Servo parameter tuning for a 5-axis machine center based upon GA rules

This paper addresses the use of the genetic algorithm (GA) to tune the servo controller in a multi-axis CNC machine center. Because the number of parameters in a CNC controller is usually very large and their effects are highly coupled, tuning these parameters is a task requiring great skill. In this paper, the genetic algorithm is applied to tune the servo parameters in a commercial CNC machine controller. The controller is a PC-based open architecture system, thus allowing the GA to be implemented on a personal computer. In this study, a dynamic mutation amplitude process is also introduced to improve the quality of evolution. Experimental results obtained on a Siemens 840D CNC controller indicate that the proposed method is able to automatically identify the effect of each parameter and to tune the controller so as to achieve expert level performance.