Development of a mobile fluid dosing system with connection to digital production planning systems for automatic, demand-oriented and documented filling of technical fluids on machine tools (MoTeF 4.0))

 

Technical fluids are used in machine tools for lubrication, cooling and chip removal. Typical representatives of technical fluids are cooling lubricants (KSS), which contribute to better dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the machined workpieces and reduce tool wear. Although KSS account for a large proportion of the operating costs of machine tools, the maintenance and care of this equipment is often neglected in an industrial environment. Especially in smaller companies with up to 20 machine tools, the inspection is carried out manually and often according to gut feeling instead of fixed procedures. The entire process is usually not properly logged, making it difficult to analyse the consumption of KSS for early detection or prediction of problems. Currently existing systems for individual fluid management often serve only specific problems and therefore cannot simply be used on multiple, heterogeneous machine tools. In addition, the available solutions usually do not offer digital interfaces by means of which a continuous networking and connection to existing production control systems (MES) can be realized.

The MoTeF 4.0 project addresses this inadequate situation by developing a networked, mobile mixing system for technical fluids that enables automatic replenishment depending on the planned production. The newly developed mixing system recognizes the machine tool, measures the filling level, processes sensor data on the state of the coolant and enables refilling into the machine tank according to the target parameters of the production control system (MES). The test parameters of the KSS (temperature, pH value and nitrite content) as well as the quantity and concentration delivered per machine are recorded. By evaluating the recorded data, errors are detected at an early stage by means of predictive maintenance and maintenance measures are recommended.