Precision machinery has come a long way over the years. Factories that once relied on manpower now use machines, and this development has brought with it innumerable benefits including improvements to accuracy, repeatability, productivity and efficiency. Naturally, though, machines
are imperfect in that precision of a batch of machines vary slightly. On top of that, machines experience wear and tear or even break-downs. These unpredictable events can be costly to manufacturers. This is why research to better understand factors that affect a machine's precision is important.
This knowledge can be used to reduce the issues that occur with machine tools and thereby maximise the efficiency and quality of production. This is the goal of Dr Yum-Ji Chan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan. His research on vibration engineering,
structural dynamics and the dynamics of rotors is seeking to better understand machine tools and, in doing so, improve their performance. He believes more research is required to understand the behaviour of specific components in machine tools, and he is seeking to fill this gap in knowledge.
This involves understanding the vibration phenomena that occur in components in machine tools and, to do so, Chan and his team are producing accurate dynamic behaviour in machine tool models. This will, in turn, enable researchers to develop virtual machine tools that can monitor the condition
of machines.
Approach for Generation of Complete Virtual Machine Tools based on a Unified Model Description