Abstract
In any manufacturing industry there is a constant urge to improve upon existing conditions, a concept the Japanese aptly term Kaizen. Improvements are essentially a steppingstone to increased profit margin, better quality and low inventory. In such a scenario, improvements in tool life seem to be quite natural. Optimized tool life ensures low levels of inventory and less expenditure. This thesis describes an optimization model that can be employed to optimize tool life during end milling. End milling has been chosen because of its many versatile applications in the industry. The optimization model has the flexibility to accept any combination of tool and workpiece material, in order to perform the optimization. The background of this optimization is a series of experiments, which have been conducted on a Bridgeport Vertical Machining Center. The idea was to check the proximity of the experimental results with the ones from the model, which is essentially empirical vs. theoretical. Due consideration was given to the surface finish obtained and the forces that the tool experienced during machining. To investigate the forces a dynamometer coupled with a PC and a multi charge amplifier was employed. Finally the optimization results are tabulated and the improvements are indicated. It is worthwhile to mention that this objective function (tool life) can be coupled with others to build up more complex ones in order to encapsulate various other aspects in a manufacturing scenario.
Das, Arindam (2001). Optimization of cutting parameters in end milling using tool life as an objective function. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2001 -THESIS -D376.