Robustness and portability of machine tool thermal error compensation model based on control of participating thermal sources

Thermal errors caused by the influence of internal and external heat sources in machine tool structure can cause more than 50% of total machine tool inaccuracy. Therefore, research on thermal behavior of machine tool structures is crucial for successful manufacturing. This paper provides an insight into the modeling of highly nonlinear machine tool thermal errors using thermal transfer functions (TTF). The method is dynamic (uses machine tool thermal history) and its modeling and calculation speed is suitable for real-time applications. The method does not require interventions into the machine tool structure, uses very few additional gauges and solves separately each influence participating on thermal error. The paper focuses on the development of a robust thermal model sensitive to various machine tool thermal behavior nonlinearities with the help of minimum input information. Model was applied on real machine tool (portal milling centre) and was verified within a complicated electro-spindle revolution spectrum. Moreover, the said compensation model was applied on another machine tool to prove its robustness and portability among machines of the same type set and the results of the TTF model were compared with a model obtained via multiple linear regression (MLR) as a case study.