| The introduction of numerically controlled machines in the 1950s dramatically changed the manufacturing area. However, even after years of research and development, process engineers rely on years of manufacturing experience to choose appropriate cutting parameters. Moreover, due to manufacturing deadlines, the user has to choose between limited tool paths which are provided by Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) packages. These tool paths are not necessarily optimal with respect to some parameters such as machining time, cutting force, chattering, material removal rate, surface quality, etc. Automation of this whole process to generate the best tool path with respect to the geometrical and machining parameters can lead to more productive manufacturing with higher quality and throughput.;A new digital-based model is presented for the prediction of cutting forces and stability lobe diagrams in 3-axis CNC milling of surfaces. The model uses an algorithm to detect the work-piece/cutter intersection domain automatically for given cutter location (CL), cutter and work-piece geometries. The algorithm uses a voxelization framework to voxelize the cutter as well as the work-piece and detect tool engagement based on the intersection of voxels between them. Furthermore, an analytical approach is used to calculate the cutting forces and stability lobe diagrams based on the discretized model.;The results of cutting force model validation experiments on machining PMMA, Aluminum 6061 and Stainless Steel 304 are also reported. The stability lobe diagrams prediction is compared with the existing models as well. Comparisons of the predicted and measured forces and stability lobe diagrams show that this digital approach can be used to accurately predict forces and stability lobe diagrams during machining. The broader impact of this work is that off-line feed-rate scheduling can be accomplished with a digital framework. |
