Date of Publication :17th March 2023

Abstract: Pocketing is a common machining operation used in several industrial applications such as aeronautic, automotive, biomedical, shipbuilding, and die/mold fabrication. In pocket machining of sculptured parts, tool path creation is a vital step influencing overall machining performance. In the present study, the impact of employing different tool path strategies during pocket milling of different pocket geometries of aluminum Al 5083 alloy is experimentally investigated to evaluate the process performance in terms of surface roughness and machining time. Master CAM software has been used to select pocket milling tool path strategies: zigzag, constant overlap spiral, parallel spiral, parallel spiral with clean corners, true spiral, and one-way strategy. Three complex pocket geometries with different shapes, sizes, and interior islands have been milled and examined. Actual CNC and CAM simulated machining times are compared as well. The results indicate that the geometry of a pocket is directly proportional to its surface roughness. Parallel spiral generated the best surface finish, and the zigzag strategy achieved less machining times for all the pocket geometries

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