METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING AND ENHANCING THE FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF MACHINE TOOLS

摘要

Disclosed are various systems and methods for assessing and improving the capability of a machine tool (10). The disclosure applies to machine tools having at least one slide (14, 22) configured to move along a motion axis (18, 26). Various patterns of dynamic excitation commands are employed to drive the one or more slides, typically involving repetitive short distance displacements. A quantification of a measurable merit of machine tool response to the one or more patterns of dynamic excitation commands is typically derived for the machine tool. Examples of measurable merits of machine tool performance include workpiece surface finish, and the ability to generate chips of the desired length.