USING WEAR CURVES TO PREDICT THE COST OF CHANGES IN CUTTING CONDITIONS

A recently-proposed probability model for cutting tool lifetimes based on tool wear curves is presented. Optimal tool replacement strategies and cutting conditions are calculated using this wear-based model. Th e model's use of wear curves permits extrapolation of cost calculation s to cutting conditions for which little statistical data has been col lected, assuming data is available for other cutting conditions which have the same failure mechanism. This is particularly important during process design changes, when data is expensive to obtain or limited i n quantity. Analysis indicates that an important factor in tool replac ement is run-in-wear.