Abstract
The finishing of die and mold is a typical time-consuming work piece in production. The authors propose the FREEDOM (Free Dominant Machining) method, which avoids using the dead center point of the ball-nose rotating machining tool by the addition of a rotational axis of the machining tool tilted from the center of the device. Application of ELID-grinding to the developed process is expected to realize highly efficient finishing of high quality free form surfaces. To put the FREEDOM method to practical application for die and mold finishing, the authors devised the "FLEX-DO!" TOOL unit, which can be attached to a conventional NC milling machine easily, and successfully confirmed stable and reasonable performances in the grinding of steel work pieces for mold using different grit cast iron bonded wheels.
