Modelling Power Consumption in Ball-End Milling Operations

Power consumption is a factor of increasing interest in manufacturing due to its obvious impact on production costs and the environment. The aim of this work is to analyze the influence of process parameters on power consumption in high-speed ball-end milling operations carried out on AISI H13 steel. A total of 300 experiments were carried out in a 3-axis vertical milling center, the Deckel-Maho 105V linear. The power consumed by the spindle and by the X, Y, and Z machine tool axes was measured using four ammeters located in the respective power cables. The data collected was used to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) which was used to predict power consumption during operations. The results obtained from the ANN are very accurate. Power consumption predictions can help operators to determine the most effective cutting parameters for saving energy and money while bringing the milling process closer to the goal of environmentally sensitive manufacturing which has become a topic of general importance.