COMPUTER NUMERICAL CONTROL

CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS

PROF. N. RAMESH BABU

MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING SECTION

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS
CHENNAI – 600 036
TOPICS OF COVERAGE

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

AUTOMATION – GOALS

COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURING

NUMERICAL CONTROL

DEVELOPMENTS IN NUMERICAL CONTROL

SEQUENTIAL CONTROLLERS

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

PROGRAMMING OF NC/CNC MACHINE TOOLS

TRENDS IN CNC MACHINING

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

ENERGY

RAW MATERIAL PROCESSING FINISHED PART

CONTROLS
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

MANUALLY CONTROLLED WOOD CUTTERS LATHE

HUMAN ENERGY HUMAN CONTROLS

MECHANISATION
ENGINE LATHE

NON-HUMAN ENERGY HUMAN CONTROLS

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

SEMI-AUTOMATION TURRET LATHE

CAPSTAN LATHE
PARTIAL
HUMAN CONTROL COPYING LATHE
+
NON-HUMAN ENERGY (TEMPLATE CONTROL)
PARTIAL AUTOMATION

AUTOMATION
AUTOMATIC LATHES
(SINGLE / MULTISPINDLE)
NON-HUMAN ENERGY NON-HUMAN CONTROLS
AUTOMATION - GOALS

1. PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENT

2. QUALITY ASURANCE

3. COST REDUCTION
PRODUCTION

• PROCESSING
• PRIMARY / SECONDARY PROCESSING
• HEAT TREATMENT
• INSPECTION
• ASSEMBLY

• HANDLING
• WORK MATERIAL, TOOLS, FIXTURES
• SEMI FINISHED PARTS
• FINISHED PARTS
AUTOMATION IN PRODUCTION

TYPES OF AUTOMATION

• RIGID AUTOMATION

• AUTOMATIC MACHINE TOOLS

• UNIT BUILT MACHINE TOOLS
• AUTOMATIC TRANSFER LINES

• FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION

• NC/CNC MACHINE TOOLS

• FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS
• RECONFIGURABLE MACHINE TOOLS
• RECONFIGURABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS
AUTOMATION IN PRODUCTION

RIGID AUTOMATION FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION

• SINGLE VARIETY • LARGE VARIETY

• MASS PRODUCTION • BATCH PRODUCTION

• LARGE SET UP TIME • SHORT SET UP TIME

• COMPLEX MECHANISMS • SIMPLE MECHANISMS

• DESIGN & MANUFACTURE OF • PROGRAMMABLE AND

TEMPLATES OR CAMS REPROGRAMMABLE
NUMERICAL CONTROL

1952

SERVO MECHANISMS LABORATORY

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE, USA
COMPUTER AIDED MANUFACTURING

MANUFATURING PLANNIG MANUFACTURING CONTROL

PLANNING & MANAGEMENT MANAGING & CONTROLLING PHYSICAL OPERATIONS IN THE FACTORY

 COST ESTIMATION
 PROCESS CONTROL

 CAPP
 QUALITY CONTROL

 COMPUTERISED MACHINABILITY
 SHOP FLOOR CONTROL
DATA SYSTEMS

 COMPUTER ASSISTED NC PART  PROCESS MONITORING

PROGRAMMING

 COMPUTER AIDED LINE BALANCING

 PRODUCTION AND INVENTORY PLANNING

DEVELOPMENT OF WORK STANDARDS

CONTROL OF MANUFACTURING
EQUIPMENT
TYPES OF CONTROL

• LOGIC CONTROL - ON/OFF CONTROL

SPINDLE ON/OFF, PALLET IN/OUT etc.

• SEQUENCE CONTROL

CONTROL ACTIVATED WITH CERTAIN SET OF CONDITIONS

• NUMERICAL CONTROL

CONTROL ALONG THE DESIRED TRAJECTORY

LOGIC AND SEQUENTIAL CONTROLLERS

HARDWIRED SOFTWARE

RELAY BASED MICROPROCESSOR BASED

(EM RELAYS)
PROGRAMMABLE
LOGIC CONTROL WITH
SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUITS FLEXIBLE
 NUMERICAL CONTROL OF MACHINE TOOLS

WHAT IS NC? PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION WITH

LETTERS,NUMBERS,SYMBOLS

EX : N01 G00 X-50.00 Y-100.00 F100 M03 S1000

GEOMETRIC DATA TECHNICAL DATA

APPLICATIONS OF NC

DRAFTING
SHEET METAL WORKING
METAL CUTTING
ASSEMBLY
INSPECTION ETC.
 WHEN TO GO FOR NC?

FLEXIBILITY IN DESIGN AND PRODUCTION – HIGH

PRODUCTIVITY – HIGH – 50%-75% CUTTING TIME(NC)

15% CUTTING TIME(CONV.)

REPRODUCIBILITY - HIGH

ACCURACY - HIGH

INVENTORY INSPECTION - LESS

BETTER MANAGEMENT CONTROL

WHY TO GO FOR NC?
COMPLEX JOBS AND GREATER VARIETY OF DESIGNS

SMALL TO MEDIUM BATCH PRODUCTION

100% INSPECTION JOBS

SET UP TIME - HIGH

HIGHER OPERATOR SKILLS

 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS
NUMERICAL CONTROL
1950s – I GENERATION NC VACCUM TUBES, EM RELAYS,
HYDRAULIC SERVO SYSTEMS

CONTROL SYSTEMS UNRELIABLE,INACCURATE

1960s - II & III GENERATION NCs DIGITAL CKTs,TRANSISTORS,ICs

CONTROL SYSTEMS MORE COSTLY, LESS

SOPHISTICATED FUNCTIONS

LATE 1960s - IV GENERATION SYSTEMS

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, MICROPROCESSOR BASED

1970s DEDICATED COMPUTER AS CONTROLLER

1980s OPEN ARCHITECTURE CONTROLLERS

1990s FOR SENSOR BASED MACHINING,RAPID PROTOTYPING,

MFG.OVER INTERNET, AGILE MFG
 NUMERICAL CONTROL
N01 G01 X100.0 Y125.0 F100 S800 M03 ; 1.MOVE TOOL TO X100 Y125
GEOMETRIC DATA TECHNOLOGICAL DATA AT FEED RATE OF 100(mm/min)
2. ROTATE SPINDLE CW AT
800 RPM

CONTROLLER
(NC/CNC)
(DATA PROCESSING UNIT) DPU + CLU (CONTROL LOOPS UNIT)

SOFTWARE/HARDWARE HARDWARE

INTERPOLATORS+SEQUENTIAL CONTROLLERS MACHINE TOOL DRIVES OPEN

LOOP , CLOSED LOOP
HARDWARE SOFTWARE HARDWIRED
(SINGLE STAGE) (RELAY BASED)
(or)
HARDWARE PLC (CNC)
+
SOFTWARE(MULTISTAGE)
COMPUTER NUMERICAL CONTROL

• CNC

SINGLE PROCESSOR MULTIPROCESSOR

(MULTI AXES CNCs)
DNC

NC CNC CNC WITH DNC

(TAPE CONTROL) W/O DNCPROTOCOL PROTOCOL
PARALLEL INTERFACE SERIAL INTERFACE SERIAL INTERFACE
(NC) (CNC)
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF NC SYSTEM

• PROGRAM IF INSTRUCTIONS

BLOCK NC WORDS N, G, M, X, Z, F, S…

• MACHINE CONTROL UNIT TAPE READER, DATA BUFFER, OUTPUT SIGNALS TO M/C TOOL
(MCU) FEEDBACK SIGNALS FROM M/C TOOL
DPU + CLU SEQUENCE CONTROL

• MACHINE TOOL TURNING, MILLING M/C’s, MACHINING CENTRES, TURN-MILL CENTERS

FUNCTIONS OF DATA PROCESSING UNIT(DPU)

• READING & DECODING THE PART PROGRAM

• PROVIDING THE DECODED INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CONTROL LOOPS OF THE MACHINE AXES OF MOTION

• ADVANCING THE TAPE/CONTROL EACH TIME THE PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS WERE FULFILLED i.e. AT THE END OF EACH
SEGMENT OF THE PROGRAM.
 FUNCTIONS OF CONTROL LOOPS UNIT (CLU)

• CONTROLLING THE DRIVES ATTACHED TO THE MACHINE LEAD SCREWS, AND

• RECEVING FEEDBACK SIGNALS ON THE ACTUAL POSITION, VELOCITY OF EACH ONE

OF THE AXES

• SENDING A SIGNAL BACK TO DPU THAT PREVIOUS SEGMENT IS COMPLETED AND

THAT DPU CAN READ A NEW SEGMENT OF THE PROGRAM
 CLASSIFICATIONS OF NC SYSTEMS

1. BASED ON TYPE OF TRAJECTORY CONTROL

• POINT TO POINT (PTP) CONTROL SYSTEMS

• STRAIGHT LINE CONTROL SYSTEMS
• CONTOURING CONTROL SYSTEMS
2D,2½ D, 3D OR MULTI-AXES CONTROL

2. BASED ON STRUCTURE OF CONTROLLER

• HARDWIRED (NC)
• SOFTWIRED (CNC)

3. BASED ON METHOD OF PROGRAMMING

• ABSOLUTE
• INCREMENTAL

4. BASED ON TYPE OF MOTION CONTROL

• OPEN LOOP
• CLOSED LOOP
 NC VERSUS CNC

NC CNC

HARDWIRED CONTROLLER SOFTWIRED CONTROLLER

RIGID & LIMITED FUNCTIONS FLEXIBLE & UPGRADABLE

ADVANTAGES OF CNC

• IMPROVED RELIABILITY IN PROGRAM ENTRY

• GREATER FLEXIBILITY – EASY TO UPGRADE WITH NEW S/W

• STORAGE OF MACROS, CUTTING SPEED, FEED DATA

• EASY TO MODIFY PART PROGRAMS

 FUNCTIONS OF CNC

1. MACHINE TOOL CONTRIOL

2. IN PROCESS COMPENSATION

3. IMPROVED PROGRAMMING & OPERATING FEATURE

• MIDI OPERATION
• CONVERSATIONAL PROGRAMMING FEATURE

4. DIAGNOSTICS
• EASY MAINTENANCE
• FAIL SAFE OPERATION
 CNC SYSTEMS

- MICRO-COMUTER PERFORMS THE FOLLOWING BASIC TASKS

- SYSTEM MANAGEMENT

- DATA INPUT/OUTPUT

- DATA CORRECTION

- CONTROL FOR NC PROGRAM EXECUTION

- PROCESSING OF OPERATOR COMMANDS

- OUTPUT OF NC PROCESS VARIABLES TO THE DISPLAY.