Erdem Öztürk

MODELING OF 5-AXIS MILLING PROCESSES

5-axis milling operations are common in several industries such as aerospace, automotive and die/mold for machining of sculptured surfaces. In these operations, productivity, dimensional tolerance integrity and surface quality are of utmost importance. Part and tool deflections under high cutting forces may result in unacceptable part quality whereas using conservative cutting parameters results in decreased material removal rate. Process models can be used to determine the proper or optimal milling parameters for required quality with higher productivity. The majority of the existing milling models are for 3-axis operations, even the ones for ball-end mills. In this article, a complete geometry and force model are presented for 5-axis milling operations using ball-end mills. The effect of lead and tilt angles on the process geometry, cutter and workpiece engagement limits, scallop height, and milling forces are analyzed in detail. In addition, tool deflections and form errors are also formulated for 5-axis ball-end milling. The use of the model for selection of the process parameters such as lead and tilt angles that result in minimum cutting forces are also demonstrated. The model predictions for cutting forces and tool deflections are compared and verified by experimental results.

Dynamics and Stability of Five-Axis Ball-End Milling

Being one of the most important problems in machining, chatter vibrations must be avoided as they result in high cutting forces, poor surface finish, and unacceptable part quality. Using stability diagrams is an effective method to predict chatter free cutting conditions. Although there have been numerous works in milling dynamics, the stability of five-axis ball-end milling has not been studied in detail. In this paper, the stability of the five-axis ball-end milling is analyzed using analytical (frequency domain), numerical (time-domain), and experimental methods. The models presented consider 3D dynamics of the five-axis ball-end milling process including the effects of all important process parameters such as the lead and tilt angles. Both single- and multi-frequency solutions are presented. Unlike other standard milling cases, it is observed that adding multi-frequency effects in the solution has marginal influence on the stability diagrams for five-axis ball-end milling operations due to effects of the ball-end milling geometry on the engagement region, thus, on the directional coefficients. The stability limits predicted by single- and multi-frequency methods are compared with time-domain simulations and experiments. Using the models and experimental results, the effects of the lead and tilt angles on the stability diagrams are also shown. The presented models can be used in analysis of five-axis ball-end milling dynamics as well as in the selection of the milling conditions for increased stability.

Analytical methods for increased productivity in five-axis ball-end milling

Five-axis ball-end milling is a technology that many industries such as aerospace, automotive and die/mold employ for complex surface machining. Cutting forces, form errors and chatter vibrations are among the most important limitations in five-axis ball-end milling. Since they are generally not calculated beforehand, machining a product with five-axis ball-end milling may involve iterations on the machine tool due to process problems. In order to eliminate this, process models can be used. An analytical methodology is presented in this paper for modelling of five-axis ball-end milling. The method includes process models, and an interface between process models and CAM software. Process models for cutting force, form error and chatter stability predictions are used in the process planning stage to predict potential problems beforehand, and optimise machining conditions. The process models are presented and verified by experimental tests. The presented method is implemented in a simulation software, and applied in machining of industrial parts where productivity increase for example cases is demonstrated.

Tool Orientation Effects on the Geometry of 5-axis Ball-end Milling

5-axis ball-end milling has found application in various industries especially for machining of parts with complex surfaces. Additional two degree of freedoms, namely, lead and tilt angles make it possible to machine complex parts by providing extra flexibility in cutting tool orientation. However, they also complicate the geometry of the process. Knowledge of the process geometry is important for understanding of 5-axis ball-end milling operations. Although there are considerable amount of work done in 3-axis milling, the literature on 5-axis ball-end milling is limited. Some of the terminology used in 3-axis milling is not directly applicable to 5-axis ball end-milling. Hence some new process parameters and coordinate systems are defined to represent a 5-axis ball end-milling process completely. The engagement zone between the cutting tool and the workpiece is more involved due to the effects of lead and tilt angles. In this paper, effects of these angles on the process geometry are explained by presenting CAD models and analytical calculations.