A safety evaluation method for heavy-duty CNC machine tools for the total life cycle based on an entropy weight method

A safety evaluation method based on an entropy weight method is proposed that is aimed at the features of heavy-duty computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools, such as long-life cycle, complex structure, high cost and many hidden safety risks. According to the risk sources of each phase of the total life cycle, the expert-scoring table is formulated and the process of experts' scoring is developed from the perspective of a “man-machine-environment-workpiece” system. Considering the differences in the experts' scoring, an entropy weight method is used to calculate the weight of each expert at each phase of the total life cycle. The proposed method is applied to the XKA28 heavy-duty CNC gantry milling machine, and the safety evaluation is implemented. The results indicate that the proposed method is feasible.