抄録
An in-process tool wear meter for turning has been developed by combining a sensor-integrated insert and simple signal processing technique. The sensor consists of TiN thin wire traces, which are deposited on the flank of every cutting corner of ceramic insert in parallel with the edge. As flank wear breaks the wire traces at a rapid pace, a step increase in sensor resistance occurs. This feature of the resistance signal allows for the easy interpretation of the sensor resistance output in terms of the wear amount. The sensor mechanism ensures highly reliable in-process measurement of flank wear in conjunction with appropriate signal processing. In a series of test experiments, with varied cutting conditions, the practical reliability and usefulness of the meter was confirmed. In addition to wear measurement, it was shown that the sensor could signal the machine to automatically stop when the insert wears out.
