Adaptive Tool Monitoring System for CNC Machining
Tool monitoring for CNC machining is essential for protecting the machine, maximizing tool life, and reducing cycle time. Caron Engineering's adaptive tool monitoring system, TMAC 3.0, is a real-time tool wear and breakage detection system, with adaptive feed-rate control capability. TMAC interfaces directly with the CNC control and uses high precision sensor technology to optimize machining and make real-time corrective adjustments through material cutting. The data collected by the TMAC adaptive tool monitoring system gives detailed insights to optimize cutting programs, to immediately increase performance.
TMAC will help you meet the demands of today’s competitive manufacturing environment.
Optimize Machine Tool Cutting
Caron Engineering's TMAC system uses high-precision sensors, a dedicated high-speed data processor, and intuitive HMI to measure tool wear and give real-time control over your cutting operations. By using the learned cutting data and defining thresholds, TMAC will calculate tool wear during cutting and automatically expire a tool when excessive wear is detected or issue a signal within 5 msecs to stop the machine and retract the tool in the event of breakage.
By accurately monitoring tool wear in real-time you can prevent unplanned equipment downtime and stop potentially catastrophic events in their tracks.
This real-time control is ideal for achieving lighter and unattended operations.
In this video, Caron Engineering's President and CEO, Rob Caron, shows the vast capabilities of TMAC monitoring a variety of different cutting operations in real-time.
Tool Wear and Breakage Detection
TMAC calculates power over time or work of the cutting tool as a more accurate measurement of how the tool is wearing over time
TMAC measures tool wear and detects breakage by monitoring true spindle motor power. TMAC learns the optimum power for each tool and cutting section, and compares it to the user defined limits to calculate wear as the tool is cutting. It operates on the principle that the power required to cut a part increases as the tool’s cutting edges deteriorate
- Monitors and reacts to tool wear in real-time
- Uses multi-range sensors with auto-scaling display sensitivity
- Prevents tool breakage and lowers scrap rate
- Reduces the cost of consumable tooling
- Provides valuable information about the cutting process
- Stops the machine instantly in the event of tool breakage
- Shows real-time data graphing as the tools are cutting
Sensor compatibility for tool wear monitoring: power, vibration, strain
Other monitored sensors include: coolant flow, coolant pressure, spindle speed
Adaptive Control Feed Rate Optimization
CNC machines are typically programmed for the safest feed rates to accommodate the worst machining and material conditions.
TMAC adaptive control learns the optimum power for each tool and continuously maintains a constant tool load by automatically adjusting the feed rate in real-time. TMAC increases the feed rate through low power cuts and decreases the feed rate through high power cuts and as tools wear. No operator intervention required!
The result? Decreased cycle time, longer cutter life, and more machine uptime, especially with difficult to machine materials.
- Typical cycle time savings of 20 – 60%
- Allows tools to run at optimum feed rates
- Adjusts to variations in material, tooling, and depth of cut
- Excellent for unattended/lights-out operation
- Adjusts feed rates smoothly versus CAD/CAM programs that can only adjust per line in the program
- Calculates tooth pass frequency to adapt to low RPM cutters
Sensors and Components
TMAC uses a dedicated high-speed data processor and has multiple integrated sensor options for total machine condition monitoring.
- TMAC multi-range power transducers to measure the power load on the tool to determine wear
- In addition to power, vibration and strain sensors can also be used to measure tool wear
- Other peripheral sensors can be installed and monitored by TMAC including spindle speed, coolant flow, and coolant pressure
- GE P11TF12 Compliant
VIBRATION 
COOLANT FLOW
System Features
The new TMAC 3.0 offers an intuitive user interface designed to handle the complexity of the software while providing simplicity for the user. The web-based UI has completely customizable user views with a dynamic display that can be accessed from any device (including smart phones) and allows monitoring multiple processes and even multiple machine channels simultaneously.
Multiple sensor channels can be monitored simultaneously!
For instance, you can monitor power, vibration and coolant for a specific tool and section at the same time, and have unique limits for each sensor and channel.
- Create multiple custom views to look at monitoring data in different ways
- View up to 4 monitoring channels in a single view
- Toggle between custom views with the touch of a button
- Change background color to easily identify TMAC system
The new streamlined browser-based HMI allows users to access TMAC anytime, anywhere, and from any network connected device
TMAC learns the cut and automatically scales the display to the ideal monitoring range, for optimum sensor resolution.
Supervisors can have special privileges for advanced editingWhat Else Can TMAC Do?
Bearing Analysis
A vibration sensor can be attached to the spindle, hardwired to TMAC, with the bearing analysis initiated in the CNC part program.
Signature Analysis
Using the signature analysis mode, TMAC learns the entire path (signature) of a cut using any sensor type
Data Analysis
TMAC saves and records all cutting data. This data allows the user to interrogate specific areas of the cut to look at anomalies in the normal cutting operation. If a tool uses inconsistent power over the same cut, the user can overlay these cuts to see what is causing any anomaly. This information can also give TMAC users insight into tool life comparison between different tooling vendors and regrinds.
TMAC Data Viewer
View the details of any cut, with pan and zoom options for a closer look!
- All monitored data and events are stored and can be exported in various formats for analysis
- Data files can be opened simultaneously to view graphical differences
- Cutting data files can be overlaid to compare cuts
- CNC position data allows the user to inspect the CNC axis positions, program line number, and spindle RPM to interrogate alarms and anomalies at any point in the cut
TMAC Event Viewer
Apply custom filters to view, sort, and export events for analysis.
- Displays detailed information for all events (starts, stops, alarms, etc.)
- Custom events can be created to call out specific points in the cutting operation
- User can apply custom filters to view, sort, and export events for analysis
Production Monitoring Integration
TMAC data is seamlessly integrated into the Datanomix production monitoring platform to deliver deeper insights, giving you visibility from the tool to the machine to the overall factory. Learn more...
OnTakt Software from Wolfram Manufacturing enables machine shops of all sizes to easily connect machines in a single dashboard to capture TMAC data, visualize operations, and react on the shop floor. Learn more...
All Caron Engineering products include the MTConnect protocol communications which allows us to provide meaningful data to any supervisory software, for real-time data sharing.