The Choice of Optimal Cutting Conditions, Taking into Account the Quality of the Machined Surface of the Part on the Roland MDX20 Milling Machine

Abstract

The results of optimizing the milling process on the Roland MDX-20 machine are presented: the maximum allowable and optimal cutting conditions for parts made of foam, hard and soft modeling plastics, and hardwood are empirically established. At the first stage of the study, a complete list of types of strategies for roughing and finishing, presented in the CAM-system Modela Player 4 (MP4), was studied, as a result of which the optimal one for the intended experiment was chosen (9 virtual tests were carried out), processing time was taken as the analyzed parameter. To understand the specifics of the work on the machine under study and to check the suitability of using the processing parameters and the type of strategy, test processing of the foam was carried out. The main optimization criteria are speed, expressed as processing time, and the quality of the resulting surface. At the second stage of the study - experiment - methods for roughing horizontal surfaces of 20×20 mm models, consisting of a truncated pyramid and a hemisphere, are described on a Roland MDX-20 milling machine using MP4. As cutting tools in both studies, a Hanita 400305002 ∅6 mm cylindrical cutter was used for roughing, and a Hanita 400103002 ∅3 mm spherical cutter was used for finishing. The recommended cutting conditions have been established, which allow reducing the processing time of parts by 40-50 % without deteriorating the quality of the machined surfaces.

Keywords

• cutting conditions
• machining time
• types of machining strategies
• machining speed
• surface quality