As part of a Virtual Machining project at Pratt & Whitney Canada, the feed profiles of roughing toolpaths for a production integrally bladed rotor were optimized. The optimization was performed using the Virtual Machining software. This software uses the analytical five-axis flank milling cutting force models developed in [1] to simulate the mechanics of the process. A feed rate optimization scheme similar to the one discussed in [2] is used to improve the machining time of the toolpaths by varying the feed based on constraints of the process. For the toolpaths discussed in the paper, the machining time has been reduced by 10-30%. Since the optimization also reduced the peak chip load and power, it reduced the rate of wear for several of the tools.
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