Design optimization of lathe spindle system for optimum energy efficiency

Abstract

Spindle system is the major mechanical component in machine tools, and its performance is responsible for a significant portion of the total consumed energy of machine tools. Conventional design optimization of spindle system is partially focused on parameter optimization of spindle motor or transmission system, contributing to an increase of the motor efficiency. Given that concurrent interactions among them is complex, very little efforts has been done to conduct integration optimization for optimum energy efficiency. To this end, a new approach of spindle system design is presented with consideration of the above two aspects adequately, to achieve the maximum energy and material efficiency. Firstly, the energy characteristic of spindle system is explicitly modeled on the basis of energy flow analysis. Then, a multi-objective optimization model for parameter optimization of spindle motor and transmission system is developed to take the both maximum energy efficiency and minimum volume as objectives, which is subjecting to a set of constraints with related to the cutting parameters boundary, processing requirements and shifting power losses. Finally, a multi-objective improved teaching-learning based optimization (MO-ITLBO) algorithm is presented to solve the developed optimization model. The performance of the proposed design approach of lathe spindle system is demonstrated through different working conditions. The experimental results indicate that the design of energy and material efficient machine tools can be achieved.

Energy Optimization for Motorized Spindle System of Machine Tools under Minimum Thermal Effects and Maximum Productivity Constraints

“…P cool = P water + P ca (7) where P cool is the total power demand of spindle cooling system, P water and P air are the power inputs of water-cooling machine and air compression unit, respectively. A water pump is used in water-cooling machine to circulate the cooling water with a certain flow rate.…”

“…In recent years, enormous efforts have been spent on energy efficiency optimization of machine tools from both design and operation perspectives. For energy-efficient design of machine tools, lightweight design and structure optimization are the key research points [6][7][8]. Regarding optimal operation of machine tools, a great deal of research has been carried out ranging from process level [9][10][11], component level [12][13][14][15][16], and machine tool level [17][18][19].…”

“…By optimizing process parameters under a series of constraints, the energy efficiency of machine tools can be improved significantly [20]. Another interesting observation from literature review is that the spindle system is responsible for a significant portion of energy consumption of machine tools [7,12,21]. Moreover, the energy consumption characteristics of the whole machine tools depend on the working condition of spindle system to a certain extent [22].…”