Analysis and correction of the machining errors of small plastic helical gears by ball-end milling

Many small-size precise plastic helical involutes gears are used in electrical appliances to transmit rotary movements con- tinuously and smoothly. Ball-end milling is an effective method for trial manufacture or small batch production of this type of gear, but the precision of the gear is usually low. In this research, the main sources of the errors of the gear, machining errors of the tooth profile and trace of the gear obtained were analyzed. The correction amounts for these errors are then determined by using a CNC gear tester. They are used to generate a new 3D-CAD model for gear machining with better nrecision.

Optimization of micro milling electrical discharge machining of Inconel 718 by Grey-Taguchi method

The optimization of micro milling electrical discharge machining（EDM） process parameters of Inconel 718 alloy to achieve multiple performance characteristics such as low electrode wear,high material removal rate and low working gap was investigated by the Grey-Taguchi method.The influences of peak current,pulse on-time,pulse off-time and spark gap on electrode wear（EW）,material removal rate（MRR） and working gap（WG） in the micro milling electrical discharge machining of Inconel 718 were analyzed.The experimental results show that the electrode wear decreases from 5.6×10-9 to 5.2×10-9 mm3/min,the material removal rate increases from 0.47×10-8 to 1.68×10-8 mm3/min,and the working gap decreases from 1.27 to 1.19 μm under optimal micro milling electrical discharge machining process parameters.Hence,it is clearly shown that multiple performance characteristics can be improved by using the Grey-Taguchi method.

EQUIVALENT NORMAL CURVATURE APPROACH MILLING MODEL OF MACHINING FREEFORM SURFACES

A new milling methodology with the equivalent normal curvature milling model machining freeform surfaces is proposed based on the normal curvature theorems on differential geometry. Moreover, a specialized whirlwind milling tool and a 5-axis CNC horizontal milling machine are introduced. This new milling model can efficiently enlarge the material removal volume at the tip of the whirlwind milling tool and improve the producing capacity. The machining strategy of this model is to regulate the orientation of the whirlwind milling tool relatively to the principal directions of the workpiece surface at the point of contact, so as to create a full match with collision avoidance between the workpiece surface and the symmetric rotational surface of the milling tool. The practical results show that this new milling model is an effective method in machining complex three- dimensional surfaces. This model has a good improvement on finishing machining time and scallop height in machining the freeform surfaces over other milling processes. Some actual examples for manufacturing the freeform surfaces with this new model are given.

Theoretical modeling of cutting temperature in high-speed end milling process for die/mold machining

A parametric model of cutting temperature generated in end milling process is developed according to the thermal mechanism of end milling as an intermittent operation, which periodically repeats the cycle of heating under cutting and cooling under non-cutting. It shows that cutting speed and the tool-workpiece engagement condition are determinative for tool temperature in the operation. The suggested model was investigated by tests of AlTiN coated endmill machining hardened die steel JIS SKD61, where cutting temperature on the flank face of tool was measured with an optical fiber type radiation thermometer. Experimental results show that the tendency of cutting temperature to increase with cutting speed and engagement angle is intensified with the progressing tool wear.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Laser Milling Assisted with Jet Electrochemical Machining

In laser milling assisted with jet electrochemical machining(LMAJECM),the source of energy is a pulsed laser beam aligned coaxially with a jet of electrolyte,which focuses optical energy on the surface of workpiece.The impact of jet of electrolyte develops a state-of-art work to perform operations such as electrolytic etching,effective cooling,and transportation of debris.Therefore,a special jet cell is designed to obtain stable jet as to be a kind of noncontact tool,i.e.,electrode.According to the theoretical model of on-off pulse time process,laser machining and electrolytic anodization are simulated by finite element analysis(FEA)method.Grooves on a 0.5mm thick 321 stainless steel sheet produced by LMAJECM is performed with pulsed Nd:YAG laser at the second harmonic wavelength.Compared with laser milling under ambient atmosphere conditions,the recast layer and burrs are effectively diminished.And the accuracy of depth is dedicated to laser milling,whilst that of width is dominated by jet electrochemical machining.It is demonstrated that LMAJECM can be a highly potential approach for fabricating 3-D micro components.

Machining Parameters Optimization of Multi-Pass Face Milling Using a Chaotic Imperialist Competitive Algorithm with an Efficient Constraint-Handling Mechanism

The selection of machining parameters directly affects the production time,quality,cost,and other process performance measures for multi-pass milling.Optimization of machining parameters is of great significance.However,it is a nonlinear constrained optimization problem,which is very difficult to obtain satisfactory solutions by traditional optimization methods.A new optimization technique combined chaotic operator and imperialist competitive algorithm(ICA)is proposed to solve this problem.The ICA simulates the competition between the empires.It is a population-based meta-heuristic algorithm for unconstrained optimization problems.Imperialist development operator based on chaotic sequence is introduced to improve the local search of ICA,while constraints handling mechanism is introduced and an imperialist-colony transformation policy is established.The improved ICA is called chaotic imperialist competitive algorithm(CICA).A case study of optimizing machining parameters for multi-pass face milling operations is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.The case is to optimize parameters such as speed,feed,and depth of cut in each pass have yielded a minimum total product ion cost.The depth of cut of optimal strategy obtained by CICA are 4 mm,3 mm,1 mm for rough cutting pass 1,rough cutting pass 1 and finish cutting pass,respectively.The cost for each pass are$0.5366 US,$0.4473 US and$0.3738 US.The optimal solution of CICA for various strategies with at=8 mm is$1.3576 US.The results obtained with the proposed schemes are better than those of previous work.This shows the superior performance of CICA in solving such problems.Finally,optimization of cutting strategy when the width of workpiece no smaller than the diameter of cutter is discussed.Conclusion can be drawn that larger tool diameter and row spacing should be chosen to increase cutting efficiency.

Heat regulating strategy in numerical control end milling for hard metal machining

The trend in die/mold manufacturing at present is towards the hard machining at high speed to replace the electron dis- charge machining. Failure forms of the AlTiN-coated micro-grain carbide endmill when used for the machining of JIS SKD61 (HRC 53), a widely used material in die/mold manufacturing, are investigated. The endmill shows a characteristic that tool life decreases greatly due to the chipping when overload occurs or the rapid increase of wear when over-heat accumulation in cutting edges. As a consequence of the investigation, a strategy to regulate heat generation in the end milling process is proposed. This is accomplished by controlling the cutting arc length, i.e. the length of each flute engaging workpiece in a cutting cycle. Case studies on the slot end milling and comer rounding are conducted. The results show that the proposed strategy suggests the optimal tool path as well as the optimal pitch between successive tool paths under the cutting time criterion.

Structure Improvement and Optimization of Gantry Milling System for Complex Boring and Milling Machining Center

To enhance the efficiency and machining precision of the TX1600G complex boring and milling machining center,a study was conducted on the structure of its gantry milling system.This study aimed to mitigate the influence of factors such as structural quality,natural frequency,and stiffness.The approach employed for this investigation involved mechanism topology optimization.To initiate this process,a finite element model of the gantry milling system structure was established.Subsequently,an objective function,comprising strain energy and modal eigenvalues,was synthesized.This objective function was optimized through multi-objective topology optimization,taking into account certain mass fraction constraints and considering various factors,including processing technology.The ultimate goal of this optimization was to create a gantry milling structure that exhibited high levels of dynamic and static stiffness,a superior natural frequency,and reduced mass.To validate the effectiveness of these topology optimization results,a comparison was made between the new and previous structures.The findings of this study serve as a valuable reference for optimizing the structure of other components within the machining center.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF NC MACHINING NONCONVENTIONAL MILLING CUTTERS-FORMING METHOD OF RAKE FACES

How to generate rake faces of nonconventional milling cutters (NCMC) with constant spiral angled and normal rake angled edges on NC machine tools is presented by use of a blunt cup grinder or a cup milling cutter. Motion functions of the NC machining system are mathematically deduced and exam- ed by a experiment. The research will provide theoretical and practical guidance for machining noncon- ventional tools on NC machine tools.

WORKPIECE LOCATING AND POST PROCESSING SYSTEMS ON 6-DOF CNC MILLING MACHINE

A conventional non-computerized numerical control （CNC） machine is updated by mounting a six degree-of-free （DOF） parallel mechanism on it, thus obtaining a new CNC one. The structure of this CNC milling machine is introduced, and the workpiece locating system and the post processing system of the cutter location （CL） data file are analyzed. The new machine has advantages of low costs, simple structure, good rigidity, and high precision. It is easy to be transformed and used to process the workpiece with a complex surface.

Use of Discrete Wavelet Features and Support Vector Machine for Fault Diagnosis of Face Milling Tool

This paper presents the fault diagnosis of face milling tool based on machine learning approach.While machining,spindle vibration signals in feed direction under healthy and faulty conditions of the milling tool are acquired.A set of discrete wavelet features is extracted from the vibration signals using discrete wavelet transform(DWT)technique.The decision tree technique is used to select significant features out of all extracted wavelet features.C-support vector classification(C-SVC)andν-support vector classification(ν-SVC)models with different kernel functions of support vector machine(SVM)are used to study and classify the tool condition based on selected features.From the results obtained,C-SVC is the best model thanν-SVC and it can be able to give 94.5%classification accuracy for face milling of special steel alloy 42CrMo4.

Milling Machinability of TiC Particle and TiB Whisker Hybrid Reinforced Titanium Matrix Composites

The milling machinabilities of titanium matrix composites were comprehensively evaluated to provide a theoretical basis for cutting parameter determination. Polycrystalline diamond （PCD） tools with different grain sizes and geometries, and carbide tools with and without coatings were used in the experiments. Milling forces, milling temperatures, tool lifetimes, tool wear, and machined surface integrities were investigated. The PCD tool required a primary cutting force 15 % smaller than that of the carbide tool, while the uncoated carbide tool required a primary cutting force 10% higher than that of the TiA1N-eoated tool. A cutting force of 300 N per millimeter of the cutting edge （300 N/mm） was measured. This caused excessive tool chipping. The cutting temperature of the PCD tool was 20%-30% lower than that of the carbide tool, while that of the TiA1N-coated tool was 12% lower than that of the uncoated carbide tool. The cutting temperatures produced when using water-based cooling and minimal quantity lubrication （MQL） were reduced by 100 ~C and 200 ~C, compared with those recorded with dry cutting, respectively. In general, the PCD tool lifetimes were 2--3 times longer than the carbide tool lifetimes. The roughness Ra of the machined surface was less than 0.6μm, and the depth of the machined surface hardened layer was in the range of 0.15-0.25 mm for all of the PCD tools before a flank wear land of 0.2 mm was reached. The PCD tool with a 0.8 mm tool nose radius, 0% rake angle, 10% flank angle, and grain size of （30＋2） μm exhibited the best cutting performance. For this specific tool, a lifetime of 16 rain can be expected.

DYNAMICS ANALYSIS OF SPECIAL STRUCTURE OF MILLING-HEAD MACHINE TOOL

The milling-head machine tool is a sophisticated and high-quality machine tool of which the spindle system is made up of special multi-element structure. Two special mechanical configurations make the cutting performance of the machine tool decline. One is the milling head spindle supported on two sets of complex bearings. The mechanical dynamic rigidity of milling head structure is researched on designed digital prototype with finite element analysis（FEA） and modal synthesis analysis （ MSA ） for identifying the weak structures. The other is the ram structure hanging on milling head. The structure is researched to get dynamic performance on cutting at different ram extending positions. The analysis results on spindle and ram are used to improve the mechanical configurations and structure in design. The machine tool is built up with modified structure and gets better dynamic rigidity than it was before.

The Extraction Method of Cutting Engagement in Ball-end Milling Simulation

Ball-end mill is widely used in workpiece processi ng with free-form surfaces. Such models that can predict processing character istics precisely are very necessary to the aim of cost reducing, quality improvi ng and productivity progressing, the cutting force prediction is the most import ant among these models. To explore the physical essence of metal cutting, model researchers commonly simplify the geometric conditions in cutting process, and a ssume that the geometric parameters that are needed to solve the physical models have already been predefined, so it results in the separation between model res earch and practical application. In this paper, for the representative cutting f orce models of ball end milling, a new extraction method of geometric parameters is suggested, which makes it possible for physical model to actually serve for the practical manufacturing, and take in the inspection of real production.

A simplified method for local tool interference detection and tool position modification during five-axis ball-end milling process

Five-axis ball-end milling is commonly used to machine the complex surfaces. Local tool interference phenomenon which often occurs in five-axis milling should be urgently solved. In this paper, a simplified method to detect the occurrence of local tool interference and modify tool position is proposed. First, the detection matrix is established to detect local tool interference at all the cutter location points on tool path simultaneously in five-axis ball-end milling of complex surfaces. The algorithm of detection matrix based on point arithmetic is simple. Secondly, the new coordinates of the modified interfering-free points are obtained precisely by using the genetic algorithm. The feasibility of the method is validated by simulation in Matlab. This research is benefit to simplify the calculation of local tool interference detection and tool position modification.

TK 5440 CNC VERTICAL BORING AND MILLING MACHINE

This machine tool produced by theQinchuan Machine Tool Worksincorporates all the commonmachining functions, and is equipped withan advanced CNC system. It can continuouslyfinish multiple working procedures such asdrilling, milling, boring, reaming and tappingwithin one clamping. Not only is it universaland efficient, but also it can machinecomplicated parts which cannot be machinedon general universal machines, such as variouskinds of precision molds, plates, disks,

NOVEL METHOD FOR DYNAMIC OPTIMIZATION OF STABILITY IN HIGH-SPEED MILLING SYSTEM

Considering the self-excited and forced vibrations in high-speed milling processes, a novel method for dynamic optimization of system stability is used to determine the cutting parameters and structural parameters by increasing the chatter free material removal rate （CF-MRR） and surface finish. The method is hased on the theory of the chatter stability and the semi-bandwidth of the resonant region. The objective function of the method is material removal rate（MRR）,the constraints are chatter stability and surface finish, and the optimizing variables are cutting and structural parameters. The optimization procedure is stated. The method is applied to a milling system and CF-MRR is increased 18.86%. It is shown that the influences of the chatter stability and the resonance are simultaneously considered in the dynamic optimization of the milling system for increasing CF-MRR and the surface finish.

INFLUENCE OF TOOL HELIX ANGLE ON STABILITY IN HIGH-SPEED MILLING PROCESS

An integrated dynamic model considering the influence of the helix angle is developed through dividing the cutting process into three cutting processes： uninterrupted, entry, and exit cutting processes. The semi-discretized technique is used to approximate the finite dimensional Floquet transition matrix of the dynamic control equation to determine the stability of milling process. The stability charts for helix mills are obtained. Results show that the helix angle plays an important role in the stability of milling process. The stability regions with helix angle become larger than those without helix angle. Some ＂islands＂ are presented in the stability charts, and ＂island＂ locations are determined by the relation between the axial depth of cut and the helix pitch. The ＂islands＂ are connected by the ＂bridge＂ by the effects of entry and exit cutting processes. The theoretical results are validated by milling experiments.

Modelling and simulation of high-speed milling chatter regeneration based on MATLAB

Considering the deficiency in milling process parameters selection, based on the modelling of dynamic milling force and the deduction of chatter stability limits, the chatter stability lobes simulation program for milling is developed with MAT- LAB. The simulation optimization application software of dynamics was designed using engineering simulation software Visio Basic. The chatter stability lobes for milling, which can be used as an instruction guide for the selection of process parameters, are simulated with frequency response functions （FRFs） gained by hammer test. The validation and accuracy of the simulation algorithm are verified by experiments. The simulation method has been used in a factory with an excellent application effect.

基于PowerMILL Vortex旋风铣与MachineDNA系统应用研究

旋风铣Vortex是Delcam最新的高速区域清除加工策略,可用于2轴、3轴、定位五轴以及残留加工。和传统高速加工方法相比,可节省多达60%的加工时间。Machine DNA是Delcam的一项最新专利技术,它可捕捉单个机床的运行特点和数据,并使用捕捉的数据来完善Power MILL产生的刀具路径[1]。旋风铣Vortex与Machine DNA的结合使粗加工效率提升的同时,最大限度地发挥机床潜能,从而可在合理安全的切削条件下实现加工效率最大化。