This work presents a new methodology for machine tools anomaly detection via operational data processing. The previous methodology has been field tested on a milling-boring machine in a real production environment. This paper also describes the data acquisition process, as well as the technical architecture needed for data processing. Subsequently, a technique for operational machine data segmentation based on dynamic time warping and hierarchical clustering is introduced. The formerly mentioned data segmentation and analysis technique allows for machine tools anomaly detection thanks to comparison between near real-time machine operational information, coming from strategically positioned sensors and outcomes collected from previous production cycles. Anomaly detection techniques shown in this article could achieve significant production improvements: “zero-defect manufacturing”, boosting factory efficiency, production plans scrap minimization, improvement of product quality, and the enhancement of overall equipment productivity.

This work introduces an end-to-end methodology, from data gathering to fault notification, for the predictive maintenance of rotary components of machine tools. This is done through fingerprint routines; that is, processes that are executed periodically under the same no-load conditions to obtain a snapshot of the machine condition. High-frequency vibration data gathered during these routines combined with knowledge about the machine structure and its components are used to obtain failure-specific features. These features are then introduced to an anomaly and paradigm shifts detection algorithm. The method is evaluated through three distinct scenarios. First, we use synthetically generated data to test its ability to detect controlled variations and edge cases. Second, we use with publicly available data obtained from bearing run-to-failure tests under normal load conditions on a specially designed test rig. Finally, the methodology is validated using real-world data collected from a spindle bearing installed in a machine tool. The novelty of this work lies in performing anomaly detection using failure-specific features derived from fingerprint routines, ensuring stability over time and enabling precise identification of machine conditions with minimal data requirements.