Kinematic error compensation of a double swivel head in five-axis abrasive water jet machine tool

Abstract

With the improvement of manufacturing technology, five-axis machine tools have solved most of the linear error problems. And the rotating kinematics error problems have come to the front. Rotation tool center point (RTCP) function is one of the most effective solutions. Based on the RTCP function, a double swivel cutting head used in abrasive water jet cutting machine has been selected and its kinematic errors have been investigated through a double ball bar (DBB). And further, a new error mapping method has been built to compensate the geometric error. To verify the effectiveness of the method, a series of experiments have been carried out. The results of the experiments showed that, by applying this method, the precision of the tool cutting path could be improved greatly.