Design and development of a compact wireless tool holder for high-speed online measurement of milling vibration

Effective real-time vibration monitoring during milling process can help improve surface topography, machining accuracy and reduce safety risks. Traditional wired vibration monitoring method is to install external sensors at static positions of machining center, facing problems of poor signal accuracy, severe attenuation and great site complexity. In this paper, an intelligent wireless handle with embedded accelerometer is designed to get high-quality vibration signals, with a resolution of 4.88 mg, a range of −50 to 50 g and a high update speed of up to 100 kHz. An Integrated Electronics Piezo-Electric (IEPE) vibration sensor is adopted and installed inside standard BT40 handle based on simulation analysis, aligning with rotation axis and close to vibration source. Small-size circuits boards including signal pre-conditioning, high-speed data acquisition and wireless transmission parts are designed and integrated into holder system with compact assembly. Stiffness and modal analysis are carried out, showing a minor damage caused by structure change. Finally, cutting experiments are implemented, proving reliability and stability of smart handle for vibration sensing at various scenarios. Multiple indicators which represent different performance aspects of measurement systems are proposed in time and frequency domain, from which the excellent vibration monitoring ability of smart handle was demonstrated compared with traditional wired ways. The handle system can be applied in high-quality signal sampling for scientific researches or implanted in factory for production lines.