Abstract
(Englisch)
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The OPORTO network was a consortium of partners from machine tool, tooling, wood working industry and academia. The consortium was involved in the exchange of information, practical and scientific knowledge and data in the field of wood, wood derivatives and composite cutting. The aim of the network was to increase the knowledge of all the network participants, in the first instance, and of the European woodworking industry in general with regards to the technical, socio-economic and environmental issues that currently face the industry and will affect its competitive position globally in the future. Practical skills and scientific know-how in the fields of machine dynamics, vibration monitoring, tool design, structural integrity, tribology, surface technology and material science have been collected in OPORTO. Research and development activities were focussed on complex continuous real-time condition monitoring of multi-axis machin-ing process, wear analysis of tools and surface coating assessment and tribological, structural and compositional characterization of physical and chemical vapor depos-ited state-of-the-art coatings. Additional up-to-date numerical modeling techniques were employed in the assessment of vibration performance of machine spindles as an aid in configuration sizing and re-design of high-speed spindle routers. A large number of tests were performed with the aim of minimizing the need for secondary arduous and costly corrective operations, thus enhancing both the economic com-petitive advantage of the European woodworking industry as well as the creation of a more socially acceptable working environment.The main goal of the network was to investigate and propose methods that would enhance the surface quality of machined products by CNC routers and spindle routers. It has envisaged that the following three major areas need to be examined and their interactions taken into account: · machine spindles· cutting tools· tool materialThrough a better quality of machined surface the need for standard subsequent sanding operation could be diminished. Sanding operations create dust particles that have found to be hazardous to personnel and can amount to unacceptable environ-mental damage.Another important direction pursued by the OPORTO thematic network was to inves-tigate the effects of thin film, wear-resistant coatings for secondary wood transforma-tion processing. It has long been recognized that significant economic and productiv-ity gains can be realized by applying the appropriate coatings in metal machining. This experience has not been generally introduced in the woodworking industry for several reasons. Most woodworking companies are relatively small in size, and lack the resources to sponsor research and development in this field. Additionally, their production tends to be small batches, rather than thousands of identical parts. It is also the case that the coatings developed for various metal working applications cannot be simply applied to wood - the materials are too different, and so the coating properties that have been so carefully engineered for metal working are no longer optimized when they are used with wood.Preliminary testing in the OPORTO network has demonstrated that certain coatings can bring 8-20x improvements in tool lifetime. This leads to the prospect that opti-mized coatings, when used with tools that have similarly been optimized for coatings could bring the same sorts of benefits that have now been widely realized in the metal machining industry.Work in the OPORTO network has also brought another critical element for any fu-ture development work to light, namely that communication and engineering/scientific support will be vital to a project's success. Frequently in SME woodworking firms, there may not be any personnel trained in controlled testing and record keeping that are essential to any measurement. The natural variability of wood, and the lack of standardized work material or surface quality measurement criteria result in ques-tionable results. There may not even be anyone available who can communicate in one of the more common and widespread European languages (English, German or French).It has also been recognized that the economics of the woodworking industry are not identical with that of the metal machining industry. For instance, in woodworking SME's, the acceptable cost of tools is lower than in the larger and higher turnover machining industry. The necessity of re-sharpening and re-use of tools is higher as well.OPORTO has successfully brought together expertise in the entire chain from SME wood working craftsmen to toolmakers, measurement and testing institutes, coating developers and academic research universities and revealed an approach that can bring demonstrated substantial benefits to the industry, as well as pitfalls that must be negotiated in bringing any such development to a successful conclusion.
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