Machining Of Sculptured Parts Research Articles

A Novel 5-Axis Machining Method for Sculptured Surface

In this work, a novel method for sculptured surface subdivision to improve the machinery’s ability and efficiency in 5-axis CNC machining complex surface is introduced. The method subdivides automatically a monolithic convex or concave or simultaneously complex sculptured surface into a number of surface patches and achieves the goal of similar normal directions and small difference between the curvatures in every patch by using weight fuzzy cluster algorithm which takes the curvatures and normal vectors of the sculptured surface into account simultaneously. The inclination angle variation between every two Cutter Contact Points (CC Points) is decreased in every patch to avoid large-angle rotation of tool to save machining time when a flat-end mill is used. This work contributes to automated 5-axis CNC tool path generation for sculptured part machining and forms a foundation for further research.

Most efficient tool feed direction in three‐axis CNC machining

The objective of CNC machining is to produce mechanical parts with designed quality most efficiently. To generate CNC tool paths for machining a sculptured part using a three‐axis CNC machine, surface geometry, cutter shape and size, as well as tool path interval and direction need to be considered. In this work, the relation between the direction of a tool motion and cutting efficiency is studied. A new measure of cutting efficiency in three‐axis CNC milling – the length of effective cutting edge (ECE) is introduced. The ECE length is mathematically proven to reach its maximum when the tool cuts a sculptured surface along its steepest tangent direction at the cutter contact point. The steepest tangent direction is thus proven to be the most efficient tool feed direction in three‐axis sculptured part machining. The study identifies tool feed direction as a new control parameter in CNC tool path planning, and forms the foundation for further research on three‐axis tool path generation of sculptured parts.

Automated surface subdivision and tool path generation for [formula omitted]-axis CNC machining of sculptured parts

As an innovative and cost-effective method for carrying out multiple-axis CNC machining, 3 1 2 1 2 -axis CNC machining technique adds an automatic indexing/rotary table with two additional discrete rotations to a regular 3-axis CNC machine, to improve its ability and efficiency for machining complex sculptured parts. In this work, a new tool path generation method to automatically subdivide a complex sculptured surface into a number of easy-to-machine surface patches; identify the favorable machining set-up/orientation for each patch; and generate effective 3-axis CNC tool paths for each patch is introduced. The method and its advantages are illustrated using an example of sculptured surface machining. The work contributes to automated multiple-axis CNC tool path generation for sculptured part machining and forms a foundation for further research.

AUTOMATED ROUGH MACHINING OF CURVED SURFACES

In the manufacture of sculptured parts from prismatic stock, the time required for rough machining of an approximate component form is usually significantly greater than the final finish machining time. With optimized and automated rough machining, using CNC machines, the present approach of sculptured part machining can be significantly improved. In this paper, a new approach for optimal sculptured part rough machining is introduced. The method decomposes 3-D sculptured part machining into a series of 2D, end-mill, contour terrace, machining problems. The most appropriate tool path pattern for each potential cutting layer is selected and machining parameters optimized, including feed rate, depth of cut, number of cutting layers and distribution of cutting depths, in order to generate the minimum overall machining time. The method fully automates the generation of optimal CNC tool paths, from component and stock surface models, and leads to a significant reduction in cutting time. A CNC machined hydrodyna...

Optimal Rough Machining of Sculptured Parts on a CNC Milling Machine

An optimal approach to the rough machining of sculptured parts with least machining time is presented. The contour map cutting method is used to generate CNC tool paths based on the CAD model of sculptured parts. The part and stock geometry related parameters, including the number of cutting layers and the distributions of cutting depth, and the process parameters of feed rate and depth of cut, are optimized. The method can automate CNC programming for sculptured part rough machining, considerably improve productivity, and lower production costs. Two examples are used to illustrate the approach and its advantages.