Automatic cutter selection for 5-axis sculptured surface machining

In 5-axis machining, simultaneous change of tool orientation during machining affects the effective cutter shape, thus making the cutter selection difficult. In this paper, a maximum effective cutting radius approach is proposed to solve the cutter selection problem for multi-axis machining. The effective cutting radius of a tool is represented by a function of its physical tool size and the tool orientation angles, the incline angle lambda and the tilt angle omega. Optimal cutter selection is determined by geometric evaluation through the maximum effective cutting radius approach. A boundary-based approach for roughing cutter selection is also briefly discussed. The proposed methodology can be used to select cutters for the 3-, 4-, and 5-axis sculptured surface machining.