New Research Unit Funded by DFG is Working on Resource-Efficient Milling Processes

Complex components are produced in high-precision, computer-controlled manufacturing processes. The new Research Unit 5888 entitled “Increasing resource efficiency in data-driven modeling for the design of NC milling processes” is looking at ways to make these processes even more efficient. The aim is to develop models based on process-informed data. Put simply, what is meant here by “models” is virtual reproductions of the milling process that can predict how a material will behave under certain conditions during milling and which machine settings will lead to which results.

So that these predictions become increasingly precise, the researchers use continuous measurement data from the process, which is recorded directly by sensors integrated into the machines. This makes it possible to continuously adapt and improve the models. In addition to experimental data, simulation results are also incorporated into the development work. “We want to make the development of data-based models more efficient and suitable for subsequent use in industry so that reliable predictions are possible there, too,” says Professor Petra Wiederkehr, who heads the Virtual Machining (VM) Group at the Department of Computer Science. “If you continuously enter new data into a model while a process is running, it can adapt and deliver increasingly precise predictions for process design.” The researchers’ long-term vision is transferable models that can also be applied to other components, materials or machines. This could well surpass the limits of predictions to date and make milling processes more resource-efficient and robust. 

Alongside Professor Petra Wiederkehr’s research group, the team headed by Professor Dirk Biermann and Dr. Jannis Saelzer from the Institute of Machining Technology at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, TU Dortmund University, is also participating in the new Research Unit. Together with the teams from Karlsruhe and Lüneburg, the new Research Unit is bringing various elements of manufacturing into play—from model development, process analysis, machine and cutting tools to materials and consideration of uncertainties.

Contact for queries: