Micromilling strategies: optimization issues

Micromilling is one of the technologies widely used to manufacture microstructures and tooling inserts for microinjection moulding and hot embossing. A number of manufacturing constraints remain that limit the application of this technology. One of these constraints is that the existing machining strategies are not appropriate for the manufacture of features that are common in micro parts. This paper discusses an approach for optimizing these strategies. The aim is to provide users of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) systems with tools enabling them to generate cutter paths that take into account the specific conditions arising during micromilling. The paper studies the advantages and disadvantages of using different machining strategies for micromilling and then verifies their capabilities experimentally. Also, an approach is proposed for storing and re-using expert knowledge about micromachining strategies associated with different feature types.