Experimental analysis of dimensional error vs. cycle time in high-speed milling of aluminium alloy

Manufacturers of machined aluminium parts are among the principal users of high-speed milling. The excellent machinability of aluminium allows this technology to be used with severe cutting conditions, and at the same time permits the machining of complex shapes. There are many factors influencing the quality of manufactured aluminium parts and the economics of the manufacturing process, but little corresponding data is available, making process planning enormously difficult. The aim of the work presented in this article is to experimentally analyse the influence of some of these factors, specifically the feed rate, the type of interpolation and the toolholder, on the dimensional accuracy of the product and the cycle time. Design of experiments (DoE) is used to determine which experiments have to be conducted to obtain a mathematical model that relates the mentioned factors with the responses. The results show that the toolholder has considerable influence over dimensional accuracy and that the type of interpolation appreciably affects the cycle time. Details of the first-order interactions between factors have been included. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.