Analysis of Different Tool Path Strategies for Free Form Machining with Computer Aided Surface Milling Operations

Abstract

[EN] Free form surfaces are commonly used to generate aesthetic parts. These parts can be manufactured directly by material removal techniques or indirectly with molding or forming techniques. In any case, these surfaces must be commonly machined with traditional processes, at least until certain degree of surface finishing, and the tool path must be generated with computer aided applications. In doing so, developers are implementing new theoretical strategy operations for controlling tool path and trajectories. These new options have so many combinations that it is difficult to know which is the best one to choose when defining the tool movements. Apart from the traditional strategies fixed angle method, principal axis method and multipoint machining, combined with tool orientation, there are many other strategies to explore due to machine tool and numerical control improvements. What is need now is a validation of these new strategies in computer aided applications regarding time minimizing and how the cutting parameters affects in the surface final result.