Adaptive toolpath setup to reduce machining time when milling complex shape parts

Vavruška, P.; Kasík, F.; Lomička, J.; Čermák, A.

The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 2025, ISSN 0268-3768.

This paper proposes an advanced algorithm to find the best setting of specific toolpath cutting parameters when using a milling tool with the circular cutting edge (e.g., ball-end, toroidal mills) to achieve the lowest possible milling time while obtaining the required scallop value for 3 + 2 axis milling operations. The proposed algorithm can effectively check the range of input parameters that has been set and determine the cutting angle and tool orientation to the machined surface in a combination resulting in the lowest machining time. As the algorithm is intended to serve as an additional user function for any CAM system, the second phase is used to effectively check the maximum height of the remaining material and adjust the stepover to achieve the desired maximum scallop value, while keeping the toolpath native to the specific CAM system. To verify that the required remaining material height has been obtained, a complex surface is machined as a section of the knee replacement part. Using the machined shape surface as an example, it was verified that the algorithm first found an input parameters setting that saves 11% in milling time compared to the most time-consuming parameter setting variant, and in the second (adaptive) phase, the algorithm further optimized the scallop calculation value to save another 19% in milling time, while the required maximum remaining material height on the workpiece surface was analyzed.