Development of a universal, machine tool independent dynamometer for accurate cutting force estimation in milling

When integrating a dynamometer into a machining system, it is necessary to identify the dynamic relationship between the effective input forces and the measured output signals (i.e., its transmissibility) through dedicated experimental modal analysis. Subsequently, a filter can be derived and applied to reconstruct the effective input forces from the measured signals. Unfortunately this identification phase can be complex, posing challenges to the device’s applicability in both laboratory and industrial conditions. Here this challenge is addressed by introducing a novel dynamometer concept based on both load cells and accelerometers, along with a Universal Inverse Filter. Notably, this filter is independent of the dynamic behavior of the mechanical system where the device is installed. A single calibration suffices, ideally conducted by the device manufacturer or by an expert, allowing the dynamometer’s integration by a non-expert user into any machining system without the need for repeating the identification phase and the filter generation. Furthermore, this new concept offers another significant advantage: it attenuates all inertial disturbances affecting the measured signals, including those arising from the cutting process and those originating from exogenous sources such as spindle rotation, linear axes’ movements, and other vibrations propagating through the machine tool structure. To illustrate, a simplified model is introduced initially, followed by an overview of the novel dynamometer design, innovative identification phase, and filter construction algorithm. The outstanding performance of the novel (non-parametric) Universal Inverse Filter – about 5 kHz of usable frequency bandwidth along direct directions and 4.5 kHz along cross dir. – was experimentally assessed through modal analysis and actual cutting tests, compared against state of the art filters. The efficacy of the new filter, which is even simpler than its predecessors, was successfully demonstrated for both commercial and taylor-made dynamometers, thus showing its great versatility.