Post-machining Deformation Analysis for Virtual Machining of Thin Aluminium Alloy Parts

As product development cycles are getting shorter, faster determination of proper process conditions for the new designs and materials is increasingly important. To respond these requirements, a significant effort for cutting experiments are being replaced by simulation-based approaches called Virtual Machining (VM). Simultaneously, metal parts with thinner and smaller features being frequently used in electronic products has increased demands for precision machining of thin walls, which is vulnerable to post-machining deformation (PMD). In this study, a simulation procedure is discussed to incorporate the prediction of PMD after metal cutting into VM environments. The method uses a combination of the residual stress and thermal analysis of cutting process and the structural analysis of machined part. Machining experiments have been performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed PMD simulation as a part of VM for initial selection of the machining conditions.