Generation of reciprocating tool motion in 5-axis flank milling based on particle swarm optimization

This paper proposes a novel method for generation of optimized tool path in 5-axis flank milling of ruled surfaces based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The 3D geometric problem, tool path generation, is transformed into a mathematical programming task with the machined surface error as the objective function in the optimization. This approach overcomes the limitation of greedy planning methods employed by most previous studies. By allowing the cutter to move backforward, reciprocating tool path produces smaller machining error compared with the traditional one consisting of only forward cutter movement. A cutting experiment is conducted with different tool paths and the CMMmeasurement verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.