Method of Determining Feed Rate and Cutting Speed for Cutting Metal and of Predicting Cutting Effects

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to methods for controlling metal cutting operations and, more particularly, to such a method that provides accurate estimates of optimal feed rates and cutting speeds and/or accurate predictions of the effects of a cutting operation, to make it possible to begin a part program with optimized feed rates and cutting speeds and to accurately estimate production costs and schedules before beginning machining operations.

2. BACKGROUND ART

During the past several decades, there have been numerous attempts to develop methods for accurately predicting the effects of metal cutting. The methods that have been proposed have resulted in inaccurate and unreliable predictions, largely because of the failure and/or inability to adequately account for inconsistencies in the cutting tool, the mounting fixture, the material to be cut, and the cutting machine. The lack of any known method for providing accurate predictions of the metal cutting effects has made it impossible to determine optimized part feed rates and cutter speeds before beginning a cutting operation. In addition, it has been extremely difficult to estimate with any degree of accuracy production costs and schedules for machining operations since such costs and schedules are highly dependent on the actual effects of the cutting operation. This has led to uncertainty in manufacturing operations that require machining metal parts and has prevented the kind of optimized efficiency of such manufacturing opeations that can be obtained from detailed planning and accurate cost projections.

The inability to accurately estimate the optimized feed rates and cutting speeds for machining operations makes it necessary for numerical control programmers to input unreliable estimates of the correct feed rates and cutting speeds into programs for machining metal parts. When the cutting machine is manually controlled, this results in a heavy burden on the machine operator to adjust the feed rates and cutter speeds to optimize the machining operation. The ability to make such adjustments is highly dependent on the individual operator and is at best much more of an art than a science.

When the cutting operation is part of an adaptive control system--that is, a system in which the cutting parameters are modified during the cutting operation based on feedback from sensors that sense the cutting effects in real time--the machining operation still requires, before the machining operation starts, maximum limits on horsepower, cutting force, feed rates, and cutting speeds. The effectiveness and efficiency of the adaptive control machining operation are decreased by inaccuracies in the preset maximum limits, and in order to be reasonably accurate, the maximum limits must be determined by a method that is capable of accurately predicting the effects of the metal cutting. Therefore, the effectiveness and efficiency of adaptive control systems, as well as manually controlled systems, have not been optimized in known systems because of the inability to accurately predict cutting effects.

A method and/or apparatus for controlling a milling or lathe machine is disclosed in each of the following U.S. Pats.: U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,172, granted Dec. 15, 1970, to R. M. Centner et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,350, granted Jan. 19, 1971, to T. Proctor; U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,976, granted May 4, 1971, to F. A. Russo et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,664, granted Jan. 11, 1972, to R. J. Valek; U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,493, granted May 23, 1972, to T. L. Glowzewski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,938, granted Feb. 13, 1973, to A. Ledergerber et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,798, granted Jan. 8, 1974, to B. R. Beadle et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,474, granted May 21, 1974, to T. D. Linn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,212, granted Mar. 23, 1976, to H. Nakao et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,667, granted Mar. 30, 1976, to P. R. Parker; U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,368, granted June 21, 1977, to B. Colding et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,718, granted June 17, 1980, to H. Chung; U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,448, granted May 4, 1982, to J. A. Berenberg et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,832, granted May 18, 1982, to Y. Kohzai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,720, granted Jan. 25, 1983, to G. P. Hyatt; U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,449, granted July 12, 1983, K. Takeda et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,150, granted Dec. 20, 1983, to B. E. Keller et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,182, granted Apr. 24, 1984, to E. Morita et al.

Centner et al. disclose an adaptive control system in which the machining operation is modified as a function of measured variables such as tool tip temperature and spindle torque. Centner et al recognize the difficulty of providing a method for predicting optimum speed and feed values, and state at column 2, lines 4-6: "The use of analytical techniques to predict optimum or near-optimum speed or feed values would be a formidable if not impossible task."

Beadle et al. use conventional equations to determine the speed and feed rate before the cutting operation. During the operation, a number of parameters are measured continuously, and the cutting operation is optimized from instant to instant on the basis of the measured parameters. The goal of Beadle et al. is to optimize the operation in an economic sense.

Colding et al. disclose an adaptive control system in which parameters relating to wear are measured, and the tool life is calculated from such parameters. The calculated tool life is then used in a formula to calculate productivity. In the productivity formula, the feed rate and cutting speed and varied until an optimized productivity is obtained. At col. 2, lines 10-13, Colding et al. state that: "From a general point of view, it can be said that all calculations to predict tool-life T give very uncertain results, if one does not check during the machining, that the conditions of the calculations are valid."

The above patents and the prior art that is discussed and/or cited therein should be studied for the purpose of putting the present invention into proper perspective relative to the prior art.

3. Disclosure of the Invention

A subject of the invention is a method of determining a feed rate and cutting speed for a machining operation before beginning the operation in a system having a machine with a cutter for cutting a metal workpiece and a fixture for mounting the workpiece. According to an aspect of the invention, the method comprises determining a first set of parameters, including a preliminary cutting speed and a preliminary feed rate, from the characteristics of the material to be cut, the cut to be made, the cutter, the fixture, and the machine. The maximum allowable cutter force and a base cutting speed are calculated from the first set of parameters. The maximum feed rate is calculated from the first set of parameters, the maximum allowable cutter force, and the base cutting speed. The calculated base cutting speed is designated as the cutting speed, and the calculated maximum feed rate is designated as the feed rate, for the machining operation. Preferably, after the maximum feed rate is calculated and before the cutting speed and feed rate for the machining operation are designated, the preliminary cutting speed and the preliminary feed rate are reset to equal the calculated base cutting speed and the calculated maximum feed rate, respectively. Then, the steps of calculating the maximum allowable cutter force, calculating the base cutting speed, and calculating the maximum feed rate are repeated. The repetition of these steps serves as an extra check on the accuracy of the results obtained. Experiments using the preferred embodiment of the invention, including this preferred repeat feature, have confirmed the accuracy of the first values obtained for the cutter force, cutting speed, and feed rate.

According to another aspect of the invention, the cutter is of the type having a shank and a cutting head that has flutes with cutting edge teeth. The step of calculating the maximum allowable cutter force comprises calculating the force required to break the cutter at its shank, the force required to break the cutter at its flutes, and the force required to fracture the teeth. The minimum of the three calculated forces and the maximum spindle load of the machine is taken to produce the maximum allowable cutter force.

Preferably, the step of calculating the maximum feed rate comprises calculating the maximum rate for the desired surface finish, the maximum rate for the maximum available horsepower, and the maximum rate for the maximum force available. The minimum of the calculated maximum rates is taken to arrive at the maximum feed rate.

A preferred feature of the invention is the calculating of a second set of parameters and, from the second set of parameters, determining how much time and what cutting tools the machining operation will require. The second set of parameters are calculated from the first set of parameters, the designated cutting speed, and the designated feed rate. The time and cutting tools the machining operation will require is determined from the second set of parameters, the designated cutting speed, and the designated feed rate. The determination of the time and tools required in turn enables a planner to estimate production costs and schedules. Preferably, the second set of parameters includes cutter deflection, actual cutting force, estimated cutter life, and estimated surface finish.

Another preferred feature of the invention is including in the step of determining the first set of parameters converting the hardness of the metal to be cut from force per unit area of Brinell hardness. This conversion to Brinell hardness facilitates a number of calculations included in the method of the invention. For example, the force required to fracture the teeth is preferably calculated from the converted hardness of the metal to be cut, characteristics of the cutter, and the preliminary feed rate. The maximum feed rate for the maximum force available is also preferably calculated from characteristics of the metal to be cut, including the converted hardness thereof, and characteristics of the cutter and the cut to be made. In the preferred embodiment, the cutter deflection, actual cutting force, estimated cutter life, and estimated surface finish included in the second set of parameters are also calculated using the converted hardness of the metal to be cut.

According to another aspect of the invention, the step of calculating the maximum allowable cutter force and the step of calculating the maximum feed rate each include correcting for the cutter condition, the fixture condition, and the machine condition. Inclusion in the method of the invention of these corrections solves the major problem encountered in the use of known methods of inadequately accounting for inconsistencies in the cutter, fixture, and machine. The corrections help make the predictions obtained by the method of the invention far more accurate than the predictions obtainable from any known methods. Thus, reliable cost estimates and realistic production schedules may be derived from the cutting effects predicted by the method of the invention.

The step of calculating the maximum feed rate for the maximum available horsepower preferably includes converting the machine rated horsepower into spindle horsepower. This conversion facilitates and increases the accuracy of the calculation of the maximum feed rate. In addition, it eliminates any need for taking measurements in real time during the actual machining operation in order to determine spindle horsepower. Thus, the conversion also facilitates the development of accurate predictions of cutting effects before the machining operation has commenced.

Another subject of the invention is a method of predicting cutting effects in a system having a machine with a cutter for cutting a metal workpiece and a fixture for mounting the workpiece. The basic steps of the method are selecting a fixed cutting speed and a fixed feed rate, determining a set of parameters, and calculating cutting effects. The parameters are determined from the characteristics of the metal to be cut, the cut to be made, the cutter, and the machine. The cutting effects are calculated from the fixed cutting speed and feed rate and the set of parameters. Preferably, the calculated cutting effects include the forces required to break the cutter, cutter deflection, actual cutting force, estimated cutter life, and estimated surface finish. Also preferably, the determination of the parameters includes converting the hardness of the metal to be cut from force per unit area to Brinell hardness.

The method of the invention provides accurate predictions of metal cutting effects and optimized feed rates and cutter speeds before a cutting operation is begun. These accurate predictions make it possible to reliably estimate production costs and schedules for machining operations and, in turn, substantially increase the overall efficiency of manufacturing operations requiring the cutting of metal parts. The method enables numerical control programmers to input accurate estimates of optimal feed rates and cutting speeds in programs for machining metal parts. Such accurate input greatly reduces the burden on the machine operator in a manually controlled cutting operation since there is a greatly reduced, if any, need for the operator to adjust the feed rates and cutter speeds during the cutting operation. The recommended feed rates and cutting speeds and the predicted cutting effects provided by the method of the invention also make it possible to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of adaptive control machining operations. By providing accurate starting feed rates and cutting speeds and accurate preset maximum limits, the method of the invention allows such operations to be optimized and the feedback generated in such operations to be used with maximum effectiveness.

These and other advantages and features will become apparent from the detailed description of the best most for carrying out the invention that follows.

In the drawings, like element designations refer to like parts throughout, and:

FIG. 1 is pictorial view of a cutting machine and related apparatus of a type suitable for practicing the preferred embodiment of the method of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of a type of cutter that may be incorporated into the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of a machined metal part, illustrating a periphery cut and a profile cut.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a cutter and workpiece illustrating the conventional cut direction.

FIG. 5 is like FIG. 4 except that it illustrates the climb cutting direction.

FIG. 6 is a table listing the first set of parameters and the abbreviations therefor.

FIG. 7 is a table of cutter material constants.

FIG. 8 is a table of part material constants.

FIG. 9 is a table of preliminary values for cutter speed and feed rate.

FIG. 10 is a table of symbols used in the calculations of the preferred embodiment of the method.

FIG. 11 is a table of a cutter rigidity factor relating to the number of cutter teeth.

The following is a detailed description of the best mode of the invention currently known to the applicant. FIGS. 1 and 2 show typical apparatus for practicing the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is anticipated that a primary application of the method of the invention will be in installations such as that shown in FIG. 1. However, it is of course to be understood that the method of the invention may also be practiced to great advantage in other types of metal cutting installations.

The method of the invention may be used to advantage in connection with making a variety of different types of cuts. The types of cuts specifically provided for in the preferred embodiment are a slot cut (cut same width as cutter), a face cut (reduced thickness of entire workpiece by removing material from one entire face), a slab cut (like a face cut using two cutters and removing material from two opposite faces), and a periphery cut (reduce thickness around all or part of periphery). A slab cut would require a type of machine different from the type shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrates a periphery cut 32 and a profile cut 34. The latter is a combination of a slot cut and a periphery cut. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the cut directions, conventional and climb, respectively, specifically provided for in the preferred embodiment. It is of course to be understood that the method of the invention may also encompass additional cut types and cutting directions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, a contour cut made with a ball nosed cutter could be treated like a periphery cut.

The installation shown in FIG. 1 includes a four-axis cutting machine 2 that is controlled by an operator via a control console 4. The machine 2 has a cutting tool or cutter 6 mounted rotatably thereon by means of a spindle 16 and tool holder 18. The tool 6 is shown being used to machine cuts on a part 20. The part 20 is mounted on a fixture 22. The position of the fixture 22, and thereby the position of the part 20, relative to the tool 6 is controlled by feed apparatus 24 that moves the fixture 22 in accordance with a numeric control computer program and the input of the operator. A turntable 26 delivers fixtures 22 and parts to be machined mounted thereon from a conveyor 28 to the feed apparatus 24 and returns machined parts from feed apparatus 24 to conveyor 28.

The cutter shown in FIG. 2 includes a shank 8 and a cutting heat 10. The cutting head 10 has a number of helical flutes 12 spaced around a circumferential surface. Each flute 12 has a cutting edge 14. The cutting edges 14 form the teeth 14 of the cutter 6.

In the method of the invention, a computer program is used to accurately estimate the correct feed rate and cutting speed for a machining operation before the operation is begun. The method is used in connection with a cutting installation, such as the installation shown in FIG. 1, for cutting metal workpieces. Preferably, the method also includes determining how much time and what cutting tools the machining operation will require. This in turn enables a planner to accurately estimate production costs and schedules.

The method of the invention includes determining a first set of parameters from the characteristics of the material to be cut, the cut to be made, the cutter, the fixture, and the machine. The table shown in FIG. 6 lists the preferred embodiment of the first set of parameters and the abbreviations associated therewith. The parameters relating to the characteristics of the cutter include the dimensions of the cutter, the material from which the cutter is made, a number of constants relating to such material, and the number of teeth which the cutter has. The cutter material designations are high strength steel, cobalt, and carbide. The dimensions of the cutter, the cutter material, and the number of teeth are input into a computer when it is desired to determine the feed rate and cutting speed for a particular machining operation and/or predict the effects of such operation. The constants relating to the cutter material are preferably loaded into the memory of the computer for retrieval when a particular job is to be run and data, such as cutter dimensions, relating to such job is input. FIG. 7 is a table of the cutter material constants that are stored in the computer. These constants include the yield strength of the material, Young's modulus, the tensile strength of the cutter, and Confac, a constant developed experimentally by the applicant. The rigidity of the cutter is taken into account in the formulas of the preferred embodiment by use of these constants.

The parameters relating to the characteristics of the cut to be made include the dimensions of the cut, the type of cut, the direction of the cut, and the surface finish desired. Each of these parameters is input into the computer along with the input relating to the cutter. As discussed above, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the type of cut is classified into four catagories, slot cuts, slab cuts, face cuts, and peripheral cuts (PERF.); and the cut direction may be either conventional or climb. The surface finish desired is either a finished surface or a rough surface.

The fixture condition is included in the first set of parameters. The fixture condition is a number from one to ten that reflects the relative rigidity of the fixture. A fixture with a condition of ten is in top condition and has maximized rigidity. A lower fixture condition number indicates a correspondingly lower degree of rigidity.

The parameters relating to the characteristics of the machine include the machine type, the machine horsepower rating, maximum spindle side load, maximum revolutions per minute, the type of coolant used with the machine, and the machine condition. The machine condition is a number from one to ten indicating relative rigidity in the same manner as the fixture condition parameter. The type of coolant is either water soluble or dry. Each of the parameters relating to the machine is input into the computer along with the parameters relating to the cutter and the cut characteristics.

The parameters relating to the part material include a designation of the material and several constants relating to such material. The part material is either aluminum, alloy steel, titanium, or stainless steel. When the part material is alloy steel, the material classification is further subdivided in accordance with the relative hardness of the alloy. FIG. 8 is a table of three of the part material constants used in carrying out the method of the invention. These constants are Pf, a standard power or machinability factor, and M and Cf, two constants derived experimentally by the applicant. The table in FIG. 9 shows the hardness subdivisions used in connection with alloy steel.

The data relating to the part material that is input into the computer as part of the first set of parameters includes the part material hardness expressed in force per unit area, more specifically, kips per square inch (KSI). In order to facilitate a number of the calculations included in the method of the invention, the determining of the first set of parameters includes the conversion of the part material hardness from force per unit area to Brinell hardness. The formula for accomplishing such conversion is one of the novel aspects of the method of the invention. The formula is:

The converted part hardness is used to determine an additional hardness factor relating to the part material in accordance with the following formula:

The calculated Brinell hardness Bhn and the hardness factor Hstar are used in calculations of the force required to fracture the cutter teeth, the maximum feed rate for the maximum force available, cutter deflection, actual cutting force, estimated cutter or tool life, and estimated surface finish. The calculation of these forces and cutting effects are described in greater detail below.

In addition to the inputting of data, reading of stored data, and performing of calculations described above, the determination of the first set of parameters also includes additional calculations to adjust the material constants for factors such as cut type and the cutter diameter. These calculations are included in the computer program that forms an appendix to this application and are also reflected in the table shown in FIG. 8.

The first set of parameters also includes a preliminary or "ideal" cutting speed and a preliminary or "ideal" feed rate. In the method of the invention, the preliminary cutting speed and feed rate are predetermined from experience rather than using known formulas which give only rough approximations of the correct cutting speed and feed rate. The predetermined "ideal" feed rates, expressed in feed per tooth or chip load, and cutter speeds, expressed in surface feet per minute, are set forth in the table shown in FIG. 9. As can be seen in FIG. 9, the predetermined values take into account the cutter material, the surface finish desired, and the part material.

The method of the invention also includes calculating, from the first set of parameters, the maximum allowable cutter force. Preferably, the calculation of such maximum allowable force includes calculating the force required to break the cutter at its shank, the force required to break the cutter at its flutes, and the force required to fracture or chip the cutter teeth. The minimum of these three calculated forces and the maximum spindle load of the machine is taken to arrive at the maximum allowable cutter force. The formulas used in the preferred embodiment of the invention for determining the three calculated forces are set forth below. Intermediate parameters, such as Ad2, and other calculation symbols used in these formulas and other formulas of the invention are listed in the table shown in FIG. 10. ##EQU1##

The first set of parameters is also used to calculate a base cutting speed. The three primary formulas used in calculating such base cutting speed are as follows: ##EQU2##

The determination of the base cutting speed also includes the use of the standard formulas for converting revolutions per minute (Rpm) to surface feet per minute (Sfm), as follows: ##EQU3##

Following the calculation of the maximum allowable cutter force and the base cutting speed, the method includes calculating the maximum feed rate from the first set of parameters, the maximum allowable cutter force, and the base cutting speed. Preferably, calculating the maximum feed rate includes calculating the maximum rates for the desired surface finish, the maximum available horsepower, and the maximum force available. The minimum of the three calculated rates is taken to arrive at the maximum feed rate.

The method of the invention preferably includes correcting both the maximum allowable cutter force and the maximum feed rate for the fixture condition and for the machine condition. The minimum of the fixture condition number and the machine condition number is taken and then is used to calculate two correcting factors, Fix1 and Fix2. The first correcting factor is then used to adjust the calculated maximum allowable cutter force (Fmax) and the machine rated horsepower (Mhp). The formulas for performing such calculations are as follows: ##EQU4##

The second correcting factor is Fix2 used in the calculation of the maximum feed rate for the desired surface finish (Fpt1). The formulas for calculating Fpt1 are as follows: ##EQU5##

The above formulas for calculating the maximum rate for the desired surface finish are another novel feature of the invention and further add to the accuracy of the recommended cutting speed and feed rate and the predicted cutting effects. By taking more factors into account and by more accurately reflecting the actual effects of such factors, these formulas contribute to the greatly improved results achieved by the method of the invention over previously known methods.

Another novel feature of the invention is the conversion of the machine rated horsepower into spindle horsepower. The spindle horsepower is in turn used in the calculation of the maximum feed rate for the maximum available horsepower. The formula for converting machine horsepower to spindle horsepower is as follows:

The formulas used in calculating the maximum feed rate for the maximum available horsepower are based on known formulas that have been modified by the applicant. The formulas are as follows: ##EQU6##

The formulas for calculating the maximum feed rate for the maximum force available are as follows: ##EQU7##

The calculation of the maximum feed rate produces a feed rate expressed in feed per tooth (Ft) or chip load. The calculations performed in carrying out the preferred embodiment of the invention also include using a standard formula to convert the feed per tooth into feed in inches per minute as follows:

In the preferred embodiment, following the initial calculation of the maximum allowable cutter force, the base cutting speed, and the maximum feed rate, the preliminary or ideal cutting speed and feed rate that form a part of the first set of parameters are reset to equal the calculated base cutting speed and the calculated maximum feed rate, respectively. Then, the steps of calculating the maximum allowable cutter force, calculating the base cutting speed, and calculating the maximum feed rate are repeated. Following the recalculations, the recalculated base cutting speed is designated as the recommended cutting speed for the machining operation, and the recalculated maximum feed rate is designated as the recommended feed rate for the machining operation.

The method of the invention preferably further comprises calculating a second set of parameters which provide predictions of cutting effects. The second set of parameters are calculated from the first set of parameters, the designated cutting speed, and the designated feed rate. The second set of parameters, along with the designated cutting speed and designated feed rate, are used by cost estimators and shop load planners to determine how much time and what cutting tools the machining operation will require. This enables the estimators and planners to accurately estimate production costs and schedules.

The calculation of the second set of parameters preferably includes calculating cutting horsepower, cutting torque, metal removal rate, maximum undeformed chip load, cutter deflection, actual cutting force, estimated tool life, and estimated surface finish. The metal removal rate Q is calculated from a standard industry formula as follows:

The maximum undeformed chip load Fm and the cutting horsepower, or the horsepower at the cut required for the recommended feed rate and cutting speed, H are calculated using known formulas modified by the applicant. The formulas for calculating the maximum undeformed chip load are as follows: ##EQU8## The formulas for calculating the cutting horsepower H are as follows: ##EQU9##

The cutting torque required Tq is calculated using a standard industry formula as follows: ##EQU10##

The actual cutting force is determined by use of the following formulas: ##EQU11##

The determination of the surface finish expected is another novel aspect of the invention. It includes a preliminary determination of a cutter rigidity factor Rc. Such factor is determined on the basis of the following formulas: ##EQU12## This factor Rc is then used to calculate the generated or expected surface finish Suff in accordance with the following formulas: ##EQU13##

The determination of the cutter deflection Cd includes a preliminary determination of a cutter rigidity factor Ee from the number of cutter teeth in accordance with the tables shown in FIG. 11, The factor Ee is then used in the following formula to calculate the cutter deflection Cd. ##EQU14##

The estmated tool life or cutter life in inches T1 is calculated as follows:

Climb cut: P=1

Conventional cut: P=0.28

Water soluable coolant: C=1

Dry coolant: C=0.8

Allowable wear land constant: W=0.01. ##EQU15##

In the calculations performed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, a number of correcting factors are provided to adjust calculated values to more realistic levels. For example, if the calculated cutter deflection is greater than 0.05 or the calculated feed in inches per minute is greater than 100, the feed per tooth is adjusted by reducing it in increments of 0.0005 inches until the cutter deflection or feed in inches per minute is below 0.05 or 100, respectively. If the feed per tooth reaches a level of less than 0.001, then the calculations being performed in the method are interrupted and a suggestion is made to the person running the program that the cut parameters be changed.

The output provided by the method of the invention may be used by a programmer in an adaptive control system to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the system. The recommended cutter speed and feed rate provided by the method give the programmer optimized values to input as the initial speed and feed of the cutting operation. The predicted effects provided by the method enable the programmer to input accurate maximum limits on horsepower, torque, cutting force, and speed and feed rates. The improved accuracy of the maximum limits derived by means of the method of the invention significantly increases the effectiveness of the adaptive control system.

As described above, the method of the invention is used to obtain recommended cutter speeds and feed rates for machining operations. The formulas and computer program included in the preferred embodiment of the method of the invention may also be used to predict cutting effects based on fixed cutting speeds and feed rates. The procedure for accomplishing this includes selecting a fixed cutting speed and a fixed feed rate, determining the first set of parameters and calculating the forces required to break the cutter, as described above. The steps of calculating the base cutting speed and the maximum feed rate are not included since the cutting speed and feed rate are fixed. The second set of parameters are calculated as described above. These calculations result in output including the forces required to break the cutter and the eight cutting effects discussed above: cutting horsepower, cutting torque, metal removal rate, maximum undeformed chip load, cutter deflection, actual cutting force, estimated tool life, and estimated surface finish.

The method of the invention has been discussed and described herein in connection with a milling machine. It is intended to be understood that the method of the invention could also be applied to advantage in a lathe-type machine. The modifications of the preferred embodiment that would be required to adapt it to a lathe-type machine would include the adjustment of the constants used in the equations of the method.

The method of the invention provides very accurate estimates of the correct cutter speed and feed rate for a machining operation and also very accurate predictions of the cutting effects. The method of the invention provides a very comprehensive algorithm that includes many details not accounted for in previously known methods and that results in the accurate predictions and recommendations. A number of the critical formulas and constants used in the method of the invention were statistically developed from test data to add further assurance to the accuracy of the predictions and recommendations obtained by use of the method. The achievement of the method of the invention is to provide substantially optimized cutting speeds and feed rates for machining operations and accurate predictions for use in planning and cost estimating.

Experiments using the method of the invention to determine correct feed rate and cutting speed and to predict cutting effects in installations using standard end mills have indicated that the overall accuracy of the method of the invention is better than 90 percent. It is expected that, by use of the method of the invention and the accurate predictions and recommendations it provides, a savings of 25 percent can be achieved in the total cost of machining operations.

It should be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention is addressed that the invention may be used to advantage in a variety of situations and that various modifications, changes, and omissions in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. ##SPC1##