A Cutting Force Estimator for CNC Machining Centers

This study presents a cutting force estimator topology for feed drives of CNC vertical machining centers to compute the machining forces accurately. The estimator employs recursive discrete Fourier transform to not only estimate inertial forces on the system but also to filter effectively the noise components in the measurements. The accuracy of the estimator is compared to that of a Luenberger observer while the overall performance of the estimator is evaluated through an experimental study. The paper also discusses its inherent limitations.