Conditions of proper sculptured surface machining

Abstract

Multi-axis machining of sculptured surfaces is in wide use in Conventional and Rapid Prototyping. Topic of the paper is in the area of sculptured surface machining (SSM). The problem under consideration is: how to define and how to analytically describe a set of necessary and sufficient conditions of proper SSM. The similar problem is already solved with respect to machining of regular surface [Facta Univ, Mech Engng, Univ Nis̆ 1 (1998) 637]. Here this problem is enhanced up to the area of machining of sculptured surface on multi-axis NC machine. The general approach to solve the problem is developed. The input data to the approach presented later is a complete information of topology of a sculptured surface to be machined and of the machining surface of a form cutting tool to be applied. The set of six necessary and sufficient conditions of proper SSM is developed as a result. This set of analytically described conditions can be considered as a sort of restrictions on the geometrical and kinematical parameters of a machining operation. An application of the set of conditions stated in the paper is useful and of importance in developing software for machining of sculptured part surface on multi-axis NC machine. The methodology presented here is a general one. It combines the activities of exploration of topology of a given sculptured surface, of the machining surfaces of a form cutting tool, and of kinematics of relative motion of these surfaces in machining operation, thus making the production process for conventional and rapid prototyping flexible, automatic and controllable. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified from numerical simulation and numerous practical applications, whose implementation will not detailed here.