AIMACS Advanced Intelligent Machine Adaptive Control System

Summary

Currently, most machines in a manufacturing chain are not running at their peak load and hence deliver a sub-optimal performance. AIMACS will develop reliable techniques for monitoring and online-tuning of machining parameters, while ensuring overload and damages are avoided. Inefficiencies in current machining practices are caused by operating at basic parameter configurations that are robust towards any possible process. Choosing different parameter sets without extended experience and knowledge can result in instability, machine overloads and consequential damage to tool systems, meaning that disruption to production is frequent and excessive. As it stands, many projects try to improve the efficiency of production facilities by producing machine components which operate at higher speeds and are less resource-intensive. The added value of AIMACS is that this project will concentrate on generating new methods for efficiency improvements during the use phase, rather than the design phase, increasing the efficiency of existing machines and reducing the need for machines to be replaced, in turn reducing waste. With the number of machines installed in Europe estimated at more than 1,000,000, the impact of AIMACS on the efficiency and productiveness of domestic European manufacturing will be very considerable. AIMACS aims at improving monitoring techniques for the most critical machining issues, such as load cutting, vibrations and the conservation of energy used in these processes. Productivity in Europe is compromised at present as process planners, programmers and operators are currently forced to adopt a pre-emptive approach to programming, configuring machines for ‘worst case’ scenarios. This is because the quality and stability of the machines depends on multiple parameters which change with process conditions such as cutting speeds, degradation of the machine components and the weight, size and material of tools and basic parts . At present, modifying these parameters manually with a view to enhancing performance would cause considerable overload and put the efficient functioning of the system in serious jeopardy. This in turn would result in frequent disruptions in production, giving rise to productivity losses, energy waste and the need for reinvestment in machinery. As a plug-and-produce system, AIMACS will be able to be applied to newly-built machines, as well as existing ones to the benefit of a substantial number of large and small players in the European domestic manufacturing industry. AIMACS will be applicable to newly built machines and also for retrofit to the installed base of existing machines in the European manufacturing industry. Since the installed base of machines in Europe is estimated to be more than 1,000,000 machines, the impact of AIMACS on the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of the European domestic manufacturing industry should be very substantial.

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Web resources:	http://www.aimacs.eu https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/260204
Start date:	01-08-2010
End date:	31-07-2013
Total budget - Public funding:	4 482 574,00 Euro - 2 959 897,00 Euro

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Original description

Current machining technologies and practices have many inefficiencies. Numerous unpredictable machining variables often cause overload and unstable conditions and catastrophic damage to the machine tool system. In addition, this results in frequent disruptions in production that can often be excessive, leading to considerable losses in productivity, capital and energy resources. In an effort to prevent these occurrences, process planners, programmers and operators are forced to adopt a conservative approach and they program for the “worst case” scenarios - resulting in considerable inefficiency in machine tool utilization.

The objective of the project is to develop active, self-optimizing “intelligent” adaptive control systems which will continuously analyse a wide range of monitored parameters of the machining process and automatically adapt the machine operation in real-time to its optimal performance in order to account for continuously varying machining conditions, production disruptions and anomalies, plant performance variations and random changes in production plans. AIMACS will develop reliable techniques for monitoring the most critical machining parameters such as cutting load, vibrations and energy consumption. Based on this information and taking into account the costs for tools machining time, maintenance time, energy, etc. AIMACS will optimise in real time the overall production process based on productivity/cost criteria in order to ensure effective adaptive and sustainable machining

As a plug-and-produce system, AIMACS will be applicable to newly built machines and also for retrofit to the installed base of existing machines in the European manufacturing industry. Since the installed base of machines in Europe is estimated to be more than 1,000,000 machines, the impact of AIMACS on the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of the European domestic manufacturing industry should be very substantial.