Tool Path Planning and NC Generation of Tilted Plane Machining Features for Five-Axis Machining

Abstract

Designs of free-form surface products are becoming increasingly complex. In traditional three-axis machine tool machining, errors that are caused by repetitive positioning and the costs of fixture jig design and manufacturing are critical. Since multi-axis machining provides two more rotational degrees of freedom than a three-axis machine tool, the former can solve these problems, and has therefore become the trend of precision cutting. As multi-axis machined parts often have holes and grooves on the tilted plane, this work proposes a method for machining tilted working plane features and for NC generation on a five-axis machine. The developed module can provide common geometric features, allowing the user to alter the machining feature and sequence on the tilted plane quickly using the parent-child relationship in a tree diagram, and plan the tool path. The postprocessor module developed in this paper can transform the tool path into an NC program required for machining. Finally, solid cutting simulation software is utilized to confirm the feasibility and correctness of the tool path and NC data of the tilted plane machining feature.