Geometric Simulation of Ball-End Milling Operations

In this paper, B-rep solid modeling techniques are used to deal with geometric modeling issues encountered in ball-end milling simulation. The precise B-rep model of the cutter swept volume is developed using advanced sweeping/skinning techniques. Semi-finishing operations are simulated by performing consecutive Boolean operations between the updated part and swept volume. The instantaneous chip geometry is accurately and reliably extracted from the B-rep model of the updated part. Also, the material removal in ball-end milling is precisely simulated for finishing operations, in order to construct the feed-mark and scallop geometries. The validity of the final model is confirmed by comparing the predicted feed-mark profile with experimental measurements. The system developed can be used to verify and optimize NC codes, thus contributing to improving reliability, accuracy, and productivity in CNC machining.