Efficiency of Multi-Axis NC Machining of Sculptured Part Surfaces

Abstract

The efficiency of multi-axis NC machining of sculptured surface parts is significant because the equipment is very expensive and typically highly utilized, requiring capital expenditures proportional to machining time per part. The paper describes a general approach for calculation of the productivity of multi-axis NC machining of sculptured part surfaces. Equations are derived to estimate the productivity of rough and finish machining and to calculate maximum feed rates. A new type of function (called the function of conformity of a sculptured surface to be machined and machining surface of the tool) are introduced as geometric analogs of productivity of part surface machining. This function considerably simplifies the analytical description of the geometric and kinematic aspects of the process of multi-axis machining and allows calculation of optimal parameters for the machining process.