When a crash occurs within the machine tool, not only does the workpiece suffer damage but also critical machine components such as the motor spindle or sensitive spindle bearings can be damaged. Numerous approaches exist to improve and make processes safer. However, identifying the sources of errors is the first step and often the necessary information is missing. Swirling chips and coolant often turn the interior of machining machines and other equipment into a black box. Rotoclear, however, has developed a robust camera system that can provide these essential optical process insights. To withstand the harsh conditions inside the machine, it features a rotating viewing window that keeps the camera lens free from contamination. Whether from above, the side, from the tool's perspective, or from multiple angles simultaneously, the 30 fps up to 4K footage provides all the necessary optical information to continuously monitor and optimize the process. The digital image data can also be streamed live.
"Machine downtimes due to crashes between the tool, workpiece, and other machine components can quickly cost several thousand euros," says Rotoclear Managing Director Florian Friedrich. "However, such crashes do not always cause immediate damage: so-called soft collisions lead to long-term inaccuracies in machining, thus reducing the quality of finished workpieces." Additionally, tool wear increases, resulting in more frequent maintenance intervals and higher maintenance costs. Many companies specialize in reducing these error sources and optimizing the processes within CNC machines by equipping the machine with complex sensors and protecting the spindle with special systems.
"These approaches are, however, elaborate, expensive, and ignore a bigger problem," Friedrich explains. "The interior of many machine tools, like machining centers, is a kind of black box." Flying metal chips not only obstruct the view of the tool and workpiece, but also become dangerous projectiles that can cause significant damage inside the machine. Spraying coolants and lubricants obscure conventional machine windows and prevent a clear view of the processes inside the machine. Many businesses equip the cabins of their CNC machines with special rotating windows. Originally from maritime applications, this principle allows an external view of the internal processes. The quality of optical error analysis, however, significantly depends on the operator's competence and experience and can only be conducted in real-time.
