Course Reform of Metal Cutting Machine Tool Design under the Background of Engineering Education Accreditation

The course of metal cutting machine tool design is a compulsory course in the manufacturing direction of mechanical specialty in our university. Under the background of engineering education accreditation, the course has been reformed. The new syllabus corresponding to the index points of graduation requirements was established, the teaching contents were integrated and optimized, project teaching method and diversified assessment method were designed, the evaluation method of course objectives achievement was constructed, the closed-loop course quality assurance system of Design-Implementation-Assessment-Evaluation-Improvement was formed. Students’ learning initiative and the learning effect are improved.

The Analysis of Key Technologies for Sustainable Machine Tools Design

Machine tools as indispensable tools for manufacturing products are typical high-energy, high-carbon manufacturing systems due to their larger mass, longer life cycles and huge resources and energy consumption. The current research trend of sustainable machine tools aims to reduce cost, energy consumption and increase sustainability without compromising their functionality, usability, productivity, accuracy, etc. However, there is a lack of systematic reviews about what are the key technologies for sustainable machine tools design. Thus, a comprehensive literature review of machine tool design for sustainability is needed in order to make clear how to design and evaluate sustainable machine tools from the viewpoint of life cycle sustainability analysis. The aim of this paper is to review the sustainable design and assessment aspects of machine tool design from partial goals to integrated aims according to whole sustainability dimensions such as the environment, economy and society, as well as involving key techniques in different life cycle stages. Recent research and study on improving directly or indirectly sustainability performance of machine tools according to focus points could be summarized as: design optimization of components such as lightweight using topology and bionic methods; structure design with modular design and layout; reducing cutting fluids and lubricant oil by employing minimum quantity lubrication, dry and cryogenic machining; reducing energy consumption; waste reduction by reusing, remanufacturing and recycling; sustainability assessment i.e., energy model, life cycle cost and life cycle social benefit. This paper assists designers and manufacturers to improve sustainability of machine tools by specific optimization measures in their activities.

Machine-tool design using common parts

This paper reports the peculiarities of metal-tool design with the wide use of finished common modules with a different degree of integration. Such an approach has found a wide use in practice abroad and develops intensively in domestic mechanical engineering. This current trend poses to engineers and scientists new tasks. A number of aspects of this problem is considered in the paper presented. The change of the modern enterprises structure, from technological potentialities, development of materials science, new technological capabilities and limitations are manifested in different forms. One of them is a trend to the application of nonconventional materials for system carriers. In the paper there are stated merits and demerits, the analysis of the experience in the reinforced concrete and organic concrete application for these purposes. The problems of changes in design computations content are considered in the paper. In particular, by the example there is shown a necessity to solve problems connected with contact deformations. Other significant trend in computations – a versatile analysis of complex spatial dimensions successions complicating because of the growth of assembly number.