Assessment of Geometric Accuracy of a 5-axis CNC Machine in the Context of Machining Aircraft Transmission Housings

Abstract

This article presents a procedure whose goal was to develop an effective methodology for deploying a 5-axis milling centre in industrial conditions. The method presented in the article, based on the manufacturing of the test piece, aims to reduce the time to deploy a new machine and minimize the effort put in by technological services and maintenance during tests and the process of deploying the machine tool in production. The test piece and its position have been designed in such a way that its manufacture forces the use of complex machine movements in the extreme area of the working space. The paper presents the results of tests involving the machining of a test piece on a CNC machine, measurement of the shape and dimensional characteristics of the object using CMM and analysis of machining accuracy in the context of the use of the machine in the production of aircraft transmission bodies. The material of the test piece is the same as the material of aircraft transmission housings, i.e. aluminum alloy. The universality of presented method is due to the fact that it is independent of the size of the machine's machining space, machine kinematics and also the special functions possessed by the machine; however, it gives a representation of their operation in the form of measuring sheets from the measuring laboratory.