Tool path generation for sculptured surfaces with 4-axis machining

Abstract

Sculpted surfaces are widely used in engineering applications in industries like aerospace, automotive and medical. Commonly, these types of surfaces are manufactured by the process of 5-axis CNC machining. 5-axis machining improves the effectiveness and reduction in machining times compared to the 3-axis process, but also increases the complexity of the operations. This paper presents a four-axis toolpath generation gouging free methodology as an alternative to the five-axis machining to reduce the complexity of the process, maintaining similar benefits respect to conventional three-axis machining. Rolling ball method is first applied to compute the most suitable tool for the surface and prevent gouging. A process procedure is the carried out to optimize the tool fixed position and compute tool location at each cutter contact point of the surface. The results show the effectiveness of the method in terms of reducing machining time and maintaining similar surface finishing compared with three-axis machining. The method can be used as a cost-effective option for multi-axis machining.