Simulation-based energy usage profiling of machine tool at the component level

This paper describes a virtual machine tool (VMT) that can be used to estimate the energy consumption of machine tools at the component level. The VMT was designed by focusing on accurately estimating the dynamic behavior and energy consumption of the servo system, which has a major impact on the total energy consumption. Simulation models of the controller and feed drive were constructed. The energy consumption levels of the feed drive components were analyzed theoretically and integrated into the model. An experimental setup of the servo system incorporating a hardware-in-the-loop simulation testbed was constructed to evaluate the proposed model. Simplified models of the spindle, auxiliary units, and cutting dynamics were included in the VMT to estimate the energy consumption of the machine tool components during milling. This simulation technique was used to quantify the effects of machine tool design modification and process control and to simulate the relationship between the specific energy consumption and the material removal rate in order to reduce the overall energy consumption.