A simulation method for free-form milling of cylindrical gears with disc cutters

Abstract

：Free-form milling is a flexible gear machining method that allows using general disc cutters to machine various gear types on a 5-axis machine tool. This paper proposes a two-dimensional simulation method for free-form milling of cylindrical gears with disc cutters. A mathematical model for free-form milling of cylindrical gears with disc cutters is constructed. By analyzing the spatial positional relationships between the cutter and the workpiece, the instantaneous contact line is derived and projected onto the gear end face, and then the projected curves are intersected to obtain the final profile. This calculation method realizes the rapid simulation of the actual cutting condition on the gear end face, which is beneficial to the judgment of machining interference and the analysis of the tooth profile accuracy during the gear machining process.