AIMACS

Advanced Intelligent Machine Adaptive Control System

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'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.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Manufacturing through machining technologies and practices plays an important role in most economies. Novel intelligent and adaptive control from the machine level to the factory level promises important reliability, quality, time and cost benefits.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The number of machines in the EU is estimated to be over a million. Currently, unpredictable machining variables frequently lead to unstable conditions, overload and often serious damage to the machine tool system. In turn, these can lead to extended loss of productivity, capital and energy resources.

To avoid such consequences, highly conservative processes and operations are employed to account for worst-case scenarios leading to inefficiency in utilisation of a machine's production capacity. Scientists initiated the EU-funded project 'Advanced intelligent machine adaptive control system' (http://www.aimacs.eu/ (AIMACS)) to develop reliable, real-time, self-optimising machine operation.

The system utilises continuous monitoring of the most critical machining parameters, including cutting load, vibrations and energy consumption. It then takes into account costs associated with factors such as machining time, maintenance time and energy consumption. All of these are fed into an online multi-optimisation module that includes intelligent adaptation to optimise productivity, quality and cost in the context of whole factory planning. Adaptation, learning and improvement of optimisation occur during each machining process.

Following definition of the multi-layer, multi-criteria optimisation system, the team conducted extensive research leading to optimisation algorithms. The hardware and software modules were created and their intercommunication was established. In the end, the modular plug-and-produce prototype system was installed in machine demonstrators that were evaluated in the field.

Individual modules and commercial products for optimisation from the machine to the factory level are in the planning by consortium partners. The technology will be equally applicable to new machines as well as for retrofitting of the over one million existing ones.

The ambitious AIMACS project developed much needed adaptive control technology to modify machining processes in real time. The system will intelligently adapt to varying machining conditions, production disruptions or changes, and plant performance variations. The technology has the potential to dramatically increase productivity while decreasing costs in a huge sector of the EU economy.