Design philosophy of an ultra-precision fly cutting machine tool for KDP crystal machining and its implementation on the structure design

This paper presents the design philosophy of an ultra-precision fly cutting machine tool from the machining material properties and the processing requirements points of view. Three configurations of the machine tool are proposed and compared from the aspect of the proposed design philosophy. The design philosophy has been applied to guide the development of the key machine components as well as an experimental prototype. In order to improve the dynamic performances of the machine tool, the influence of the main components on the tool–workpiece structural loop is analyzed, and the weak structural component is optimized. Preliminary machining trials have been carried out. The test results make a further proof and validate that the design philosophy proposed in this article can assure the high performance of the developed ultra-precision fly cutting machine tool for producing large diameter optics.