Optimization of Barrel Cutter for five-axis flank-milling based on approximation of tool envelope surface

This paper fit the parameter model of barrel cutter approaching to the design surface with the spatial point cloud by approximation theory. There are two principle parameters determining the envelope surface shape of barrel cutter: the radius of the generatrix curve and the maximum rotating radius, therefore the main work in this paper is optimizing the two parameters for strip-width-maximization machining, aiming at maximizing processing bandwidth with the sum of the unsigned deviations between the cutter envelop surface and the designed surface within the allowance. Detailed analysis of the relevance between the two parameters and machining error is introduced. Then, the optimum parameters of cutter are determined through the application of the least squares method (LS). Computer implementations are presented to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.