PROJECTS
IK4-TEKNIKER is participating in the DynXperts European project with the aim of increasing the cutting capacity of magnetic heads in machine tools.
The machine tools used for machining aluminium parts, like those used by the clients of GOIALDE HIGH SPEED, need to use powerful heads with high turning speeds in order to obtain high outputs.
The disadvantage of the traditionally used heads with ceramic bearings is that they routinely fail mainly due to broken bearings. As an alternative, GOIALDE HIGH SPEED and IK4-TEKNIKER have for many years been developing heads with magnetic bearings that do not require any maintenance as there is no mechanical contact.
Heads with magnetic bearings are, however, susceptible to instability problems during machining mainly due to the lack of shock absorption.
Within the framework of the DynXperts European project, IK4-TEKNIKER has been working to address this limitation.
What is more, it is collaborating on the project with another 11 companies, R&D centres and universities, including IK4-IDEKO, the project leader, Soraluce and the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country. The shared aim is to do research into active heads and smart clamps to improve the dynamic behaviour of the machines and thus improve their productivity.
Magnetic head
IK4-TEKNIKER has been commissioned to develop five integrated functionalities (monitoring, calibration, stability, shock absorption and advanced control algorithms) on a magnetic head specially designed for GOIALDE.
The ultimate aim is to increase the cutting capacity of the magnetic heads and exceed that provided by heads with traditional bearings. That will overcome one of the hurdles that existed for incorporating them into high-production machines.
At the start of the project, head productivity was limited by the appearance of chatter, a type of vibration that is harmful for the machine. IK4-TEKNIKER has worked to develop algorithms that will prevent this and thus increase the swarf flow that it is capable of machining. Of the five functions listed above, the shock absorbing capacity is the one that has produced the best results, enabling the output of the magnetic head designed by the centre’s researchers to be increased fivefold.
The first two functions, monitoring and calibration, can provide information on the dynamic behaviour of the machine and are needed for implementing all the other functions. The stability function calculates the machining conditions (turning speed) in real time, which make the process more stable. The final function, advanced control, has made it possible to improve machine behaviour at tool entry. Under testing conditions, output has been improved 7 times by simultaneously using the shock absorbing function and advanced control.
Apart from enabling cost cutting in maintenance (since maintenance is virtually discontinued) and providing greater machine availability, magnetic bearings allow the use of techniques like “axis on axis”, which considerably improves the dynamics of the machine tool in small movements, and enables time to be saved in trajectory changes.
Research into developments with magnetic bearings
For over 10 years IK4-TEKNIKER has been working actively on developments relating to magnetic bearings, as they are the main applications for the industrial sector, the energy sector and scientific instruments.
The capabilities acquired have allowed the R&D centre to enjoy the trust of leading companies like GOIALDE HIGH SPEED and ZIGOR CORPORACIÓN.
The Basque R&D centre is currently working on two regional projects in which magnetic bearing technology is being applied. In point of fact, three (monitoring, calibration and shock absorption) out of the five functionalities developed in the DynXperts project are already being applied in these projects.
