Effect of CAD/CAM Post Process on S-Shaped Machining Test for Five-Axis Machining Center

Abstract

ISO 10791-7, the test standard for machining centers, was revised in 2014 to add the test method for five-axis machining centers. However, an S-shaped test was additionally proposed as an accuracy test of aircraft parts from China immediately before the establishment of the test standard. In an ISO meeting, various problems such as creating three-dimensional models and evaluation items have been indicated for the proposed test method. By revising these problems, the standard was finally completed and will be introduced as an informative annex soon. However, it is still an inappropriate test method from the viewpoint of performance inspection for machine tools. In this research, the S-shaped test method draft proposed in September 2016 is tested using two types of five-axis machining centers and commercial CAM software. Consequently, a hidden problem is revealed, that is, an abrupt movement that affected the final result is added to the machine because the rotation direction of the rotary axes is not ideal. This is attributed to the performance of the CAM software’s post processor that converts from CL data to NC program. This study provides some insights into avoiding the problem and obtaining better test results.