Optimising external turning tool choice using AHP and ELECTRE II methods

Abstract

It is preferable to remove as much raw material in as short time as possible when processing materials using rough turning methods. Selecting the correct cutting tool at the beginning of the process is very important as this reduces the amount of material requiring later processing, in turn reducing the number of turning tools required, the number of tool changes and the total time taken to make a piece. In this paper, we present a system for selecting the best tools for external longitudinal turning. We take into account the characteristics of the machine, the power needed for cutting, the geometry and technological characteristics of the tools, and the machining parameters. Selection of the best tool for rough machining is made based on the processing time, the percentage of material to be cut, the cost of the tools and the number of tool changes. We ranked eight tools and used the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method for multi-criteria optimisation then evaluated the results using ELECTRE II methods. The weight criteria were estimated using Saaty’s pairwise comparison scale.

Keywords

• analytic hierarchy process
• ELECTRE II method
• multi-criteria decision-making
• tool selection