Tool management in computer integrated manufacturing systems

In metal cutting industries, there are many types of machine tools capable of performing turning, boring, milling and drilling operations. The selection and application of thousands of available cutting tools are very complicated. Tool life demonstrates significant variations. The current experience and manual based tool management system can no longer meet today's industrial needs. A computer integrated tool management structure which incorporates proper mathematical techniques is developed in this thesis. The goal of this system is to assist system planner and operator to make optimal decisions in machining operations. Specifically it assists the selection of machine and cutting tools using rule based expert system structure, derives optimal machining conditions and tool replacement using stochastic models and sequentially estimates tool life on the shop floor. The knowledge base is improved by using the historical data. The systematic organization of data simplifies tool status tracking and inventory control. The initial test runs have shown great potential in improving productivity in machining.