Development of an Integrated Approach to the Design of Reconfigurable Micro/Mesoscale CNC Machine Tools

In the present, the technology related to the micro/meso manufacturing is promising as a key enabling technology for maximizing high value manufacturing. This paper addresses a new methodology to design reconfigurable micro/mesoscale CNC machine tools in the integrated product, process, and manufacturing system development context. This is followed by a description of the design of a reconfigurable two-axis first-generation test bed CNC micromachine tool that was developed to assess the feasibility of the new design method. The test bed utilizes a high-speed miniature spindle that is required to obtain appropriate cutting velocities for the efficient cutting of metals, use micro-actuators for the axis movements and open-architecture controllers, in order to guarantee the reconfigurability properties of the micromachine. Results indicate the new methodology enhances the design of reconfigurable micro/mesoscale CNC machine tools in the integrated product, process, and manufacturing system development context, following the prescriptive models of design.