Tool-path planning based on iso-scallop for plunge milling in pocket walls manufacture

Because of its high axial rigidity and metal removal rate, plunge milling is employed for pocket walls roughing in aircraft framework manufacturing and dies-and-molds industry. A new method of tool-path planning for plunge milling based on constant scallop height is presented in this paper to determine the proper interval between two adjacent CC (cutter contact) points. The objective is to keep the scallop height constant across the machined surface such that the number of CL (cutter location) points are minimized, while keeping machined surface within given error. The mathematical model is experimentally validated by computer simulation test. Results indicate that iso-scallop machining achieves the specified machining accuracy with fewer CL points than existing tool path generation approaches. In a word, the proposed method offers an efficient solution for plunge milling tool path scheduling on pocket walls.