Optimization of Cutting Path for Minimizing Workpiece Displacement at the Cutting Point: Changing the Material Removal Process, Feed Direction, and Tool Orientation

The vibrations of a workpiece during machining shorten the tool life and deteriorate the surface roughness in cases where the workpieces have a low stiffness (as is the case with artificial hip joints). In this paper, we propose a method to reduce the vibrations of the workpiece at the cutting point; this method is based on an algorithm that generates a cutting path to minimize workpiece displacements. The generation of the cutting path takes into account the workpiece stiffness, cutting force vectors, the material removal process, feed directions, and tool orientation. The cutting path generation algorithm generates cutting path strategies based on the relationships among cutting force vectors, feed directions, and tool orientation, all of which are measured with machining experiments.