Multi-Axis Roughing and Finishing of Ruled Surface Pockets for CAD/CAM Systems

摘要

This paper presents a new methodology for 5-axis rough cutting of free-form ruled surface pockets. An Inclined Zig-zag method is proposed to rough cut the core region and an Ellipse-offset method is developed for semi-roughing and finishing the ruled surface pockets. The Ellipse-offset method is developed to calculate the non-constant offset curves for 5- axis tool path planning of rough cutting. Different from the traditional 2 1/2D machining method, the developed Ellipse-offset method allows the cutter to change its tool orientation and to get as close to the part surface as possible in roughing. The proposed method allows the manufacturing engineers to use 5-axis machining to rough cut the parts to near-finish shape for finishing. Computer implementation and illustrative examples are also presented in this paper.