1st Period. Month 1 (January 2018) to Month 15 (March 2019)
The activities carried out during the first period of the project (15 months) corresponds to the design of the boring bar, being the remaining activity the development of the prototype and the testing of it. This covers the Objective 1 ('Design of the subsystems of the tooling system') and partially the Objective 2 ('Integration of the subsystems in a tool concept design').
Initially, within the WP1 (“Establishment of requirements and concepts for the new tool system”), the requirements of the project were established to adapt the design development to them. These WP also include the preliminary design of the different subsystems and the conceptual design of the boring bar.
Within the WP2 (“Sensors, signal processing and presentation of results”), the selection of sensors for the control of the process, the chip size and the surface integrity were selected. These sensors were integrated in the design of the boring carried out in the WP3. On the other hand, the activity related to the characterization of the sensors’ behavior, the establishment of the data analysis algorithms for the treatment of the sensors’ data and the software for the presentation of the results are still ongoing (scheduled to be completed by month 18).
Within the WP3 (“Tool and system design”), the detailed design of the boring bar is already finished. The materials purchasing and components manufacturing is ongoing; while the assembly of the boring bar and the verification tests are expected to be completed in month 19.
Final 2nd Period. Month 16 (April 2019) to Month 24 (December 2019)
The activities carried out during the second period of the project (from month 16 to month 24) correspond to the manufacturing and assembly of the prototype of the boring bar, the integration of it in a machine tool and the development of the validation tests. The manufacturing and assembly of the boring bar is a part of the WP3 of the project; while the integration in a machine tool and the validation tests are part of the WP4 (“Demonstration and verification”) of the project. Within the WP2, the activities corresponding to the sensors and signal processing were also completed during this period, including the data analysis algorithms and presentation of results.
Within the WP2 (“Sensors, signal processing and presentation of results”), the testing of the sensors (accelerometer integrated in the boring bar, confocal sensor, and chip measurement subsystem) was carried out including the development of the software required for the data acquisition and the algorithms for the data treatment. This activity and the D2.21 were delayed and completed in month 23.
Within the WP3 (“Tool and system design”), the detailed design of the boring bar was already finished in the first perior. So, the activity of this second period was focused on the manufacturing of the components, the purchasing of the commercials and the assembly of the boring bar. This was achieved at the end of the month 19, leading to the activities of the WP4.
The first part of the WP4 was carried out in the month 20, comprising the integration of the boring bar in the machine tool. The mechanical assembly was achieved successfully, but the electrical integration was not completed because the communication between the motor and the CNC cannot be achieved. As a consequence of the failed integration, the validation tests were modified to assess the behavior of the boring bar without machining tests. The validation tests were oriented to characterize the behavior of the support subsystem of the boring bar.
Regarding the WP5, the activities of exploitation have been limited because the project results have resulted in two patent applications that are being currently prepared, i.e. they are not submitted yet. It is expected to be submitted by the end of February 2020.
The activities of dissemination have been limited because of the need to protect the results. In this sense the main activities have been focused on the communication of the project including the project web site, press releases and activities in fairs and social networks.
