Development of a training system for lathe operation using a simulator

Abstract

Recently, the manufacturing industry in especially Japan has found it difficult to transfer skills from trained workers to inexperienced workers because the former ages and then retires. This is a particular problem for lathe process, as this operation requires explicit and tacit knowledge, and defining the skills clearly in a manual is difficult. This study aimed to develop a training system for lathe operation by using a simulator; this includes formulas that help define the relationship between the speed of tool feed and cutting sound/shape of chips that were proposed in the preceding study. The present study verified the effectiveness of the proposed training system.