Intelligent Toolholder Enables Real-Time Process Control
Equipped with a sensor, battery, and transmitting unit, Schunk’s iTENDO toolholder is a closed-loop data acquisition tool that securely gathers and shares process data that operators can immediately react to.
Posted: October 5, 2020
The iTENDO sensory toolholder from Schunk (Morrisville, NC) monitors machining processes at high resolution at the tool so operators can control cutting parameters in real time. The required acceleration sensor and electronics are integrated into the toolholder without affecting its interfering contour and other characteristics.
The iTENDO seamlessly records the metal cutting process; monitors previously defined exact limit values; and, in the event of irregularities, enables real-time adaptive control of the speed of rotation and feed rate, among other measures. Equipped with a sensor, battery, and transmitting unit, the intelligent toolholder records the data at the tool and transmits it wirelessly via Bluetooth to a receiver in the machine room, where it’s forwarded by cable to a control and evaluation unit. This makes the system fundamentally different from other solutions for process monitoring by providing precise process data. In pilot applications, the intelligent mounting has proven performance for milling, drilling, countersinking, and deburring.
This information collection closes the loop on Industry 4.0 machine processes and takes the guesswork out of machine adjustments by providing an IFT value. Developed specifically for the toolholder, IFT value represents measured vibration as a numerical value on an intensity scale similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes.
In a first step, Schunk is standardizing the iTENDO for the common interface HSK-A 63 with clamping diameters from 6 mm to 32 mm and 130 mm long. The sensory toolholder is suitable for the use of coolant and is designed for speeds of up to 10,000 RPM. Commissioning and data analysis is carried out via a browser-based dashboard on standard PCs, tablet computers, or smartphones.
In the simplest configuration, which can be implemented completely without machine-side adjustments, the live data from the sensor can be displayed on the Schunk dashboard via a local connection. For this purpose, Schunk provides a special case system with integrated display, enabling toolholder commissioning within two hours and with minimal effort.
In a second configuration, the real-time controller is ideally connected to the machine control system by a service technician via digital or analog I/O so that, for example, alarms can be triggered or processes can be adaptively controlled.
The third and most sophisticated configuration enables additional information exchange with the machine; for example, as in the case of the Siemens control system via OPC UA.
All variants can also be operated and centrally controlled via a cloud solution.
Learn more by viewing the videos below.
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