CLOVER - Human-centred system for monitoring, analysing and improving the machining processes
Project co-financed by UEFISCDI through the PNCDI IV Program, project number EUROSTARS-3-E!3840-CLOVER, financing contract no. 6 of 01/04/2024, total contract value of 2346218 lei (total budget value 1603444 lei, total co-financing value 742774 lei), project director - Andrei Radoi.
Partners: HERRAMIENTAS DE DIAMANTE S.A. and JUARISTI BORING & MILLING MACHINES S.L.U.
Machining processes are typically controlled by expert operators near the machine, who rely on their sense of touch and hearing during metal cutting. Consequently, a company`s efficiency is often limited by the operator`s specific experience and skills. On the other hand, few systems analyze the cutting process in real time, providing complex or hard-to-interpret information. Both factors limit the operator`s response time to process malfunctions.
MONITRON, together with two international partners, Pomdi and Juaristi-companies from Spain specializing in machining processes-aims to address these challenges with a real-time monitoring system that considers the physical and psychological characteristics of the operator.
Through this international project, named CLOVER, we have accessed European funds to achieve the goal of developing an operator-centered system for real-time monitoring, analyzing, and improving machining processes. The system will include sensors specifically designed for machining processes, software based on advanced data processing algorithms, and a cognitive graphical interface to facilitate human-machine interaction. Technically, the solution will be comprehensive, flexible, and easy to integrate. To ensure market readiness, development will focus on robust functionality, a reduced learning curve, and affordability.
The main outcome of the CLOVER project will be a cognitive machining assistance system based on process monitoring. This new system for machining process optimization will result in three innovative products:
- High-frequency accelerometers adapted for machining process sensing, representing our company`s contribution to the project.
- Collaborative software with cognitive graphical interfaces focused on cutting tools.
- Collaborative software with cognitive graphical interfaces focused on machine tools.
The project will span 30 months, and in the first phase, we have identified, together with our partners, the technical specifications the system must meet and use cases for its application.
The project is funded by European funds through the EUROSTARS funding program.
UPDATE 12.2025: Following the completion of the 2nd stage of the project implementation, the MONITRON implementation team has completed the development of the CLOVER measurement system prototype, consisting of one or two piezoelectric accelerometers, a data acquisition module, VIBMON, as well as cables and connectors. The VIBMON module takes the raw data from the accelerometer, processes it, digitizes it and transmits it to a storage server, or to the cloud. From here, the data is transmitted to the phones of the operators on the CNC machines, where an Android application developed by our project partners, the companies POMDI and JUARISTI, analyzes the data and provides the operators with relevant information about the machine`s status.