Technology reduces time, costs for machinists nationwide

Summary

MillMax is revolutionizing computer numerical control (CNC) machining by enabling manufacturers to optimize cutting performance in minutes. The result: cutting speeds up to 600 percent faster, significantly lower energy consumption, and an estimated $750 million in potential annual profit gains industry wide.

Problem

In product manufacturing, CNC machines combine accuracy and precision with speed and replicability to cut away excess material to create a desired shape or functional part. One limiting factor is chatter vibration — a cutting tool’s tendency to vibrate, which can lead to a poor surface finish and damage to the tool. To overcome this challenge, operators slow down machines, sacrificing productivity and incurring avoidable costs estimated at thousands of dollars per job.

Scientific challenge

MSC Industrial Supply partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to help machinists maximize tool efficiency and performance. Researchers recognized the need for a fast, accurate system for tool calibration that could unlock tens of thousands of dollars in savings per test.

Innovation

The collaboration consisted of a three-stage plan to expand knowledge of machining process optimization across US manufacturers. First, researchers applied an underused method known as modal tap testing to measure the tool point dynamics of individual machining systems and trained more than 120 MSC metalworking specialists to perform it.

The process involves placing an accelerometer on the cutting tool, striking it with a modal hammer, and feeding the resulting data into an algorithm that maps regions of stable cutting with minimal user input. By identifying optimal cutting parameters, machinists can drastically increase material removal rates and reduce scrap, leading to faster operations and decreased lead times.

Second, the team minimized the number of measurement instruments and repackaged the tools into a compact kit for MSC metalworking specialists to take to customer sites nationwide.

Finally, researchers developed software that captures structural dynamics, calculates stable and unstable machining process parameters, and displays the information in an easy-to-use dashboard. This digital tool lets operators save and reuse cutting parameters for ongoing productivity gains.

Results

The Millmax system delivers an average return on investment of 83:1, making adoption a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for machinists. The system provides insights that lead to improvements in metal removal rates by an average of 450 percent, with gains as high as 600 percent for aluminum and 200 percent for harder materials like titanium. These improvements enable faster job turnaround, better machine use, and energy savings.

Impact

MSC projects the technology will lead to a total profit improvement of approximately $750 million if adopted industry wide. To date, it has already saved over $49 million for MSC customers, with average savings of $24,000 per test.

With approximately 16,000 machine shops operating in the US and a $43 billion market, even modest adoption of this technology could have a transformative national impact. The projected energy savings of 1.87 billion kWh per year is equivalent to the annual energy use of roughly 270,000 homes.

Making this advanced technique accessible to machine shops is a game changer. Within minutes, the modal tap test provides a clear map of every available combination of axial depth and spindle speed, empowering machinists to confidently pick the optimal parameters for their tools.

The modal tap test won both an R&D 100 Award and an Innovation Impact Award in 2021.

This breakthrough is another important step toward increasing the competitiveness of US manufacturers through improved production speed and efficiency.

Support

This research was sponsored by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office. CRADA #NFE-19-07915. — Logan Korn