The Profile Design and Multi-Axis NC Machining of Cylindrical Cam with Boat-Shape Follower

In this paper, the method for design and machining of the cylindrical cam with boat-shape follower is established based on the differential geometry and the conjugate theory. The notion of the interference-free toolpath generating method is that the cutting tool is confined within the meshing element and the motion of the cutting tool follows the meshing element. In the machining process, the cutter location for rough and finish machining using cylindrical-end mill is derived and the cutting path sequences with the minimum lead in and lead out are planned. In order to establish the interface between the design and the manufacture of cylindrical cam, the postprocessor for multi-axis machine tool is developed. The cutting simulations with solid model are performed to verify the proposed toolpath generation method. It is also verified through the real cut with medium-carbon steel on a four-axis turn-mill machine tool.