Machine tools tap AI
No doubt you've been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence lately. But you may not have heard about the impact AI is having on machining operations—and how that impact may grow in the near future. According to Technavio analysts, the automation-as-a-service market will register a CAGR of close to 20% by 2022, with AI being a major driving force behind this growth.
No doubt you’ve been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence lately. But you may not have heard about the impact AI is having on machining operations—and how that impact may grow in the near future. According to Technavio analysts, the automation-as-a-service market will register a CAGR of close to 20% by 2022, with AI being a major driving force behind this growth.
Today, most AI applications in machining focus on condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, said Jörg Krüger, head of the industrial automation technology department at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany.
“These fields seem to be most popular because the algorithms for pattern recognition are easiest to adapt to data from sensors” that measure process values, such as force and acceleration, he said. “These are also applications where machine learning’s potential for value creation is most obvious for machine tools.”
Trumpf’s AI uses a fully automatic laser system to analyze the removal of cut metal sheets. Image courtesy of Trumpf
For machining processes, AI algorithms can create value by monitoring the wear of key components like cutting tools and bearings and predicting when they need replacement. Such applications date back at least 30 years, when the first AI algorithms were installed to process signals from cutting operations, such as turning and milling, said Krüger, who researched machining AI as early as 1991.
More recent developments in this area include those announced by Ditzingen, Germany-based Trumpf GmbH + Co. KG, which plans to employ AI to improve the performance of its laser-cutting machines. One example will affect the unloading unit of Trumpf’s TruLaser Center 7030. To lift cut sheets out of a scrap skeleton, the unit uses 180 pins and more than 2,500 suction cups. If the pins fail to properly perform the removal process the first time, the machine initiates a new removal cycle without operator intervention. If the second attempt fails, the unit continues to try automatic removal approaches until it succeeds.
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