Tool wear assessment and life prediction model based on image processing and deep learning.

Drilling is one of the most classical machining operations. Real-time monitoring of drill wear can effectively testify whether the product fails to meet the specifications due to drill failure. This paper proposes a tool wear assessment and life prediction model based on image processing and deep learning methods, which works effectively for small sample datasets and for low-quality images. The normal areas and worn areas of the drill bits are extracted using the U-Net network and traditional image processing methods, respectively. Moreover, the original dataset is classified using the migration learning technique. The wear level of a drill bit can be accurately evaluated through experimental tests. Testing results show that the proposed method is more convenient and efficient than previous methods using manual measurements. These results can be applied to real-time drill wear monitoring, thus reducing part damage caused by tool wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]