The new EMS sensor, which operates on an electromagnetic measurement principle is annular in form, surrounds the drill and controls dynamic tensions in the drill shaft online thus excluding wear and breakage. Alternatively, the same sensor can also check the drill bit length on drill retraction. Both procedures function on miniature drills with a diameter of, for example, 1 mm.

The EMS is manufactured in a range of internal diameters. The initial version has an internal diameter of 9.5 mm and controls twist drills from 1 to 9 mm diameter.

On 24.11.2005 DaimlerChrysler registered us in their requirement specification for machine tool supplies. The area of application covers the Mercedes Car Group, Power Systems Division. This comprises the german plants at Untertürkheim, Mettingen, Hedelfingen, Zuffenhausen, Berlin and Hamburg.

The decision predated a comparison of all suppliers. We were awarded the contract due to the wide range of measurement capability, ease of operating the Tool Monitor and the good service record we were able to demonstrate in other plants. Hence we have been included in the DaimlerChrysler Mannheim (HGV and bus assembly) plant requirements specification since October 2002, where in the interim some production lines have been monitored for tool breakage by our Tool Monitors.

After roller bearing manufacturers INA and FAG, car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler in Mannheim and the VW plant in Kassel (for the Gear Machining Division), the Volkswagen plant in Salzgitter now follows in terms of its machine supply directive.

A machine tool manufacturer must now install either a competitor product or the new Nordmann monitoring units in his machine tools if online tool monitoring is a machine component. Entry in the so-called functional specification came after an exhaustive trial of the SEM Module System on a Liebherr hobbing machine and an EMAG lathe. Crucial to assessment was determining the accuracy of measured values, tool wear and tear and tool breakage plus ease of operation, which was assessed as being clearly easier than that of the system earlier introduced. The versatility in relation to special monitoring tasks (miniature tools, multi-spindle drill heads) resulting from the wide range of sensors was rated positively.

Nordmann products have been fitted in the other car manufacturers' machine tools for years. Not every car manufacturer however possesses a so-called functional or product specification for machine tool manufacturers relating to approved or required equipment components.

If a critical value is repeatedly breached in the form of an envelope of effective power, power or impact sound measurement and if the monitored tool is not defective, this false alarm can be overridden using the "Automatically Adjust Critical Value" Function. Consequently, the envelope automatically partially adjusts to the graph gradient in the region of the infraction. This procedure has several advantages:

1. The operator no longer has to learn how to graphically adjust an envelope, even if it is simply achieved using a touch pen on the SEM module touch screen. In the case of graph gradient display on an NC operator panel the touch screen is usually not available, i.e. the gradient would have to be corrected using the cursor keys. This is not now necessary thanks to automatic critical value correction.

2. Automatic critical value correction occurs only partially in the region of the critical value infraction. In that way the envelope is not reset over the entire length of the cut too far off the envelope.

3. Automatic correction by keystroke is significantly more rapid than manual graphic correction. 4. Relearning the entire envelope of the tool concerned is not necessary and would even be harmful, as the current cause of the false alarm does not have to occur on relearning.

An accessory device is now available for the Tool Monitors SEM-Modul and SEM-Profibus, which performs frequency-selective filtering of oscillation accelerations of damaged roller bearings.
The system is configured using the roller bearing parameters, so that the Tool Monitor generates a trend display of amplitudes of frequencies which develop in damaged roller bearings and roller races.
The system generates error messages, even before roller bearing failure, thus enabling timely repair of tool or work piece spindles, for example, to prevent unexpected machine downtimes. Its incorporation into the tool monitoring system means that adding-on Condition Monitoring is relatively cheap.

In multi-spindle lathes or rotary cycle machines with the new ADM sensor, in which the work piece glides along the measurement roll during further cycling, work piece diameters can be checked with no additional time required. It therefore require no additional advance axis and supplements the familiar work piece length sensor BDA-Pilz.

As an alternative to laser light barriers, Nordmann offers a new laser sensor which checks cutting tools such as twist drills, reamers and screw taps using a laser dot, from which the reflected light delay is measured. As the procedure also works for distances of up to several meters, it also allows flexible use in larger machines (see the Press article chapter, the german article “Maschine Anlagen Verfahren 05/2004”.)

Nordmann now has a torque sensor for rotating shafts, which enables separate measurement of torque from e.g. screw taps in multi-spindle drill heads. It can be inserted between the HST-retainer and screw drill chuck elements.

On October 01, 2003, a Swiss branch office of "Nordmann-International GmbH", which is now in charge of foreign business, was established on the shores of Lake Zurich, in 8808 Pfäffikon, Switzerland.
This allows us to provide our customers with local support, in view of the increasing number of orders in this region, as well as to provide support for southern European countries. For quick phone contact please call
0041/(0)55/4101500 or 0041/(0)763688831 or via
E-Mail:international@nordmann.info
Sales manager: Mr. Ralph Goebel
Phone 0041/(0)76368883
E-Mail: goebel@nordmann.eu

The final presentation for the "Intelligent lathe tool" project was held at Nordmann´s offices on September 30th, 2003. The topic of this project was the development of throw-away inserts for lathe tools which detect wear themselves. On the one hand, such tools make teaching-in or setting of limiting values for effective power, force and acoustic emission limits redundant, on the other hand their costs are accordingly higher.

The final seminar provided an overview of both the state of development of these new tools, as well as further developments in alternative online measuring techniques based on the measurement of effective power, force and acoustic emission. New post-processing control techniques were also presented, which check cutter state or tool length prior to or after work piece processing.

Nordmann and the Fraunhofer-Institut IST of Braunschweig University headed this joint project. Click here to download a detailed information brochure on this event in PDF format.

As of Version 1.149, the graphic correction or setting of limit value height and form of envelope curves is possible on all touch screens of Tool Monitors SEM-Modul and SEM-Profibus.
A touch pen is now provided for this purpose, which is attached to the right of the display by means of a snap-in holder. The touch pen is connected to the holder via a spiral wire. The operator can use the pen to easily correct or optimize the height or form of limit values, in the case of a false alarm, without requiring knowledge of system menus (see Photos). If correction of individual limits is not permitted, their adjustment can be disabled in operator management. As a result, only certain operators will be able to alter these limits once they have logged with their password.

Menus which are not required or used often can be removed in operator management. The system can thus be cropped to the menus required for day-to-day operations and more clearly structured, in particular for operators who only seldomly need to make entries.

A new in-process sensor manufactured by Nordmann for CNC lathes detects contact between a ruby ball and the work piece by means of vibrations the testing ball creates when it slides across the surface of the rotating work piece. Accuracy is under 1µm and thus more precise than switching sensors. Due to the relative movement between sensor and work piece surface, incorrect measurements caused by dirt located between the testing ball and the work piece are impossible. The testing ball practically cleans itself.
The so-called "Friction noise sensor" has the ID "RST" and can be adjusted to perform various tasks (measurement of drill holes, generated surfaces or end faces), by changing the angle of the sensor to the mounting and the length of the sensor.

At the AMB trade fair, we presented the "Dynamic pressure sensor SDS", which functions as a jet gate to check the length of a tool using a thin jet of any cooling lubricant. The underlying measurement principle is identical to that of an infrared or laser light barrier, but uses cooling lubricant as a medium instead of light.
The advantage is that it is not affected by dirt and it can "blow off" cooling lubricant running down a drill head with the gate jet, causing no delay. The drill head can therefore pass through the jet gate at fast traverse speed. A different version of the SDS is used for testing drill holes for passability (e.g. oil channel drill holes, which are also cleaned during this test in the process).

Undetected tool breakages can be expensive and annoying. Visualization of the measuring curve recorded during breakage would be desirable. However, this measurement may have been recorded some work pieces ago, making it impossible to display.
An additional circuit board with a Compact Flash memory card is now available for all Nordmann Tool Monitors, which automatically saves thousands of measuring curves during monitoring together with the date and time. In the event of an undetected breakage or an omitted wear message, the relevant measuring curve can thus be subsequently assessed on the Tool Monitor or, after removing the card, on the office PC. When comparing it with the previously measured curve, it will become quickly evident which limit needs to be selected, whether the measuring curve needs to be smoothened or whether the incorrect time frame was chosen for the calculation of the mean height. Or, if an increase in measuring curve dynamics (ripple) is detected, this means that the dynamic part of the measuring curve should be monitored.

At this year´s Metav trade fair in Düsseldorf, we displayed our new innovation in tool monitoring: the Hydro distance sensor HDS - to the surprise of our visitors. It is designed for breakage control of all cutting tools by means of a cooling lubricant jet which functions as a "tool cutter sensor". This sensor should not be confused with the "Acoustic emission hydrophone"!
In the HDS, a cooling lubricant jet is not used as an acoustic emission waveguide, but as a sensor for electronic distance measurement, which is integrated as a sensing element in a special cooling lubricant jet nozzle.
This sensor reports tool breakage, if, for example, the jet cannot detect a drill head due to its reduced tip length caused by breakage (for checks across the drill head), or if the distance from the drill tip to the sensor is greater than before (for checks along the drill axis).
Even small cutter breakouts on any tools can be detected if the jet grazes the cutter. The HDS` cooling lubricant measurement jet does not suffer from wear or bending, nor can it become entangled in chip clusters and it controls tools even at traverse speeds.
The values measured by the HDS are controlled either by a single channel device (SEM-B2) or by a multi-channel monitor (SEM-Modul, SEM-Profibus or SEM-68000). The latter can additionally assess our entire range of sensors for measuring effective power, acoustic emission and force, or perform sensorless monitoring of internal drive variables in Sinumerik or Indramat using envelope curves. Online and post-processing tool monitoring is thus ideally combined in one system.

Simultaneous to tool monitoring, the Tool Monitors SEM-Modul and the Profibus-compatible version SEM-Profibus can now also control work piece dimensions using inductive sensors.
The inductive sensors are advanced pneumatically. Accuracy is in the range of micrometers. Some work pieces are tested from two sides and the measured values are added, e.g. for accurate length control without having to take the exact position of the work piece being tested into account.
The sensors both work in the machine tool´s workspace, e.g. in a rotary cycle machine, as well as in post-processing in a special testing station. For this purpose, the Tool Monitor, which is already in use for tool monitoring, can be used as a control and recording device. Work pieces with incorrect dimensions can be discharged by activating a discharge flap. The machine is then given a signal to correct tool advancement.
If correction of tool advancement is not possible, the machine will be stopped after a selectable number of work pieces which are outside tolerance limits.

Miniature Tool Monitor SEM-Profibus: at a mere 4 cm in width, the space it requires in the controls cabinet is negligible. It assesses the internal drive variables effective power, torque or actual current at the Siemens control units 840D or 810D, and monitors these values with straight or curved limits (envelope curves) to control the tool condition.
Dynamic assessment and envelope curves which individually adjust from work piece to work piece are available as a software option. BDE and MDE functions can also be enabled per software.
The system has a CAN-Bus connection for centralized collection of BDE/MDE data or for connection to a flat screen. This means we are well equipped for the future!

Tool Monitor´s user management permits access to certain menus following the entry of a code. The so-called "super user" is the user that can access all menus and assign access rights. Previously, he or she could only access the system by entering a code. Now this can be done by the system using fingerprint identification. One or more super users can be created for each system.

The piezoquartz-based 3D force sensor with integrated 3-channel charge amplifiers can be connected directly to the Tool Monitor without requiring any additional amplifiers. "3D" means that it measures in all 3 spatial directions. It is located mainly beneath the turret box in CNC lathes. It is designed for breakage detection during hard turning. Otherwise the combination of effective power and acoustic emission measurement is proven and tested.

New software assessment methods for drill head breakage monitoring in multi-spindle drill heads were integrated in the Tool Monitors SEM-Modul and SEM-Profibus: using a comparison of the effective power curve of the current work piece with the measuring curve of the previous work piece, it is now possible to monitor drill heads for breakage in multi-spindle drills with up to 6 identical drills. At the same time, a process that controls the effective power for sudden changes is carried out. The drill is detected as broken, if one of b?th techniques responds. This provides double protection from undetected drill breakages.

During the EMO trade fair in Hanover, we presented our innovations specified below. The number of new orders following the trade fair confirmed our leading position tool monitoring technologies.

In the past, online monitoring of very small twist drills and screw taps in machining centers was hampered by the exclusive use of rotary tables, which make sensor cabling difficult or impossible. Therefore an acoustic emission sensor was developed with a wireless transmitter, which sends data from the fixture.
This sensor runs in 3-shift operation over 1 year without requiring a battery change. With the help of an optionally available solar cell, it is completely self-sufficient. The sensor can also be used in turn tables in CNC lathes, thus offering unprecedented interference signal distance from machine background noise. In addition, no difficult cabling is required during retrofitting.

This new Tool Monitor performs sensorless recording of the effective power and torque values of up to 8 feed drives and spindle drives via the Profibus of the widely-used Sinumerik 840 D controls from Siemens.
This significantly reduces this system´s cabling. The system and software Sinterm were certified as operationally reliable by Siemens.
To download the certificate in PDF format, click here. If additional monitoring tasks which require the connection of acoustic emission or force sensors need to be solved within the same machine, this can be done with up to 8 further channels in the same system without the need for additional system hardware (see separate product information in the "Products" chapter).

Nordmann has developed a vibration sensor called SNF-SEA-Mini which measures in 2 orthogonal directions to monitor low frequency vibrations such as chatter in cutting machine tools or as a result of imbalances. This sensor measures as of 0 Hz, but can also be used to control the acceleration values of feed axes.

Tool spindles are subject to heavy loads by potential imbalances and crashes. Nordmann has developed a system that monitors radial and axial loads with force sensors integrated into the spindle and stores the limit values when limits are violated. The visualization of the measured values is done either on the monitor of an open NC control, a portable PC, or on your own monitor.

Techniques for the direct control of wear on throw-away inserts under development in the IDEE project under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institut für Schicht- und Oberflächentechnik IST (Braunschweig) and Nordmann GmbH & Co. KG. You can download the invitation to this public seminar as a PDF file.

Patented method for work piece dimension control of the inner and outer diameter and the length of turned parts in CNC lathes with the aid of storage of the NC axis positions with the acoustic detection of contact between the testing tool and the work piece. The position data gathered is used for the correction of the cutting position of the cutting tool or to separate scrap pieces. The method makes special in-process measurement sensors or much more expensive post-process measuring equipment unnecessary.

A new ultrasound sensor specially for the monitoring of machining centers with a bundled ultrasound beam can monitor small drill or milling heads for length (as of 0.5 mm diameter). The monitoring is takes place along the path of the tool from the work piece to the magazine (or vice versa), even using rapid movement. The method is insensitive to dirt and free of wear and tear.

As an alternative to the integration of own production data acquisition in the SEM Module, the SEM Module was integrated into existing PC-based production data acquisition terminals from DLOG (types DNeT HPC 5 and DNeT IPC 5) as a pure tool monitoring system. Thus the measurement curves can now be viewed on the monitor of the DLOG PC. The operation as a black box (top-hat rail housing) using the RS232 interface with the SEM Module connected to the DLOG PC is done completely using the touch screen of the DLOG monitor. The additional installation of a monitor or keyboard is thus unnecessary.

Integration of production data acquisition in the Tool Monitor SEM Module as an option: This way you have an overview of the workload and possible weaknesses of individual machine tools on a central PC which is connected to the machine tools using a bus system. Using the central updated display of the current job situation, you have an instrument for the planning of the usage of the machines.

Force sensor BDA-Kralle, which measures strain on the surfaces of turret boxes, rocker arms, or feed rods caused by tool forces with the highest sensitivity. Extremely easy to install with only a central M5 screw.

Effective power measuring unit WLM-3, which achieves an almost unbelievable resolution with measurement on all 3 phases (e.g. 2 mm drill in 15 kW spindle or 0.75 mm drill in 3.5 kW spindle).

Workpiece length sensor BDA-Pilz for multi-spindle machines with 1/100 mm resolution.

"Intelligent indexable inserts" which detect wear themselves and report it wirelessly!

Visit us at the AMB Trade Fair in Stuttgart
from 12-16/9/2000,
Halle 6.0, Stand 6.0.016.

SEM-Modul, the bus-capable system for flexible machine tools with parallel and time-independent monitoring of all measuring points.

The integrated tool monitoring SinTerm for Sinumerik 840 D, 810 D and FM-NC and other open controls (e.g. Fanuc, there also with touch-screen use) makes user-friendly and optically perfect integration of the entire Nordmann sensor technology line possible.

Since 1/3/00 we have been an official "Sinumerik Solution Provider". This means that the sales of our new tool monitoring system SEM-Modul is supported by entry into the Siemens catalogs, CD-ROM's, Internet pages, and the Sinumerik Service handbook.