Kinematics constrained five-axis tool path planning for high material removal rate

Abstract

Traditional five-axis tool path planning methods mostly focus on differential geometric characteristics between the cutter and the workpiece surface to increase the material removal rate (i.e., by minimizing path length, improving curvature matching, maximizing local cutting width, etc.). However, material removal rate is not only related to geometric conditions such as the local cutting width, but also constrained by feeding speed as well as the motion capacity of the five-axis machine. This research integrates machine tool kinematics and cutter-workpiece contact kinematics to present a general kinematical model for five-axis machining process. Major steps of the proposed method include: (1) to establish the forward kinematical relationship between the motion of the machine tool axes and the cutter contact point; (2) to establish a tool path optimization model for high material removal rate based on both differential geometrical property and the contact kinematics between the cutter and workpiece; (3) to convert cutter orientation and cutting direction optimization problem into a concave quadratic planning (QP) model. Tool path will finally be generated from the underlying optimal cutting direction field. Through solving the time-optimal trajectory generation problem and machining experiment, we demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method.