In this paper we present a new approach to categorize the wear of cutting tools used in edge profile milling processes. It is based on machine learning and computer vision techniques, specifically using B-ORCHIZ, a novel shape based descriptor computed from the wear region image. A new Insert dataset with 212 images of tool wear has been created to evaluate our approach. It contains two subsets: one with images of the main cutting edge, and the other one with the edges that converge to it (called Insert-C and Insert-I, respectively). The experiments were conducted trying to discriminate between two (Low-High) and three (Low-Medium-High) different wear levels and the classification stage was carried out using a Support Vector Machine (SVM). Results show that B-ORCHIZ outperforms other shape descriptors (aZIBO and ZMEG) achieving accuracy values between 80.24% and 88.46% in the different scenarios evaluated. Moreover, a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed, offering prototype images for wear levels, which may help researchers and technicians to understand how the wear process evolves. These results show a very promising opportunity for wear monitoring automation in edge profile milling processes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.