Investigation of sequential machining processes in terms of power consumption and surface quality

This paper presents the practical application of a power measurement system based on computer processing of signals generated by current and voltage sensors connected with spindle and axis driving electric motors. By using LabView data acquisition system, the total power and its components were recorded during machining operations. The experimental study concerns the power consumption and surface roughness produced in a sequential machining process consisting of hard turning and ball burnishing operations under variable machining parameters. In particular, some machining routines including finish hard machining and both single and multi-pass ball burnishing of hard surfaces were performed and compared. Finally, the optimization procedure based on these technological criteria was proposed.