Postprocessor development for ultrasonic cutting of honeycomb core curved surface with a straight blade

Abstract

When ultrasonically cutting honeycomb core curved parts, the tool face of the straight blade must be along the curved surface’s tangent direction at all times to ensure high-quality machining of the curved surface. However, given that the straight blade is a nonstandard tool, the existing computer-aided manufacturing technology cannot directly realize the above action requirement. To solve this problem, this paper proposed an algorithm for extracting a straight blade real-time tool face vector from a 5-axis milling automatically programmed tool location file, which can realize the tool location point and tool axis vector conversion from the flat end mill to the straight blade. At the same time, for the multi-solution problem of the rotation axis, the dependent axis rotation minimization algorithm was introduced, and the spindle rotation algorithm was proposed for the tool edge orientation problem when the straight blade is used to machine the curved part. Finally, on the basis of the MATLAB platform, the dependent axis rotation minimization algorithm and spindle rotation algorithm were integrated and compiled, and the straight blade ultrasonic cutting honeycomb core postprocessor was then developed. The model of the machine tool and the definition of the straight blade were conducted in the VERICUT simulation software, and the simulation machining of the equivalent entity of the honeycomb core can then be realized. The correctness of the numerical control program generated by the postprocessor was verified by machining and accuracy testing of the two designed features. Observation and analysis of the simulation and experiment indicate that the tool pose is the same under each working condition, and the workpieces obtained by machining also meet the corresponding accuracy requirements. Therefore, the postprocessor developed in this paper can be well adapted to the honeycomb core ultrasonic cutting machine tool and realize high-quality and high-efficient machining of honeycomb core composites.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

honeycomb core / straight blade / ultrasonic cutting / tool pose / postprocessor

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Nomenclature

Abbreviations
APT	Automatically programmed tool
CAM	Computer-aided manufacturing
CNC	Computer numerical control
MCS	Machine coordinate system
NC	Numerical control
RCCS	Rotation center coordinate system
RCS	Reference coordinate system
RTCP	Rotating tool center point
TCS	Tool coordinate system
WCS	Workpiece coordinate system
Variables
a	Projection value of the vector w′ on the X-axis
A	Angle of the tool rotating around the X-axis
A1, A2	First and second solutions of angle A, respectively
Au	Ultrasonic amplitude
b	Projection of the vector {\mathit{w}}^{\prime } on the Y-axis
c	Projection of the vector {\mathit{w}}^{\prime } on the Z-axis
C	Angle of the tool rotating around the Z-axis
C1, C2, C3, C4	First, second, third, and fourth solutions of angle C, respectively
d	Half-length of the bottom edge of the straight blade
d	Unit direction vector along the bottom edge to tool location point O
D	Tool location point vector of the flat end mill
e	Radius along the tool face vector w from point D
E	Intersection vector between the flat end mill and the workpiece surface
f	Vibration frequency
F	Cross product of tool face vectors 3 and 4
FZ	z-coordinate value of the vector F
G	Direction vector of the bottom edge of the straight blade
G′	Unit vector of G
H	Machine tool spindle rotation angle value
i	Projection of the tool axis vector QW on the X-axis
i′	Projection of the flat end mill axis vector t on the X-axis
i″	Projection of the straight blade axis vector T on the X-axis
j	Projection of the tool axis vector QW on the Y-axis
j′	Projection of the flat end mill axis vector t on the Y-axis
j″	Projection of the straight blade axis vector T on the Y-axis
k	Projection of the tool axis vector QW on the Z-axis
k′	Projection of the flat end mill axis vector t on the Z-axis
k″	Projection of the straight blade axis vector T on the Z-axis
L	Tool swing length
O	Tool location point vector of the straight blade
P1, P2, P3, P4	First, second, third, and fourth feature points of Feature 1, respectively
P	Tool location point vector in the RCS
PW	Tool location point vector in the WCS
Q	Tool axis vector in the RCS
QW	Tool axis vector in the WCS
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4	First, second, third, and fourth feature points of Feature 2, respectively
r = [r1, r2]	Tangent vector of the adjacent two tool location point lines
R	Rotation matrix of the flat end mill axis vector t rotating around w
RA	Rotation matrix for tool rotation around the X-axis
RC	Rotation matrix for tool rotation around the Z-axis
t = [t1, t2, t3]	Tool axis vector of the flat end mill in each position
T	Tool axis vector of the straight blade
TS	Homogeneous coordinate matrix of the translation axis of the machine tool
TL	Homogeneous coordinate matrix of tool pendulum length
vf	Feed speed
w	Flat end mill neutral surface vector
w′	Unit vector of w
w1	Tool face vector in the initial state
w3	Tool face vector after the tool rotation angles A and C
x	Projection of the tool location point vector PW on the X-axis
X	Coordinate of the machine tool in the X direction
y	Projection of the tool location point vector PW on the Y-axis
Y	Coordinate of the machine tool in the Y direction
z	Projection of the tool location point vector PW on the Z-axis
Z	Coordinate of the machine tool in the Z direction
θ	Half of the angle between the two sides of the cutting edge

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U20A20291).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2023 Higher Education Press