Smart tool path generation for 5-axis ball-end milling of sculptured surfaces using process models

•Process simulations are used in tool path generation for 5-axis surface milling.•Use of continuously variable depth of cut strategy is demonstrated.•Variable stock finishing is demonstrated opposed to constant stock finishing.•Major cycle time reduction is shown by stability based cutting depth adjustment. Efficient 5-axis milling of free form surfaces required smart parameter selection and tool path generation approaches. Current computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology offers limited flexibility and assistance for such purposes, where purely geometrical issues are considered. Consequently, the generated tool path may be off the high-performance milling parameters. In 5-axis milling, the efficient process parameter set usually vary along the tool path due to varying engagement conditions because of inherent reasons. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for identification of efficient surface milling parameters according to the variation of cutting forces and stability along the tool path, and then continuously implementation of these parameters for smart tool path generation, obeying the geometrical requirements. The proposed approach is applied on representative cases relevant to industrial applications to demonstrate the benefits. It is shown that, use of process simulations in tool path planning and generation offers significant benefits in decreasing the total cycle time in 5-axis milling.