Digi-Shape - digital simulation & optimization software for gear shaping

该项目的目标是开发滑铁卢大学开发的下一代专利软件Digi-Shape，用于虚拟齿轮成形。插齿加工是制造圆柱齿轮的一种通用而突出的加工方法。这是一个非常复杂和昂贵的过程，需要训练有素的工程师和技术人员才能胜任。Digi-Shape能够模拟齿轮的插齿操作，并预测加工零件的最终质量。它可用于虚拟优化齿轮成形工艺，以实现更高的生产率，并最大限度地减少基于物理试验和误差的工艺设计中原本需要的资源浪费。在当地一家齿轮制造商进行的案例研究中，使用Digi-Shape比目前的行业标准显著提高了20%-30%的生产率。这个I2I项目旨在开发和实现Digi-Shape的新功能，以增强其商业价值和可用性，使其能够轻松和舒适地被业界采用。该提案概述了通过与业界的协作讨论确定的三个特点。第一个功能是刀具的碰撞检测，这是防止损坏刀具和机器的基本安全要求。第二种是工艺参数的自动优化，这样经验较少的工业人员就可以使用该软件轻松地设计出生产率最高、质量合适的齿轮成形工艺。最后，第三个特点是对齿轮质量预测算法的改进，以包括目前在Digi-Shape中没有模拟的因素。这些功能的成功开发将极大地提高Digi-Shape的商业价值，并增加业界使用该产品的信心。

The objective of this project is to develop the next-generation of a proprietary software called Digi-Shape which has been developed at the University of Waterloo for virtual gear shaping. Gear shaping is a versatile and prominent machining method for manufacturing cylindrical gears. It is a highly complex and expensive process that requires highly trained engineers and technicians to run competently. Digi-Shape is capable of simulating the gear shaping operation and predicting the final quality of the machined part. It can be used to virtually optimize gear shaping processes to achieve higher productivity, and to minimize wasted resources in physical trial and error based process design that would otherwise be needed. In case studies performed at a local gear manufacturer, Digi-Shape was used to yield a significant 20-30% productivity improvement above current industry standards. This I2I project aims to develop and implement new features into Digi-Shape, in order to fortify its commercial value and its usability so that it can be easily and comfortably adopted by industry. Three features are outlined in this proposal that have been identified through collaborative discussions with industry. The first feature is collision detection of the cutting tool, which is an essential safety requirement to prevent damage to the cutter and machine. The second is automatic optimization of the process parameters, such that less-experienced personnel in industry can use the software to easily design gear shaping processes which yield maximum productivity and adequate quality. Finally, the third feature is refinement of the gear quality prediction algorithms to include factors which are currently not being simulated within Digi-Shape. Successful development of these features will greatly improve Digi-Shape's commercial value and increase industry's confidence in using this product.