Mitigation of cutting point deviation by generating provisional corrugations during milling of thin walls

Abstract The nominal cutting contour for the thin wall deviates in response to the cutting forces during the end milling process. Elimination of mass in the milling process links to loss of stiffness, which favors the wall to deflect and promote error. This article proposes a novel way of generating rigidity during the process of milling. The tool paths were drafted to mill away mass in the central region and make corrugations at the edges simultaneously. This approach mitigated the thin wall deformation. Comparison experiments were conducted to analyze between open wall conventional type (OWC) and end corrugated pillar type (ECP). Force polygons were constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of machining. The experiments resulted in 36% more effectiveness in up milling and with 93% in down milling. An increase in the cutting effectiveness exhibited error-free and minimized cutting point deviation at the top of the wall. Eventually, the error diminished as the tool traversed to the bottom edge of the wall.