Method of estimating service life of cutter

• US 5,571,957 A
• Filed: 03/24/1995
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): RAEVIS, ROBERT R
• Application Number:
  US08/403,771
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 73/104, 83/522.11, 83/522.12, 83/522.27, 340/680
• US Class Current: 73/104
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4065 Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37249 Correction coefficient of life time as function of kind of machining
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37252 Life of tool, service life, decay, wear estimation

Abstract

The service life of a cutter is determined with high accuracy by determining a corrective coefficient from a material coefficient determined by a material to be machined by the cutter and a machining condition coefficient determined by machining conditions, multiplying a period of usage of the cutter by said corrective coefficient thereby to correct the period of usage, accumulating corrected periods of usage, and judging the cutter as having ended its service life if the accumulated value exceeds a predetermined reference value.

Claims

1. A method of estimating the service life of a cutter, comprising the steps of:

determining a corrective coefficient from a material coefficient determined by a material to be machined by the cutter and from a machining condition coefficient determined by machining conditions;

multiplying a period of usage of the cutter by the corrective coefficient thereby to correct the period of usage; and

accumulating corrected periods of usage thereby to estimate the service life of the cutter with the accumulated corrected periods.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the machining conditions include a feed rate of the cutter and a rotational speed of a spindle connected to the cutter.