Automated compensation of distortion in the production process of bearing rings

Components that are applied in drive trains (e. g., gear wheels, bearings and axles) are subject to increasingly strong requirements, amongst others with regard to load transmission, noise reduction and weight [Goc03]. These requirements can only be met if a high accuracy is preserved concerning the workpiece geometry. In the production process of steel parts the geometry is accomplished in a process chain, which consists of various subsequent subprocesses. These sub-processes typically range from casting and forming to turning, heat-treatment and grinding. Besides defined modifications of the workpiece geometry and/or its material characteristics, each of these subprocesses can negatively affect the state of a workpiece to a greater or lesser extend, eventually contributing to a geometric distortion of the workpiece at the end of the production process. Additional finishing treatments, together with the loss of production, account for a large part of the production costs. In Germany alone, these costs add up to 0,85 billion Euro per year [Hof02]. In order to reduce distortion in the process chain, two basic approaches can be applied.