Abstract
In multi-axis machine tools, each drive system is generally controlled to suppress the tracking error along the drive axis. For precision machining, contouring error of workpiece should be considered in controller design. The contouring error is defined as a normal error component to workpiece surface. Because it is difficult to calculate actual contouring error in real time, we use the approximated a contouring error obtained by coordinate transformation. In this paper, we propose a method of using the contouring control for energy saving of machine tools by modifying the reference to improve the approximation of contouring error. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
