An approach for blank dimension design considering energy consumption

A blank dimension is not only a premise of blank design and manufacture, but also plays a significant role to decide the machining process and the energy consumption of the machining process. The design of an appropriate blank dimension is important to ensure efficient energy usage. However, consideration of a workpiece machining process and energy consumption during the machining process in the blank dimension design phase is often neglected. To design a blank dimension scientifically and effectively, this paper proposes an optimization approach for blank dimension design, by considering energy consumption, machine cost, and process time. The three objectives are affected by three variables, cutting depth, feed rate, and cutting speed. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) algorithm was used to solve multi-objective optimization problem, and blank dimensions could be calculated from the cutting depth of minimum energy consumption and workpiece dimension. The results indicated that the proposed approach is effective in realizing energy savings due to the appropriate blank dimension design. The optimization approach not only offers some insights for designing a new blank dimension, but also provides a theoretical basis for existing blank dimension selection.