Kinematic Analysis and Simulation of an A/C Axes Bi-rotary Milling Head with Zero Transmission

Because of the flexible kinematic characteristic of five-axis-linkage machining center it is widely used to process complex parts. The milling head is the key functional component of the five-axis machining center, therefore study of the milling head is of vital importance. The A/C axes bi-rotary milling head is the most common used structures. The current mechanical A/C axes bi-rotary milling head is mostly with large volume and small rotation range. This paper presents an A/C axes bi-rotary milling head with zero transmission in small volume. To understand the kinetic characteristics of the A/C axes bi-rotary milling head with zero transmission, we apply D-H parameter method to establish displacement equations, speed equations, and acceleration equations. SolidWorks is then utilized to build the virtual prototyping model of the designed mechanism. Motion module of SolidWorks is also used to carry out the kinematics simulation. The experimental results show that the mechanism could achieve the rotation of A/C axes and smooth motion trajectory. The rotation range of A-axis could reach +/- 120 degrees