Evaluation of Tool Wear in Polymer Milling Process Using Non-Invasive Open-Source Monitoring System

This study presents a non-invasive and affordable monitoring system to estimate the electrical current demand during the milling of acrylic and expanded PVC, with and without the use of cutting fluid. The proposed system consists of an Arduino® board integrated with an SCT-013-000 electrical current sensor, an RTC-DS3231 shield, and an SC Card shield, which perform the measurement and storage of the electrical current, values collected directly from the power cable of the Router Spindle TVS.1ZM3.12. Data were collected in a machinability test, where different concentrations of cutting fluid and cutting parameters (cutting speed and feed rate) were evaluated. Outputs included surface roughess, electrical current consumption, chip shape and tool wear. The results were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), revealing that the different factors have individual effects on electrical current consumption. It was observed that tool wear contributed to an increase in the main motor’s consumption. Additionally, the reduction in electrical current consumption with the use of cutting fluid indicates a decrease in friction between the tool and the workpiece.