Chip breaking system or turning applications using machine drive oscillations

The quality of many metal removal processes is partially defined by the chip formation process. The creation of long chips is one of the main problems in continuous processes like turning. The long chips can scratch the final part surface and generate production stops for manual chip removal. In this article, a technique called modulation assisted machining is used to vary the chip thickness and force the chip breakage. For the heavy duty applications considered here, the oscillation is generated by the ordinary drives of the machine. The limits of the drives are taken into account and the system is automatically selecting the most appropriate oscillation parameters according to the machine oscillation capability and process parameters. Experimental validations show the effect of this system on the chip length and surface finishing.