COMPARISON OF FINISHING MILLING STRATEGIES USING TOPOGRAPHY OF THE MACHINED SURFACE

Abstract

The plastics processing and injection molding industry is known for the fact that the future molded part contains a variety of geometric shapes and, in some cases, free surfaces. To produce these shapes, knowledge of CAM systems is required to enable the programmer to select the necessary milling strategies designed to achieve the best possible quality and dimensional accuracy. However, it is equally necessary to understand and appreciate the effect of each strategy and which strategy is best suited for a given type of surface. The paper compares finishing milling strategies by evaluating the topography of the machined surface. The material was AlCu4Mg aluminium alloy, where Constant-Z and Spiral strategy – circle-type finishing strategies were selected for the production process. Surface topography analysis was evaluated and compared at three different heights of the produced part with respect to the tool contact with the machined surface, which showed a variation in toolpaths and therefore also in the quality of machining. The surface topography results demonstrated the Constant Z strategy to be the more suitable strategy for producing the shaped surface, which achieved uniform toolpaths over the whole height of the part.