A preventive maintenance system of a machine tool capable of making determination of presence of an abnormality mechanically and automatically, which has conventionally been performed on the basis of the feeling of an operator and detecting an abnormality more accurately in an earlier stage is provided. The preventive maintenance system includes: a vibration detection unit attached to a mechanism of a machine tool to detect vibration; a sound detection unit that detects acoustic waves produced when a work is machined by the machine tool; a servo motor current value detection unit that detects a current value of a servo motor; an abnormality determination unit that compares the vibration, the acoustic waves, and the current value of the servo motor during operation of the machine tool with vibration data, acoustic wave data, and current value data in a normal state set in advance to determine presence of an abnormality in the mechanism of the machine tool; and a detection start/end command setting unit that adds commands for a detection start point and a detection end point of at least one of the vibration, the acoustic waves, and the current value of the servo motor to a machining program.

A mechanical equipment control system includes a mechanical apparatus, a load ratio detection circuit, and an integration control circuit. The mechanical apparatus includes a motor which is configured to drive the mechanical apparatus. The load ratio detection circuit is configured to detect a load ratio of the motor. The integration control circuit is configured to control the mechanical apparatus based on an operation parameter while keeping the load ratio in an allowable load state.

A mechanical equipment control system includes a mechanical apparatus, a load ratio detection circuit, and an integration control circuit. The mechanical apparatus includes a motor which is configured to drive the mechanical apparatus. The load ratio detection circuit is configured to detect a load ratio of the motor. The integration control circuit is configured to control the mechanical apparatus based on an operation parameter while keeping the load ratio in an allowable load state.

A preventive maintenance system of a machine tool capable of making determination of presence of an abnormality mechanically and automatically, which has conventionally been performed on the basis of the feeling of an operator and detecting an abnormality more accurately in an earlier stage is provided. The preventive maintenance system includes: a vibration detection unit attached to a mechanism of a machine tool to detect vibration; a sound detection unit that detects acoustic waves produced when a work is machined by the machine tool; a servo motor current value detection unit that detects a current value of a servo motor; an abnormality determination unit that compares the vibration, the acoustic waves, and the current value of the servo motor during operation of the machine tool with vibration data, acoustic wave data, and current value data in a normal state set in advance to determine presence of an abnormality in the mechanism of the machine tool; and a detection start/end command setting unit that adds commands for a detection start point and a detection end point of at least one of the vibration, the acoustic waves, and the current value of the servo motor to a machining program.

Provided is a machine tool including: a main shaft; feed-axis motors that relatively move a table and the main shaft in directions intersecting the longitudinal axis of the main shaft; feed-load measurement units that measure the magnitudes of loads applied to the feed-axis motors; and an anomaly detection unit that detects abnormal loads on the feed-axis motors when the magnitudes of the loads measured by the feed-load measurement units are greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is changed according to the length of a tool that is held by the main shaft.

An electronically controlled substrate working apparatus, such as a CNC controlled milling machine, drill press or lathe. The apparatus comprises a tool configured to remove material from the substrate, a spindle motor coupled to the tool, a feed motor configured to cause relative movement between the tool and the substrate along a feed path, a controller configured to control the spindle motor and the feed motor and a tool load measurement structure configured to provide a tool load value to the controller. The controller is configured to compare the load on the tool with stored or calculated first compliance values for a first location along the feed path and second compliance values for a second location along the feed path. The controller is further configured to cause the feed motor, the spindle motor or a combination thereof to take an action selected from a first set of response actions for the first location in the event that the load falls outside the first compliance values and to take an action selected from a second set of response actions for the second location in the event that the load falls outside the second compliance values. A method of operating the apparatus is also disclosed.

A tool abnormality detection system corrects a monitoring range for a load on a tool in an M.sup.th cycle by using load data of at least one of 1.sup.st to (M1).sup.th cycles (where M is an integer of 2 or more), wherein processing work on a single workpiece corresponds to a single cycle, and the load data is data about the load on the tool in the cycle.

An electronically controlled substrate working apparatus, such as a CNC controlled milling machine, drill press or lathe. The apparatus comprises a tool configured to remove material from the substrate, a spindle motor coupled to the tool, a feed motor configured to cause relative movement between the tool and the substrate along a feed path, a controller configured to control the spindle motor and the feed motor and a tool load measurement structure configured to provide a tool load value to the controller. The controller is configured to compare the load on the tool with stored or calculated first compliance values for a first location along the feed path and second compliance values for a second location along the feed path. The controller is further configured to cause the feed motor, the spindle motor or a combination thereof to take an action selected from a first set of response actions for the first location in the event that the load falls outside the first compliance values and to take an action selected from a second set of response actions for the second location in the event that the load falls outside the second compliance values. A method of operating the apparatus is also disclosed.

A method for operating a conveyor system, in which assembly line trays, which each serve to hold a component, can be conveyed (moved) along a conveyor line by stationary conveyor elements, said method comprising: recording a respective conveying moment for the respective conveyor while conveying the respective assembly line trays; recording at least one respective parameter value by a sensor device for the respective conveyor element at the respective conveying moment; forming a respective data telegram for the respective conveyor element at the respective conveying moment by a respective control device of the respective conveyor element: compiling the data telegrams into a dataset by a central electronic computing device; evaluating the dataset by an anomaly model; if the evaluation reveals that an anomaly of at least one of the parameter values is above a threshold value, issuing a service instruction.