A synthesized methodology for machine tool design applied to a reconfigurable lathe-mill

This paper proposes a design methodology and presents the results of applying the methodology in the design of a novel lathe-mill reconfigurable machine tool. Considerable research has been conducted in reconfigurable machines yet most of the work has been for mills and not for lathe-mills. The significant increase in efficiency and the reduced investment required for a reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) justifies this research. One important contribution of the present work is the design of a customizable and modular machine tool that is capable of performing both turning and milling operations. Moreover, a structured design methodology must be followed in order to achieve this design. Many generic machine design methodologies exist; most of these, however, focus on industrial applications. Thus, another significant contribution is a synthesized methodology for machine tool design specifically tailored to academic and research purposes. The crux of this methodology consists in the computation of the loads caused by the cutting forces. Turning and milling cutting force models provide the load conditions of the machine. With the resulting data, machine elements are selected to meet a ±0.05mm part precision specification. The component selection results in CAD drawings which complete the preliminary design phase of the synthesized methodology. These drawings are ready for use in the structural and dynamic analysis of the machine.