Decoupled chip thickness calculation model for cutting force prediction in five-axis ball-end milling

Cutting force prediction plays very critical roles for machining parameters selection in milling process. Chip thickness calculation supplies the basis for cutting force prediction. However, the chip thickness calculation in five-axis ball-end milling is difficult due to complex geometrical engagements between parts and cutters. In this paper, we present a method to calculate the chip thickness in five-axis ball-end milling. The contributions of lead and tilt angles in five-axis ball-end milling on the chip thickness are studied separately in detail. We prove that the actual chip thickness can be decoupled as the sum of the ones derived from the two individual cutting conditions, i.e., lead and tilt angles. In this model, the calculation of engagement boundaries of tool–workpiece engagement is easy; thus, time consumption is low. In order to verify the proposed chip thickness model, the chip volume predicted based on the proposed chip thickness calculation model is compared with the theoretical results. The comparison results show that the desired accuracy is obtained with the proposed chip thickness calculation model. The validation cutting tests, which are in a constant material removal rate and with only ball part engaged in cutting, are carried out. The optimized lead and tilt angles are analyzed with regard to cutting forces. The geometrical as well as the kinematics meaning of the proposed method is obvious comparing with the existing models.     

New mathematical method for the determination of cutter runout parameters in flat-end milling

The cutting force prediction is essential to optimize the process parameters of machining such as feed rate optimization, etc. Due to the significant influences of the runout effect on cutting force variation in milling process, it is necessary to incorporate the cutter runout parameters into the prediction model of cutting forces. However, the determination of cutter runout parameters is still a challenge task until now. In this paper, cutting process geometry models, such as uncut chip thickness and pitch angle, are established based on the true trajectory of the cutting edge considering the cutter runout effect. A new algorithm is then presented to compute the cutter runout parameters for flat-end mill utilizing the sampled data of cutting forces and derived process geometry parameters. Further, three-axis and five-axis milling experiments were conducted on a machining centre, and resulting cutting forces were sampled by a three-component dynamometer. After computing the corresponding cutter runout parameters, cutter forces are simulated embracing the cutter runout parameters obtained from the proposed algorithm. The predicted cutting forces show good agreements with the sampled data both in magnitude and shape, which validates the feasibility and effectivity of the proposed new algorithm of determining cutter runout parameters and the new way to accurately predict cutting forces. The proposed method for computing the cutter runout parameters provides the significant references for the cutting force prediction in the cutting process.     

Prediction of cutting forces in helical milling process

The prediction of cutting forces is important for the planning and optimization of machining process in order to reduce machining damage. Helical milling is a kind of hole-machining technique with a milling tool feeding on a helical path into the workpiece, and thus, both the periphery cutting edges and the bottom cutting edges all participated in the machining process. In order to investigate the characteristics of discontinuous milling resulting in the time varying undeformed chip thickness and cutting forces direction, this paper establishes a novel analytic cutting force model of the helical milling based on the helical milling principle. Dynamic cutting forces are measured and analyzed under different cutting parameters for the titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V). Cutting force coefficients are identified and discussed based on the experimental test. Analytical model prediction is compared with experiment testing. It is noted that the analytical results are in good agreement with the experimental data; thus, the established cutting force model can be utilized as an effective tool to predict the change of cutting forces in helical milling process under different cutting conditions.     

曲面铣削过程加工路径对切削力和磨损的影响研究

针对不同走刀路径下的复杂曲面加工过程进行球头铣刀铣削Cr12MoV加工复杂曲面研究,分析不同走刀路径下铣削力和刀具磨损的变化趋势。试验结果表明:通过对比分析直线铣削和曲面铣削过程中的最大未变形切屑厚度,可以得出单周期内曲面铣削的力大于直线铣削过程的力,铣削相同铣削层时环形走刀测得的切削力普遍大于往复走刀测得的切削力;以最小刀具磨损为优化目标,运用方差分析法分析得出不同走刀路径的影响刀具磨损的主次因素,同时利用残差分析方法建立球头铣刀加工复杂曲面刀具磨损预测模型,并通过试验进行验证。     

Extracting cutter/workpiece engagements in five-axis milling using solid modeler

Predicting cutting forces in milling process simulation requires finding cutter/workpiece engagements (CWEs). The calculation of these engagements is challenging due to the complicated and changing intersection geometry between the cutter and the in-process workpiece. In this paper, a solid modeling based methodology for finding CWEs generated in five-axis milling of free form surfaces is presented. The proposed methodology is an extension of the solid modeler based three-axis CWE extraction method given in [21]. At any given instant of the five-axis tool motion, the velocity vectors along the cutter axis may move in directions that do not lie in the same plane, and therefore the cutter envelopes need to be approximated by spline surfaces. Considering the spline surface approximations, the CWE methodology described in [21] does not work properly for the five-axis milling. Therefore in the proposed method, the in-process workpiece is used instead of the removal volume for extracting the CWEs. A terminology the feasible contact surfaces (FCS), defined by the envelope boundaries, is introduced. To extract the CWEs at a given cutter location, first the BODY entity, obtained by offsetting the FCS with an infinitesimal amount, is intersected with the in-process workpiece. Then, the resultant removal volume is decomposed into faces. Finally, the surface/surface intersections are performed between those faces and the FCS to obtain the CWE boundaries. To be used in the force model, the CWE boundaries are mapped from Euclidean 3D space to a parametric space defined by the engagement angle and the depth-of-cut for a given tool geometry.     

Implementation of analytical boundary simulation method for cutting force prediction model in five-axis milling

A simulation system was developed that deals with cut geometry and machining forces when a toroidal cutter is used during semifinishing in five-axis milling. The cut geometry was calculated using an analytical method called analytical boundary simulation (ABS). ABS was implemented to calculate the cut geometry when the machining used an inclination angle and a screw angle. The effect of tool orientation on the cut geometry was analyzed. The accuracy of the proposed method was verified by comparing the cut lengths calculated using ABS with cuts obtained experimentally. The result indicated that the method was accurate. ABS was subsequently applied to support a cutting force prediction model. A validation test showed that there was a good agreement with the cutting force generated experimentally.     

Prediction of cutting forces in mill turning through process simulation using a five-axis machining center

Mill turning is a process applied in the milling of a curved surface while the workpiece rotates around its center. Depending on the eccentricity of the tool, when a flat-end mill tool performs a curved trajectory perpendicular to the rotation axis of the tool, its bottom part is engaged in removing material. In order to optimize the process, the cutting force needs to be predicted. Hence, in this work, an approach to simulating the cutting force in mill turning is presented. The case of non-eccentricity of the tool is considered. The undeformed chip geometry is modeling as a function of the tool engagement considering the process kinematics. Experiments were conducted on a five-axis machining center enabling the measurement of the X–Y and Z components of the cutting forces. In order to verify the influence of the bottom part of the tool on the cutting forces, experiments were carried out using three different cutting depths. Numerical cutting simulations and experimental test results are compared to validate the proposed approach.     

Error Compensation of Thin Plate-shape Part with Prebending Method in Face Milling

Low weight and good toughness thin plate parts are widely used in modern industry, but its flexibility seriously impacts the machinability. Plenty of studies focus on the influence of machine tool and cutting tool on the machining errors. However, few researches focus on compensating machining errors through the fixture. In order to improve the machining accuracy of thin plate-shape part in face milling, this paper presents a novel method for compensating the surface errors by prebending the workpiece during the milling process. First, a machining error prediction model using finite element method is formulated, which simplifies the contacts between the workpiece and fixture with spring constraints. Milling forces calculated by the micro-unit cutting force model are loaded on the error prediction model to predict the machining error. The error prediction results are substituted into the given formulas to obtain the prebending clamping forces and clamping positions. Consequently, the workpiece is prebent in terms of the calculated clamping forces and positions during the face milling operation to reduce the machining error. Finally, simulation and experimental tests are carried out to validate the correctness and efficiency of the proposed error compensation method. The experimental measured flatness results show that the flatness improves by approximately 30 percent through this error compensation method. The proposed method not only predicts the machining errors in face milling thin plate-shape parts but also reduces the machining errors by taking full advantage of the workpiece prebending caused by fixture, meanwhile, it provides a novel idea and theoretical basis for reducing milling errors and improving the milling accuracy.     

Feedrate scheduling strategy for free-form surface machining through an integrated geometric and mechanistic model

In free-form surface machining, it is essential to optimize the feedrate in order to improve the machining efficiency. Conservative constant feedrate values have been mostly used up to now since there was a lack of physical models and optimization tools for the machining processes. The overall goal of this research is the integration of geometric and mechanistic milling models for force prediction and feedrate scheduling in five-axis CNC free-form surface machining. For each tool move, the geometric model calculates the cut geometry, and a mechanistic model is used along with a maximum allowable cutting force to determine a desired feedrate. The results are written into the part NC program with optimized feedrates. When the integrated modeling approach based feedrate scheduling strategy introduced in this paper was used, it was shown that the machining time can be decreased significantly along the tool path.     

Development of an automatic arc welding system using SMAW process

In end milling of pockets, variable radial depth of cut is generally encountered as the end mill enters and exits the corner, which has a significant influence on the cutting forces and further affects the contour accuracy of the milled pockets. This paper proposes an approach for predicting the cutting forces in end milling of pockets. A mathematical model is presented to describe the geometric relationship between an end mill and the corner profile. The milling process of corners is discretized into a series of steady-state cutting processes, each with different radial depth of cut determined by the instantaneous position of the end mill relative to the workpiece. For the cutting force prediction, an analytical model of cutting forces for the steady-state machining conditions is introduced for each segmented process with given radial depth of cut. The predicted cutting forces can be calculated in terms of tool/workpiece geometry, cutting parameters and workpiece material properties, as well as the relative position of the tool to workpiece. Experiments of pocket milling are conducted for the verification of the proposed method.     

Cutting forces prediction in generalized pocket machining

Cutting force prediction is important for the planning and optimization of machining process. This paper presents an approach to predict the cutting forces for the whole finishing process of generalized pocket machining. The equivalent feedrate is introduced to quantify the actual speed of cutting cross-section in prediction of cutting force for curved surface milling. For convenience, to analyze the process with varying feed direction and cutter engagement, the milling process for generalized pocket is discretized into a series of small processes. Each of the small processes is transformed into a steady-state machining, using a new approximation method. The cutting geometries of each discrete process, i.e., feed direction, equivalent feedrate per tooth, entry angle, and exit angle are calculated based on the information refined from NC code. An improved cutting force model which involves the effect of feed direction on cutting forces prediction is also presented. A machining example of a freeform pocket is performed, and the measured cutting forces are compared with the predictions. The results show that the proposed approach can effectively predict the variation of cutting forces in generalized pocket machining.     

Milling Force Model for Aviation Aluminum Alloy:Academic Insight and Perspective Analysis

Aluminum alloy is the main structural material of aircraft,launch vehicle,spaceship,and space station and is pro-cessed by milling.However,tool wear and vibration are the bottlenecks in the milling process of aviation aluminum alloy.The machining accuracy and surface quality of aluminum alloy milling depend on the cutting parameters,material mechanical properties,machine tools,and other parameters.In particular,milling force is the crucial factor to determine material removal and workpiece surface integrity.However,establishing the prediction model of milling force is important and difficult because milling force is the result of multiparameter coupling of process system.The research progress of cutting force model is reviewed from three modeling methods:empirical model,finite element simulation,and instantaneous milling force model.The problems of cutting force modeling are also determined.In view of these problems,the future work direction is proposed in the following four aspects:(1)high-speed milling is adopted for the thin-walled structure of large aviation with large cutting depth,which easily produces high residual stress.The residual stress should be analyzed under this particular condition.(2)Multiple factors(e.g.,eccentric swing milling parameters,lubrication conditions,tools,tool and workpiece deformation,and size effect)should be consid-ered comprehensively when modeling instantaneous milling forces,especially for micro milling and complex surface machining.(3)The database of milling force model,including the corresponding workpiece materials,working condi-tion,cutting tools(geometric figures and coatings),and other parameters,should be established.(4)The effect of chatter on the prediction accuracy of milling force cannot be ignored in thin-walled workpiece milling.(5)The cutting force of aviation aluminum alloy milling under the condition of minimum quantity lubrication(mql)and nanofluid mql should be predicted.     

五轴数控加工中心切削稳定性研究综述

五轴数控加工中心的切削稳定性是影响其切削效率的重要因素。在阐述切削稳定性预测过程的基础上,对国内外学者在切削稳定性分析方面的研究成果进行了综合介绍。重点论述了切削力的建模方法以及切削力系数辨识方法,并对切削稳定性仿真方法进行了归纳。分析了在切削稳定性分析研究方面存在的不足,并提出今后稳定性分析的发展方向。     

基于刀具跳动的环形铣刀切削厚度模型的切削力计算

数控铣削过程中,切削变形引起的瞬时切削厚度是影响铣削加工切削力建模的重要参数之一,针对环形铣刀的切削特点,在考虑刀具跳动的情况下,对真实刀刃轨迹运动进行分析。将微细铣削的加工过程用宏观铣削来表示,从而建立了基于宏观铣削过程中刀具跳动下精密加工的瞬时切削厚度。通过仿真模拟和切削力试验来预测切削力,预测结果和试验结果具有一致性,表明该模型可以更好的预测加工过程中的切削力。     

A prediction of the machining defects in flank milling

In peripheral milling with great axial engagements, the tool deflections generate some geometrical defects on the machined surface. This article present a prediction method of these defects which is applicable on every ruled surface. The cutting forces are estimate with the cutting pressure notion. The parameters of the tool/workpiece material couple are identified by a test part. The prediction of the tool deflections requires controlling the tool immersion angle for each angular position of the tool. The deflections can be significant. An original procedure which is based on an engagement cards avoids an iterative calculation of the radial engagement. The experimental checking of the method of prediction is presented in a test.     

Optimum tool path generation for 2.5D direction-parallel milling with incomplete mesh model

Many mechanical parts are manufactured by milling machines. Hence, geometrically efficient algorithms for tool path generation, along with physical considerations for better machining productivity with guaranteed machining safety, are the most important issues in milling. In this paper, an optimized path generation algorithm for direction-parallel milling, a process commonly used in the roughing stage as well as the finishing stage and based on an incomplete 2-manifold mesh model, namely, an inexact polyhedron widely used in recent commercialized CAM software systems, is presented. First of all, a geometrically efficient tool path generation algorithm using an intersection points-graph is introduced. Although the tool paths obtained from geometric information have been successful in forming desired shapes, physical process concerns such as cutting forces and chatters have seldom been considered. In order to cope with these problems, an optimized tool path that maintains a constant MRR for constant cutting forces and avoidance of chatter vibrations, is introduced, and verified experimental results are presented. Additional tool path segments are appended to the basic tool path by means of a pixel-based simulation technique. The algorithm was implemented for two-dimensional contiguous end milling operations with flat end mills, and cutting tests measured the spindle current, which reflects machining characteristics, to verify the proposed method.     

五轴铣削加工精度预测系统开发研究

五轴联动数控加工运动复杂,影响零件加工精度的误差因素很多,针对目前五轴加工误差模型比较单一,还没有将多个误差因素综合考虑起来进行分析及预测的现状,提出了基于多体系统理论建立工艺系统综合误差模型的统一方法,详细研究了工艺系统综合误差模型的计算机映射方式,基于VS2010与OpenGL开发了具有可视化交互界面的五轴铣削加工精度预测系统,可在加工前对零件的加工精度进行预测。实际切削加工试验证实了该系统对零件加工精度预测的准确性和有效性,表明基于多体系统理论的精度预测方法是可行的。     

Prediction of cutting force, tool wear and surface roughness of Al6061/SiC composite for end milling operations using RSM

The results of mathematical modeling and the experimental investigation on the machinability of aluminium (Al6061) silicon carbide particulate (SiCp) metal matrix composite (MMC) during end milling process is analyzed. The machining was difficult to cut the material because of its hardness and wear resistance due to its abrasive nature of reinforcement element. The influence of machining parameters such as spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut and nose radius on the cutting force has been investigated. The influence of the length of machining on the tool wear and the machining parameters on the surface finish criteria have been determined through the response surface methodology (RSM) prediction model. The prediction model is also used to determine the combined effect of machining parameters on the cutting force, tool wear and surface roughness. The results of the model were compared with the experimental results and found to be good agreement with them. The results of prediction model help in the selection of process parameters to reduce the cutting force, tool wear and surface roughness, which ensures quality of milling processes.     

Prediction of flank wear and engagements from force measurements in end milling operations

On-line knowledge of tool engagement and flank wear is critical for successful adaptive control of a machining operation. A method combining a mechanistic model and empirical relationships has been developed for helical end milling operations. Computation of cutting tool engagements and flank wear width occurs in real time as the cutting progresses using averaged force data. Response surface methodology has been used to investigate the effects of the process and operating variables on the process-dependent parameters; a second order relationship was obtained. The approach can also determine variation of wear land width along the length of the tool as axial engagement changes.     

MODELING APPROACHES AND SOFTWARE FOR PREDICTING THE PERFORMANCE OF MILLING OPERATIONS AT MAL-UBC

The author has been conducting research in the area of metal cutting mechanics, metal cutting dynamics, machine tool vibrations, precision machining and machine tool control in his Manufacturing Automation Laboratory, at The University of British Columbia, Canada since 1986. This article summarizes the research conducted in mechanics and dynamics of metal cutting in our laboratory. Modeling of mechanics of metal cutting is summarized first. The models include orthogonal to oblique cutting transformation, mechanistic modeling of cutting coefficients, slip line field and Finite Element modeling. The author mostly focused on milling. The kinematics of milling with and without structural vibrations is modeled. The geometric model of end mills and inserted cutters with arbitrary geometry are modeled. The prediction of forces, torque, power and dimensional surface finish is explained for milling operations. The chatter stability for milling operations is presented. The metal cutting knowledge is transferred to manufacturing industry by combining all the models in shop friendly software.