The modern-day CNC machine tool is expected to achieve high accuracy and repeatability while machining a variety of materials. The accuracy and repeatability are being affected by many forms of errors, both at static and dynamic conditions. Of all the errors, the thermal effect contributes to 75% of overall value. The main reason for the thermal effects are the variations in ambient temperature with respect to standard room temperature 20oC, heat from the cutting process and heat generated at other sources. The literature survey reveals that there is still a large scope to investigate the thermal error, in high precision machined components and assemblies including machine tools, and its mitigation.
The objectives of this research to study the thermal behavior of components made up of different materials, their assemblies as well as CNC machine tools, and finding suitable methods to deal with thermal errors. With the miniaturization of products and the high demand for precision parts, there is a greater challenge faced by the researchers. In this seminar, a high-precision deep drawing tool, working in the low MESO scale range, and representing an assembly which demands a close tolerance and high positional accuracy, is taken for the investigation of the thermal error. An approach to estimate the thermal deformation and positional errors of the tool components is presented. Details of the numerical simulation using finite element methods and validation of the results using a dedicated measurement system and numerical compensation of the error during the manufacture of the tool components will be presented and discussed.