Materials in machine tool structures

A broad variety of materials can be found in modern machine tool structures ranging from steel and cast iron to fiber reinforced composite materials. In addition, material combinations and hybrid structures are available. Furthermore, innovative intelligent and smart materials which incorporate sensor and actuator functionality enable the realization of function integrated structures. Consequently, material design and application discloses manifold degrees of freedom regarding a sophisticated layout and optimization of machine frames and components. This keynote paper presents the current state-of-the-art with respect to materials applied in machine tool structures and reviews the correspondent scientific literature. Thus, it gives an overview and insight regarding material selection and exploitation for high performance, high precision and high efficiency machine tools.