Cutter-location data optimization in 5-axis surface machining

Abstract A method of generating ‘optimal’ cutter-location data for 5-axis NC contour milling from given cutter-contact data is presented in the paper. The cutter-location data-optimization problem is formulated as a 2D constrained minimization problem. The cutter orientation angles consisting of the tilt angle α and yaw angle β are used as decision variables. An analytic expression for approximate cusp heights is derived as a function of α, β (for a given path interval) to be used as a measure of optimality. The proposed optimization scheme has been successfully applied in the 5-axis face milling of large marine propellers.