On local gouging in five-axis sculptured surface machining using flat-end tools

Abstract In modern product design, sculptured surfaces are commonly used for functional and artistic shape design. Design of sculptured surfaces is evolutionary, consisting primarily of incremental changes to existing part surfaces. Manual operation planning for sculptured surface machining is known to be error-prone and inefficient, which requires considerable checking, verification, and rework. Five-axis machining has higher productivity and better machining quality than 3-axis machining. However, the programming for 5-axis machining is more difficult due to the complex simultaneous cutter movements along the machine’s five axes. This paper presents a systematic methodology to generate operation plans for 5-axis sculptured surface machining. A complete operation plan and the error-free cutter path can be automatically generated from the CAD part design. To achieve design for manufacturing of sculptured surface products, the machining unfeasibility information can be fed back to the designer for further design modification. Results of computer implementation and testing examples are also presented.

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Five —Axis Control Sculptured Surface Machining Using Conicoid End Mill

Machining Impossible Shapes - IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology ◽

10.1007/978-0-387-35392-0_38 ◽

1999 ◽

pp. 366-375 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Koichi Morishige ◽

Teruhisa Nasu ◽

Yoshimi Takeuchi

Keyword(s):

Sculptured Surface ◽

End Mill ◽

Surface Machining ◽

Sculptured Surface Machining ◽

Five Axis

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An Intelligent Approach to Multiple Cutters of Maximum Sizes for Three-Axis Milling of Sculptured Surface Parts

Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.3039518 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 131 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Zezhong C. Chen ◽

Gang Liu

Keyword(s):

Tool Path ◽

Generic Model ◽

Interference Detection ◽

Sculptured Surface ◽

Surface Machining ◽

Tool Paths ◽

Sculptured Surface Machining ◽

Cutter Selection ◽

Intelligent Approach ◽

Local Gouging

Due to their complex geometries, sculptured surface parts should be machined with multiple cutters of optimal sizes for high quality and productivity. Current methods of determining cutter sizes, however, are conservative and inefficient; their repeating process includes subjective cutter selection, intensive tool-path generation, and time-consuming gouging-and-interference detection in simulation. Our research proposes a new intelligent approach to multiple standard cutters of maximum sizes for three-axis sculptured surface machining. An innovative generic model of maximum allowable cutters in three-axis surface milling is built to eliminate any cutter causing local gouging and global interference. After the optimum standard cutters are automatically selected, their accessible regions can be identified, and the corresponding tool-paths can be generated, respectively. This approach is practical and effective in the process planning for three-axis milling of sculptured surface parts.

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