Highly accurate 5-axis flank CNC machining with conical tools (original) (raw)
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Computer-Aided Design, 2016
We introduce a new method that approximates free-form surfaces by envelopes of one-parameter motions of surfaces of revolution. In the context of 5-axis computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining, we propose a flank machining methodology which is a preferable scallop-free scenario when the milling tool and the machined free-form surface meet tangentially along a smooth curve. We seek both an optimal shape of the milling tool as well as its optimal path in 3D space and propose an optimization based framework where these entities are the unknowns. We propose two initialization strategies where the first one requires a user's intervention only by setting the initial position of the milling tool while the second one enables to prescribe a preferable tool-path. We present several examples showing that the proposed method recovers exact envelopes, including semi-envelopes and incomplete data, and for general free-form objects it detects envelope sub-patches.
Automatic fitting of conical envelopes to free-form surfaces for flank CNC machining
Computer-Aided Design, 2017
We propose a new algorithm to detect patches of free-form surfaces that can be well approximated by envelopes of a rotational cone under a rigid body motion. These conical envelopes are a preferable choice from the manufacturing point of view as they are, by-definition, manufacturable by computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining using the efficient flank (peripheral) method with standard conical tools. Our geometric approach exploits multi-valued vector fields that consist of vectors in which the point-surface distance changes linearly. Integrating such vector fields gives rise to a family of integral curves, and, among them, linear segments that further serve as conical axes are quickly extracted. The lines that additionally admit tangential motion of the associated cone along the reference geometry form a set of candidate lines that are sequentially clustered and ordered to initialize motions of a rigid truncated cone. We validate our method by applying it on synthetic examples with exact envelopes, recovering correctly the exact solutions, and by testing it on several benchmark industrial datasets, detecting manufacturable conical envelope patches within fine tolerances.
Flank milling of a ruled surface with conical tools—an optimization approach
The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2006
In this paper, machining a ruled surface with a conical tool is discussed. The main goal of our method (the spatial tangent points shift method) is to minimize the error between the given surface and the machined surface. A three-step-optimization is applied. In each step, the cutting tool is tangential to two guiding rails. The guiding rails can be located anywhere within the ruled surface. The first step is to initialize the tool position and find the point with the biggest deviation; the second step tries to minimize the surface error by moving the guiding rails towards the point with the largest deviation along the ruling line, which reduces the surface error to nearly half of its original value; the third step is to shift the tool position along the feed direction to further reduce the error between the given surface and the machined surface. We test the effect of various tool parameters on our method, and we compare our method to other methods of milling with a conical tool. Finally, we used our method to machine a test part and the accuracy of the assessment was verified experimentally.
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2019
When adopting 5-axis machine to mill the parts, it is desired to avoid the drastic change of tool orientation for improving the kinematics performance of 5-axis machining while ensuring no machining interferences. For this purpose, a kinematics performance oriented smoothing method is proposed to plan the tool orientations, which is focused specifically on minimizing the angular accelerations imposed on the rotary axes of 5-axis machine. In this method, with several specified representative tool orientations (RTOs), two B-spline curves, which represent the displacements of the rotary axes, are used to join smoothly the RTOs together and then to determine the tool orientations at other areas. The solutions for the two B-spline curves are achieved by solving a least-square objective function which minimizes the angular accelerations of the rotary axes. To restricting simultaneously the interpolated tool orientations in the geometric feasible domains (GFDs) of tool motion, a simple alternate strategy of first smoothing the tool orientation and then checking the machining interference is developed so that tool orientation planning and its geometric constraints are decoupled and the complicated constraint optimization process of tool orientation can be greatly simplified. Since the proposed method works in the machine coordinate system (MCS), it can not only ensure the smooth motions of the rotary axes without the machining interferences, but also can generate directly the rotary axis orders. Finally, the proposed method is validated by the experiments.
Precise gouging-free tool orientations for 5-axis CNC machining
Computer-Aided Design, 2015
We present a precise approach to the generation of optimized collision-free and gouging-free tool paths for 5-axis CNC machining of freeform NURBS surfaces using flat-end and rounded-end (bull nose) tools having cylindrical shank. To achieve high approximation quality, we employ analysis of hyper-osculating circles (HOC) [26, 27], that have third order contact with the target surface, and lead to a locally collision-free configuration between the tool and the target surface. At locations where an HOC is not possible, we aim at a double tangential contact among the tool and the target surface, and use it as a bridge between the feasible HOC tool paths. We formulate all such possible two-contact configurations as systems of algebraic constraints and solve them. For all feasible HOCs and two-contact configurations, we perform a global optimization to find the tool path that maximizes the approximation quality of the machining, while being gouge-free and possibly satisfying constraints on the tool tilt and the tool acceleration. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach via several experimental results.
Free-form surfaces are used for many industrial applications from aeronautical parts, to molds or biomedical implants. In the common machining process, CAM software generates approximated tool paths because of the limitation induced by the input tool path format of the industrial CNC. Then, during the tool path interpolation, marks on finished surfaces can appear induced by non smooth feedrate planning. Managing the geometry of the tool path as well as the kinematical parameters of the machine tool are two key factors for quality and productivity improvements. The aim of this paper is to present a unified method to compute the trajectory directly on the surface to be machined avoiding CAM approximations and producing a smoother trajectory. This paper proposes an interpolation of the trajectory based on the free form surface mathematical model while considering the kinematical limitations of a high speed milling machine (velocity, acceleration and jerk). The amelioration of the data exchange between CAD/CAM and CNC opens new ways to optimize the manufacturing process. The Direct Trajectory Interpolation on the Surface (DTIS) method allows to obtain both a higher productivity and a better surface quality. Machining experiments carried out with an Open CNC on a 5-axis high speed milling machine show the benefits of the proposed method compared to the classical strategies available with an industrial CNC.
Adaptable geometric patterns for five-axis machining: a survey
International Journal Adcanced Manufacturing Technology, 2010
The paper presents a survey of five-axis computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining optimization methods employing adaptable geometric patterns. First, the survey introduces evolution of CNC interpolators from the simplest Taylor series-based routines to sophisticated procedures based on constraint minimization from dynamic systems control theory. Furthermore, a variety of methods based on spline interpolation, NURBS interpolation and Farouki's Pythagorean-hodograph curves is presented and analyzed. Next, the survey deals with techniques to optimize the positions and orientations of the tool in a particular neighborhood of the part surface. The most important application of these techniques is cutting by a flat-end or a fillet mill while avoiding local overcuts or undercuts due to the curvature interference and rear gouging. This section is supplemented by detection of global interference using visibility cone schemes and their recent modifications and improvements. Solutions offered by solid modeling are presented as well. Finally, adaptable geometric patterns employed for tool path generation are considered and analyzed. The adaptation is performed using certain criteria of the tool path quality, such as kinematics error, scallops, possible undercuts or overcuts, and the continuity of the path. Also covered are complex pocket milling employing geometric patterns capable of following the boundary, such as the offset methods, regional milling, the potential path methods, and clustering. The chapter also presents tool path optimization based on the adaptable curvilinear grids connecting the cutter location points. Finally, navigation approaches and the shortest-path schemes are considered, along with the adaptive space-filling curve algorithms and their combinations with grid generation.
Precision Sculptured Surface CNC Machining Using Cutter Location Data
Key Engineering Materials, 2016
Industrial parts with sculptured surfaces are typically, manufactured with the use of CNC machining technology and CAM software to generate surface tool paths. To assess tool paths computed for 3-and 5-axis machining, the machining error is evaluated in advance referring to the parameter controlling the linearization of high-order curves, as well as the scallop yielded as a function of radial cutting engagement parameter. The two parameters responsible for the machining error are modeled and corresponding cutter location data for tool paths are utilized to compare actual trajectories with theoretical curves on a sculptured surface (SS) assessing thus the deviation when virtual tools are employed to maintain low cost; whilst ensuring high precision cutting. This operation is supported by applying a flexible automation code capable of computing the tool path; extracting its CL data; importing them to the CAD part and finally projecting them onto the part's surface. For a given tolerance, heights from projected instances are computed for tool paths created by changing the parameters under a cutting strategy, towards the identification of the optimum tool path. To represent a global solution rough machining is also discussed prior to finish machining where the new proposals are mainly applied.
An analytical local corner smoothing algorithm for five-axis CNC machining
International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture
Linear motion commands of computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools need to be smoothed at the transition corners in order to guarantee continuous and steady machining. However, because of the complex kinematic constraints, very few researches have devoted to developing analytical and high order continuous corner smoothing algorithms of five-axis tool paths, although it is important to guarantee both high calculation efficiency and good dynamic performance of five-axis CNC machining. This paper develops an analytical C 3 continuous corner smoothing algorithm of five-axis tool paths by locally inserting specially designed quintic micro splines into the transition corners of five-axis linear commands. C 3 continuity of the tool tip position and the tool orientation are guaranteed along the entire tool path. The maximal approximation errors of the tool tip position and the tool orientation are both constrained in the workpiece coordinate system. The synchronization of the tool tip position and tool orientation are mathematically guaranteed at the junctions of the linear and spline segments. The proposed corner smoothing algorithm can calculate all control points of the locally inserted tool tip position and tool orientation splines analytically without any iteration, which makes it very suitable to on-line calculation. Experiments on an in-house developed five-axis CNC platform verify that the maximal approximation errors of both tool tip position and tool orientation are constrained, and the proposed C 3 continuous corner smoothing algorithm has higher tracking accuracy and lower acceleration frequency content at higher frequencies than the C 2 continuous algorithm.