An Intelligent Cutting Database for Die and Mold Making Operations

摘要

In the modern manufacturing of sophisticated parts with 3D sculptured surfaces, die/mold making operations are the most widely used machining processes to remove unwanted material. To manufacture a die or a mold, many different cutting tools are involved, from hole-drills to the smallest ball nose end mills. Since the specification of each tool is very different from each other, each die/mold is specific with their complicated shapes and many machining rules exist to consider, a great deal of expertise is needed in selecting cutting tools for the die/mold machining operations. An intelligent system developed by using case-based reasoning (CBR) technology for this purpose is described in the present work. The geometry of the workpiece, workpiece condition, and operation type are considered as input values and various recommendations about the tool material, tool type, tool specifications, and cutting parameters are provided.