Removing Tool Marks for Impellers in Five-Axis Machining With Improved Interference-Free Tool Paths

Abstract

The paper deals with the procedure of removing a gouge phenomenon on impeller surfaces in 5-axis machining. That is, when an impeller of a centrifugal compressor is being cut, tool marks on its surfaces may exist in finish milling due to reverse movements of moving axes along a 5-axis interference-free tool path. For generating interference-free cutter location (CL) data needed in rough and semi-finish 5-axis cutting processes, first, a simple yet useful approach is proposed. To identify the potential gouge area and to solve the problem for a tool path having reverse motion directions with its moving axes in finish milling, the CL data are further smoothed to remove the reverse movements about its rotating and tilting axes. The effectiveness of this procedure has been experimentally confirmed by successful 5-axis finish milling of an impeller without leaving tool marks on its surfaces.