According to the prediction of international consulting agencies, CNC machine tools in the world will develop at a higher speed in the future, and all varieties can be CNC-controlled. CNC systems are developing towards high integration, high resolution, and miniaturization; mechanical processing is developing towards complex and intelligent processes. In the future, factories will widely use CNC machine tools, flexible processing units, and flexible processing production lines, and finally realize computer integrated manufacturing systems. Factories can flexibly design and manufacture new products in a short time according to user needs, achieving high precision, high efficiency, and high benefits.
- High precision
The setting unit of foreign CNC systems has developed from 1μm to 0.1μm. In July 1992, Japan’s FANUC company demonstrated a complete set of technologies for realizing nano-machining at a new achievement exhibition to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary. It realized a control system of 0.001μm/pulse, and could execute servo units, servo motors and other components with each pulse equivalent of 0.001μm, and could perform high-precision detection and feedback systems with nano-level precision. According to the information, this is the world’s first complete set of technologies that truly realize nano-machining.
- High speed
The fast stroke has been increased from 24m/min to 240m/min (when the design unit is 1μm), and the cutting speed of the machining center can reach more than 10m/min. The CNC system has developed from 16-bit microcomputers to 32-bit and 64-bit machines, or a structure with more than 40 CPUs.
- High reliability
The average trouble-free working time of FANUC’s computer numerical control system is 0.01 times/month/unit, which means that it has achieved a high reliability of one failure in 100 months, so that the robot has also achieved a high reliability of 0.013 times/month/unit.
- Systematization
In the process of preparing for the construction of new factories and expanding old factories, people have noticed that they should add CNC machine tools, flexible processing units and flexible manufacturing systems, robots and other mechatronic products under the guidance of system engineering concepts.
- Miniaturization
The Japanese FANUC company has adopted 64-bit processors, RISC technology, SMT technology, and new technologies such as LCD instead of CRT and three-dimensional installation, which has reduced the 16, 18 and other new CNC systems to 1/3 of the original CNC systems. At the same time, it has also begun to cooperate with other companies and government departments to carry out the development of micro-robots, which are used to realize the micro-robots in the medical field to enter the human body, perform the task of unblocking blood vessels, and then automatically exit the human body after the task is completed.
- Intelligence
Intelligent work such as vision, touch, and fuzzy logic control is still being actively carried out. For example, the 7-axis double-wrist intelligent robot displayed by FANUC has broken the state of maintaining 1 to 2 demonstration factories in the development of unmanned factories in Japan for a long time. At present, there are 7 unmanned factories.
- From traditional universal machine tools to machine tool function specialization and product diversification
Due to the versatility and versatility of machine tools, the machine tool structure is complex, the manufacturing cycle is long, and the cost is correspondingly increased. Users often only need some functions, but they have to pay the price of multi-functions, which is not economical at the same time as wasting functions. The machine tool manufacturing industry has now transformed from a small variety and large batch production to a multi-variety, specialized and small batch production. For each specific machine tool product, its functions should be limited and suitable for the specific needs of users, and unnecessary functions should be avoided as much as possible.
- Modular design to achieve product diversification and functional specialization has become the mainstream of current machine tool development.
This type of machine tool is a relatively specialized machine tool, and its share in machine tool sales has increased from 3% in the past 5 to 10 years to 10% today. In another 5 to 10 years, it will reach more than 50%. Production companies must design machine tools specifically for each different user, and machine tools with exactly the same specifications and functions will become fewer and fewer, and may even no longer appear in the future.
- The development of economical CNC machine tools and machining centers has become a trend in the current development of CNC machine tools.
Economical CNC machine tools and machining centers are a new strategy for the machine tool industry in the United States, Japan and other countries to participate in market competition.
- “Electronics-Mechanics” Commercialization
It is generally believed that the mechanical part of mechatronics products has a higher cost. The proportion of “electronic” parts in mechatronic products in the international market is increasing. For example, Japan’s FANUC is preparing to increase the electronic part of the cost to 60% and the mechanical part to 40%, that is, to form mechatronic products with “electronic” as the main part and “mechanical” as the auxiliary part.
