A fuzzy basis material removal optimization strategy for sculptured surface machining using ball-nosed cutters

Optimizing the efficiency in cutting a sculptured surface using numerically controlled machining techniques needs to carefully consider the relationship between cutting edges and surface geometry. The actual cutting speed at the cutting edges of a ball-nosed cutter is a dependent parameter to the surface gradient of the machined surface. A fuzzy basis material removal optimization approach was suggested to compensate the variation of cutting speed due to the change of gradient on the sculptured surface in machining process. In this approach, a constant cutting force is maintained by adjusting the cutting feedrate for each cutting point in considering other machining parameters, such as tool life and surface gradient. The results from a machining trial indicated that the total amount of removed material collected at a fixed time interval with feedrate adjustment from the machined surface was about 41% more than the surface machined at a constant feedrate. In considering computational time, using the fuzzy ...