Towards Active Chip Control

Current reliance on chip formers with fixed geometries suffers from limitations on the work materials and cutting conditions. This paper examines the feasibility of the hitherto unexplored concept of active chip control. An actuator with two degrees of freedom, utilizing an obstruction type chip former, and based on Nakayama's assertion that the position and orientation of the line of separation of the chip from the tool rake determines the chip form, has yielded encouraging results. Stable clusters of chip forms under varying cutting conditions have been obtained through appropriate geometric transformations of the control variables. Experimental work on a variety of sensors has identified chip form sensing through the use of electrostatic induction, optical fibers, and infra-red cameras to be amongst the most promising. © 1996 CIRP.