Abstract:Taking the minimum chip thickness effect, cutter deflection, and spindle run-out into account, a micro milling force model and a method to determine the optimal micro milling parameters were developed. The micro milling force model was derived as a function of the cutting coefficients and the instantaneous projected cutting area that was determined based on the machining parameters and the rotation trajectory of the cutter edges. When an allowable micro cutter deflection is defined, the maximum allowable cutting force can be determined. The optimal machining parameters can then be computed based on the cutting force model for better machining efficiency and accuracy. To verify the proposed cutting force model and the method to determine the optimal cutting parameters, micro-milling experiments were conducted, and the results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the model and method.

Key words: micro-milling; cutting force; spindle run out; cutter deflection; optimal parameter