5-Axis Flank Milling of Sculptured Surfaces

This chapter covers the various free-form surface flank milling strategies available, focusing in particular on those for ruled surfaces as widely used in defining turbomachine parts. All these positionings seek to reduce interference between the cutting tool and the surface to be milled so as to respect the tolerances dictated by the Design Office. The range of strategies presented goes from the simplest, using analytical positioning on a particular rule, through to complex procedures defined using global numerical methods that calculate the toolpath in its entirety. Approaches adapted to conical and half-barrel cutter geometries are also addressed. Machining of free-form surfaces is considered from two differing perspectives: either considering a free-form surface to be a set of ruled surfaces onto which the previously mentioned methods are applied, or studying the differential geometry of the cutters and surfaces.