Simulation and analysis of error impact on freeform surface milling

The challenge in the milling of freeform surfaces lies in the enhancement of surface quality as well as the reduction of production time and cost. Freeform surface milling processes have been analysed and contrasted, to identify and quantify the decisive factors that significantly influence the productivity and the workpiece quality. The focus has been on monitoring, simulating and quantifying error sources which affect the manufacturing accuracy. The error sources have been separately examined and modelled so as to assign their proportional impact on product quality. The impact of the interpolation method on the tool path accuracy has been analysed, the dynamic behaviour has been simulated, and the CNC process data and the process forces have been monitored. The monitored and measured data have been synchronized in the time domain for each experimental freeform surface milling process and used as input for geometric machining simulations. To evaluate the virtual machining approach, the quality of the virtual products obtained has been compared to the quality of the real products. Furthermore, the proportion of each considered error source could be related to the deviations measured in particular regions of the machined surface.