Efficiency Comparison of Cutting Strategies for End Milling Processes Under Feedrate Scheduling

Technical advances in high-speed machining centers and cutting tools have made high-speed cutting a major player in manufacturing applications, but high-speed cutting provides higher machining efficiency only when machining conditions are appropriately set. In contrast, expert job shop operators often choose a heavy cutting strategy subject to higher depth of cut and a lower feedrate. Feedrate scheduling schemes are widely recognized as practically feasible for optimizing machining conditions in high-speed cutting. We compared the productivity of high-speed milling and heavy milling, assuming that using feedrate scheduling optimizes machining conditions. Possible cutting strategies are interpreted as constraints on cutting conditions or cutting performance, then machining conditions are scheduled optimally to maximize the productivity. A case study illustrates these points.