In-process cutting tool condition compensation and part inspection

An in-process method of monitoring and compensating for the condition of a cutting tool on a numerically controlled machine tool which has a cutting tool-tool holder assembly that follows a part program, comprising:

• mounting a displacement sensor on said cutting tool-tool holder assembly and continuously measuring the distance to a freshly cut surface on a workpiece during a cutting and chip-forming operation while executing the part program, and generating a probe signal representing sensed distance;
• processing said probe signal to produce cutting tool condition signals including a wear signal that indicates the amount of tool wear perpendicular to the workpiece axis;
• and
• adjusting the location of the point of said cutting tool during the cutting and chip-forming operation to compensate for tool wear, the updated tool path being given by the part program plus the change in sensed distance.