Ball end mill cutter is widely used in precise CNC machining as a high efficiency processing tool for complex surface. On the basis of the literature review about mathematical model, grinding machining process, cutting experiment of ball end mills, and the calculation for a ball end mill, a ball end mill parametric design system is built by development technology with CATIA 3D modeling software and Visual Basic. With this system obtaining the model of the ball end mill, the simulation is processed in Third Wave AdvantEdge software.
The main contents of this paper are:
- On the basis of creating a mathematical model of a ball end mill cutting edge curve, we generate the 3D model of the cutter in CATIA. Moreover, the conditions of the engagement between the grinding wheel and rake surface to avoid interference are proposed. As a result, the grinding wheel center location and orientation axis are defined.
- A modeling program for ball end mills is developed in Visual Basic, and the parameter modification can be visualized in the interface of this program .In addition, the model is simulated in Third Wave AdvantEdge to analyze the temperature of the cutter and the cutting force distribution.