Title: Thermo-energetic modelling of machine tool spindles with active cooling based on macro models

Authors: Simon Züst; Florentina Pavliček; Ludger Josef Fischer; Lukas Weiss; Konrad Wegener

Addresses: Institute of Machine Tools and Manufacturing (IWF), ETH Zürich, Switzerland ' Inspire AG, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005, Zürich, Switzerland ' CC Thermal Energy Systems & Process Engineering, Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture, Switzerland ' inspire AG, Technoparkstrasse 1, 8005, Zürich, Switzerland ' Institute of Machine Tools and Manufacturing (IWF), ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Abstract: Enabling high precision milling requires sophisticated thermal conditioning of spindle units in order to minimise thermal elongations and deformations of the spindle shaft and surrounding machine structures due to temperature gradients. In the design and implementation of new spindle units, a model based approach can be of substantial use to predict the thermo-energetic behaviour of the system. In this work, the fundamental set of governing equations required to describe the thermo-energetic effects on machine tool spindle units are derived and discussed. On two exemplary cases, the application of the model is demonstrated. Using empirical data obtained from a spindle test bench, the performance of the macro models and their implementations are quantified.

Keywords: machine tool spindles; spindle cooling; simulation; thermo-energetic modelling; machine tool temperature measurement; high precision milling; thermal elongation; deformation; macro models.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMS.2016.079585

International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems, 2016 Vol.9 No.3, pp.197 - 214

Received: 22 Jul 2015
Accepted: 12 Jan 2016
Published online: 04 Oct 2016 *

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