Towards Energy-Efficient Machine Tools Through the Development of the Twin-Control Energy Efficiency Module

Energy efficiency is an essential quality and cost feature of modern machine tools. The main measures to increase energy efficiency have been investigated many times and are therefore well known. Nevertheless, it must be noted that even with new machine tools, on many occasions only part of this potential is exploited. One reason for this is that the benefits of an energy efficiency measure are not transparent in the planning phase. This often results in a design according to the lowest investment costs. The energy efficiency module of Twin-Control is a simulation tool to support machine tool builders in choosing an optimal machine configuration regarding both the investment and the energy costs. An essential element is simulation models based on physical modelling. These can predict the energy demand of modules within machine tools without prior measurements and ensure that the technical requirements are maintained. During the automated compilation and evaluation of the configuration, the optimization algorithm of the platform, amongst other things, accesses a component database. Using the configuration platform allows the machine manufacturer to offer an individually customized machine tool with the lowest total costs to the machine user.