directly affect the accuracy of the machining workpiece.

2.The external reactions of the Machine tool: When a force is applied to an object, it will also generate a force that resists deformation, which is called rigidity. To perform high-precision machining, the rigidity of the machine tool is very important. The higher the rigidity of the machine tool, the higher the dynamic accuracy. The rigidity of the machine tool includes the rigidity of the machine tool itself and the contact rigidity between components. The former mainly depends on its own material, section shape, size, etc., while the latter depends on the contact material, geometric dimensioning, hardness, machining method, and surface roughness. The rigidity of dynamic and static is also one of the influencing factors.

3.Thermal deformation: The object will expand with the changing of temperature, and the heating degree of different materials is different. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the change in temperature during machining, especially when the run time is prolonged. It is very important to understand the relationship between the operating time and temperature of the machine tool for accuracy.

4.Use of cutting fluid: Cutting fluid is very important for machine tools. It can provide effective protection for workpieces and tools, reduce tool wear, and improve the machining accuracy of workpieces.

5.Influence of rotation speed: Under normal circumstances, the faster the cutting speed is, the higher efficiency will be. However, the rotation speed will also be restricted by the hardness, plasticity, carbon content, tool hardness, and geometric properties of the workpiece. The rotation speed should be adjusted based on the tools of different materials, and the resonance area of the spare parts is avoided to prevent the machining accuracy from being affected.

The most important thing in cutting machining

The problem of resistance will be caused during cutting, and the resistance generated by different tools is also very different. Therefore, the influence of resistance must be considered during machining, and different machining methods must be discussed to pursue high quality, and efficiency, and even improve tool durability.

As mentioned above, the rotational speed is not necessarily improved by increasing the mechanical speed. It may lead to problems such as increased resistance, thermal deformation, and even shortened tool life. Therefore, the rotation speed should be adjusted according to different situations before machining, rather than speeding up all the time, and speeding up will also cause the temperature to rise. It is necessary to make good use of the cutting fluid and pay attention to the temperature change in the meantime.

Conclusion

In fact, the most important thing in machining is to strike a balance between speed and quality. It is not just a discussion of a single factor. Only through the correct selection of cutting tools, arranging reasonable procedures, improving environmental conditions, and selecting high-performance cutting fluids can smooth machining be carried out, and obtain good cutting quality. During machining, the operator needs to be careful, the effectiveness of secondary confirmation can also be achieved through third-party monitoring after possessing these experiences.

For example, a smart tool holder can monitor the current state of cutting in real-time, and then optimize the process to improve the quality of the finished product and even avoid accidents thereby reducing costs.

Let's see how smart tool holders can help you optimize your process!

Main image photo by photographer: Daniel Smyth, link: Pexels

References Wikipedia / Keyence / Baidu Baike

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