Abstract
This paper presents a swept envelope approach to determining the tool position for 5-axis ruled surface machining. The initial tool position is traditionally located to contact the two directrices of the ruled surface. The swept profile of the tool is then determined based on the tool motion. By comparing the swept profile with the ruled surface, the tool position is corrected to avoid machining error. The cutter's swept envelope is further constructed by integrating the intermediate swept profiles and applied to NC simulation and verification. The developed method provides the explicit solution of the swept profile of a generalized cutter in 5-axis ruled surface machining. The relation of the ruled surface geometry, the tool motion, and the machining error is discussed. Therefore, the error source can be detected and avoided early during the tool path planning. The computer implementations show that the developed approach can reduce the ruled surface machining error caused by the traditional methods.
