Static stiffness design of vertical lathe with steel-polymer concrete frame.

The static stiffness of machine tools is one of the key parameters influencing the accuracy of dimensions, shape, and relative positioning of the surfaces of workpieces being machined. This paper presents an analysis of the effect of the stiffness of individual structural components on the resulting stiffness of a prototype vertical lathe with a steel-polymer concrete main frame. This analysis was carried out using a finite element model of the lathe, which was experimentally verified. It was shown that filling the body with polymer concrete significantly (by 30%) increases the static stiffness and damping of the lathe's steel support system. However, the sensitivity analysis carried out in the paper showed that the tool head bearing stiffness has a more significant effect on the static stiffness of the machine tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]