Evaluation of Servo-Controllers for Machine Tools

To achieve the high precision required in future contouring machining applications, accurate servo-controllers are needed. This paper summarizes existing servo-controllers for contouring applications and presents an evaluation of three basic types of controllers: feedback controllers, feedforward controllers, and cross-coupling controllers. The evaluation of servo-controllers includes: (1) their abilities in eliminating different error sources, and (2) their practical limitations in machine-tool control. The evaluation is supported by simulation and experimental results.