Online tool wear prediction system in the turning process using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system

Tool wear is a detrimental factor that affects the quality and tolerance of machined parts. Having an accurate prediction of tool wear is important for machining industries to maintain the machined surface quality and can consequently reduce inspection costs and increase productivity. Online and real-time tool wear prediction is possible due to developments in sensor technology. Recently, various sensors and methods have been proposed for the development of tool wear monitoring systems. In this study, an online tool wear monitoring system was proposed using a strain gauge-type sensor due to its simplicity and low cost. A model, based on the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and a new statistical signal analysis method, the I-kaz method, were used to predict tool wear during a turning process. In order to develop the ANFIS model, the cutting speed, depth of cut, feed rate and I-kaz coefficient from the signals of each turning process were taken as inputs, and the flank wear value for the cutting edge was an output of the model. It was found that the prediction usually accurate if the correlation of coefficients and the average errors were in the range of 0.989-0.995 and 2.30-5.08% respectively for the developed model. The proposed model is efficient and low-cost which can be used in the machining industry for online prediction of the cutting tool wear progression, but the accuracy of the model depends upon the training and testing data. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.