Tool Path Planning And Orientation Optimization For High Speec Milling Of Mold Surface With Toroidal Cutter

High-Speed Machining, with the characteristics of efficient, high quality and low consumption, becomes the core technology in mold manufacturing. Currently, the research about mold manufacturing is focused on high-speed cutting with different materials and test for tool path planning. Tool path, tool position and orientation, feeding method and federate are the main factors in order to reduce tool wear, extend tool life and improve the efficiency of surface processing accuracy. This paper presents the method about tool path planning and tool orientation optimization with Toroidal milling cutter. Tool path generation mechanism and optimization algorithms were explored too. The main work and achievements are summarized as follows:Basing on the tool path planning theory domestic and abroad, the topology and parameters of the path, studied traditional methods, such as scallop height method, iso-parametric method and C-space method, we concluded that the initial tool path was generated basing on the boundary of the surface using traditional methods. The generation of a new tool path will mostly rely on the former one. So, the machining error is inevitable. Further more, it may be added and magnified in the last tool path, which affects the machine precision and efficiency seriously.According to the local geometry of the Toroidal cutter and the mold surface, this paper presents basing on Machining Potential Field Method to optimize the initial tool path considering both the conditions of maximum cutting efficiency and average machine width. So, the dependence between two adjacent tool paths is greatly reduced. And the magnified errors can be avoided effectively, which plays more advantages in five-axis CNC machining.Considering the profile parameters of Toroidal cutter, this paper describes the tool swept surface and swept profile in high-speed milling. The relationship between the cutter and the surface can be translated from face-face into line-face. Basing on the types of interference and check technology, this paper subjects a tangent formula on the condition of avoiding interference. Further more, according to the principle of matched by the curvature, we can adjust the tool inclination angle and slip angle to obtain the optimum tool orientation with non-interference. This method can make the tool swept profile approach to the surface maximum to get the maximum machined width.By the analysis of geometry characteristics, tool path planning, tool orientation and software simulation, the results shows that the algorithm suggested by this paper can improve the quality of tool path planning, optimize the tool orientation and enhance the efficiency of machining.