Measurement of carbonization region on leather cutting in CO2 and diode laser-based laser beam process

There is a quite wide range of animal leathers such as cow leather, sheep leather and buffalo leather used for leather garments and leather goods such as bags, wallets and other customized leather articles. The drawbacks of manual cutting can be eliminated by laser-based cutting. However, unwanted carbonization is happened owing to the higher thermal influence. There is no standard procedure or method available to measure the carbonization region on leather cutting. Diode lasers can process leather rapidly and efficiently. In the present work, an attempt was proposed to introduce the image processing-based measurement approach in leather cutting using CO2 laser and diode laser. The cutting experiments were performed on sheep leather with a thickness of 1 mm. It was found that the proposed can effectively measure the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of leather cutting. It has also been found that diode laser could produce lower HAZ than CO2 laser on leather cutting.

A Robust Fast Bridging Algorithm for Laser Cutting

Bridging the different parts together is considered a simple but effective strategy to reduce the number of piercing operations during laser cutting. However, fast bridging is never an easy task. In this paper, we present a near-linear bridging algorithm for the input parts with the shortest total bridge length. At first, the input part contours are discretized into a point cloud, then the point cloud is triangulated with the Delaunay standard. The shortest line segments between any two adjacent parts are found in the triangles connecting the two parts. These segments are finally extended into bridges. To solve the problem of the damages to the contour characteristics caused by the bridges, some restrictions are set on the screening of the discrete point cloud and the Delaunay triangles. This algorithm not only ensures the minimum total distance of all bridges, but also avoids the problem of generating bridge loops. Computational experiments show that the proposed bridging algorithm is much faster than that in existing commercial software. The feasibility and superiority of the algorithm are verified by actual lasering cutting experiments.

Towards Material-Batch-Aware Tool Condition Monitoring

In subtractive manufacturing, process monitoring systems are used to observe the manufacturing process, to predict maintenance actions and to suggest process optimizations. One challenge, however, is that the observable signals are influenced not only by the degradation of the cutting tool, but also by deviations in machinability among material batches. Thus it is necessary to first predict the respective material batch before making maintenance decisions. In this study, an approach is shown for batch-aware tool condition monitoring using feature extraction and unsupervised learning to analyze high-frequency control data in order to detect clusters of materials with different machinability, and subsequently optimize the respective manufacturing process. This approach is validated using cutting experiments and implemented as an edge framework.

Experimental research of ploughing extrusion forming multi-tooth tool wear and damage mechanism and workpiece defects

According to the characteristics of ploughing extrusion forming and the theory of metal cutting, the wear and damage mechanism, common wear and damage forms and causes of multi-tooth tools in ploughing extrusion forming are analyzed. Then, the correctness of the analysis of tool wear and damage mechanism and common wear and damage forms is verified by field cutting experiments. At the same time, the phenomena and causes of workpiece stagnation and cracks in the process of ploughing and extrusion forming were obtained through experiments. Finally, the reasonable processing parameters of ploughing and extrusion forming multi-tooth cutting tool were obtained.

A Self-Established “Machining-Measurement-Evaluation” Integrated Platform for Taper Cutting Experiments and Applications

Taper-cutting experiments are important means of exploring the nano-cutting mechanisms of hard and brittle materials. Under current cutting conditions, the brittle-ductile transition depth (BDTD) of a material can be obtained through a taper-cutting experiment. However, taper-cutting experiments mostly rely on ultra-precision machining tools, which have a low efficiency and high cost, and it is thus difficult to realize in situ measurements. For taper-cut surfaces, three-dimensional microscopy and two-dimensional image calculation methods are generally used to obtain the BDTDs of materials, which have a great degree of subjectivity, leading to low accuracy. In this paper, an integrated system-processing platform is designed and established in order to realize the processing, measurement, and evaluation of taper-cutting experiments on hard and brittle materials. A spectral confocal sensor is introduced to assist in the assembly and adjustment of the workpiece. This system can directly perform taper-cutting experiments rather than using ultra-precision machining tools, and a small white light interference sensor is integrated for in situ measurement of the three-dimensional topography of the cutting surface. A method for the calculation of BDTD is proposed in order to accurately obtain the BDTDs of materials based on three-dimensional data that are supplemented by two-dimensional images. The results show that the cutting effects of the integrated platform on taper cutting have a strong agreement with the effects of ultra-precision machining tools, thus proving the stability and reliability of the integrated platform. The two-dimensional image measurement results show that the proposed measurement method is accurate and feasible. Finally, microstructure arrays were fabricated on the integrated platform as a typical case of a high-precision application.

THE EFFECT OF THE CIRCULAR FEED ON THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND THE MACHINING TIME

The surface roughness is analysed in different feeds and turning procedures (rotational and conventional) in this paper. Cutting experiments were made on different cutting speeds and feed rates with 2 cutting tool with helical edge geometry and 1 traditional turning tool. The measured 2D surface roughness values were compared between the different cutting tools. The benefit of the circular feed application is showed by the decrease of roughness parameters and machining time.

Effect of Au-Coating on the Laser Spot Cutting on Spring Contact Probe (SCP) for Semi-Conductor Inspection

Spring contact probes (SCPs) are used to make contact with various test points on printed circuit boards (PCBs), wire harnesses, and connectors. Moreover, they can consist of the test interface between the PCBs and the semiconductor devices. For mass production of SCPs, ultra-small precision components have been manufactured by conventional cutting methods. However, these cutting methods adversely affect the performance of components due to tool wear and extreme shear stress at the contact point. To solve this problem, laser spot cutting is applied to Au-coated SCP specimens as an alternative technique. A 20 W nano-second pulsed Ytterbium fiber laser is used, and the experimental variables are different laser parameters including the pulse duration and repetition rate. After the spot cutting experiments, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and material removal zone (MRZ) formed by different total irradiated energy (Etotal) was observed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Then, the size of HAZ, top and bottom parts of MRZ, and roundness were measured. Furthermore, the change rate of HAZ and MRZ on Au-coated and non-coated specimens was analyzed with regard to different pulse durations. Based on these results, the effect of Au-coating on the SCP was evaluated through the comparison with the non-coated specimen. Consequently, in the Au-coated specimen, hole penetration was observed at a low pulse duration and low total energy due to the higher thermal conductivity of Au. From this study, the applicability of laser spot cutting to Au-coated SCP is investigated.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Semi-Autonomous Hydraulic Dual Manipulator for Cutting Pipework in Radiologically Active Environments

We describe the implementation of a bespoke two arm hydraulically actuated robotic platform which is used to semi-autonomously cut approximately 50 mm diameter pipes of three different materials: cardboard, ABS plastic and aluminium. The system is designed to be utilised within radiologically active environments where human access is limited due to dose limits and thus remote operation is greatly beneficial. The remotely located operator selects the object from an image via a bespoke algorithm featuring a COTS 3 D vision system, along with the desired positions for gripping with one manipulator, and cutting with the other. A pseudo-Jacobian inverse kinematic technique and a programmable automation controller are used to achieve the appropriate joint positions within the dual arm robotic platform. In this article, we present the latest developments to the system and the lessons learnt from the new cutting experiments with a reciprocating saw. A comparison to tele-operated control and manual cutting is also made, with this technique shown to be slower than manual cutting, but faster than pure tele-operational control, where the requirements for highly trained users and operator fatigue are further deleterious factors.

Study on the Influence of Silicone-Based Magnetorheological Elastomer on Tool Vibration During Turning of Hardened SS410 Steel

In metal cutting, tool vibration is a significant parameter, which results in high cutting force, increase in tool wear and poor surface quality of the finished product. To control tool vibration, an innovative and a robust damper was required. In this regard, a magnetorheological elastomer was fabricated, and the effect of parameters like the ratio of iron particles to elastomer; plunger shape and intensity of current were studied. Cutting experiments were conducted to arrive at an optimum set of parameters, which can suppress tool vibration during turning of hardened SS410 steel. From the experimental results, it was observed that the use of magnetorheological elastomer has reduced the tool vibration by 60% and also improved the cutting performance significantly.

Characteristics of self-excited alternate-tooth vibration of circular saw blade

In recent years, circular saw blades with thinner kerfs have been in high demand for improvement of the production yield of wood-based materials and the reduction of sawdust. In the case of ripping of solid wood, the number of teeth of a circular saw blade is normally set to 40 or 50, with a diameter of 305 mm, which allows less cutting resistance and smooth exhausting of sawdust. However, at certain rotational speeds, self-excited alternate-tooth vibration can easily occur in circular saw blades with such thin kerfs and so few teeth. Therefore, the cutting surface quality tends to be worse. In this study, the mechanism of this self-excited alternate-tooth vibration was clarified. The vibration mode and frequency were predicted by the finite element method. In addition, a circular saw blade with a body thickness 1.5 mm and 50 teeth was employed for wood-cutting experiments. The rotational speed range of the self-excited alternate-tooth vibration modes and their frequencies were investigated. When a double of the tooth passage frequency was slightly higher than the frequencies of the alternate-tooth vibration modes, an alternate-tooth vibration of the regenerative chatter type was excited, owing to the forces on the sides of the tooth.