HARCO Project: Intelligence in manufacturing equipment
For many years we have been witnessing an unstoppable process towards the incorporating of "intelligence" into manufacturing processes. In the 1950s the incorporation of Numerical Controls, and the subsequently computerised ones or CNCs at the MIT, signified a fundamental step forwards in the process to automate machine tools. 60 years later, the aim to increase the final quality of the parts manufactured and the productivity of plants goes on demanding an ongoing effort to improve manufacturing technology. Particularly critical are the effects of the vibrations produced during the machining process on the spot when the tool is in contact with the surface of the part. The precision and final quality of the surface largely depend on these vibrations.