An analytical cutting force model for plunge milling of Ti6Al4V considering cutter runout

As one of the most efficient machining methods, plunge milling has gained more attention as a promising cutting process. This strategy is often used for roughing and semi-roughing processes for the more vibration free than other cutting operations. The motivation of this paper is that the cutting forces in plunge milling differ from that in side milling for the complex cutting condition and tool geometry. In this work, a systematic and analytical cutting force prediction model considering cutter runout for plunge milling is proposed. The detailed analysis of cutting geometry is important for modeling. The precise uncut width is calculated with consideration of the cutting step. In addition, the real-time uncut chip thickness of different inserts is calculated with consideration of the effect of cutter runout. The deduced cutting force model based on the predictive model can be used in various cutting conditions in the plunge milling process. Plunge milling tests with various cutting steps are carried out to verify the proposed model with the quantitative analysis of the results. The results indicate that the simulated results show quite good agreements with the measured cutting forces, which proves the correctness and accuracy of the proposed model.