Study of optimal cutting condition for energy efficiency improvement in ball end milling with tool-workpiece inclination

Reduced energy consumption is critical in industrial applications. In this manuscript, we report our findings on cutting condition improvement for 5-axis machine tools, specifically addressing tool angles and cutting speed in an effort to reduce energy consumption. An optimized inclined angle is determined by cutting experiments to reduce energy consumption and the basis of results are investigated. Workpieces produced under standard and improved cutting conditions are compared to verify the effects of lowered energy consumption. (C) 2012 CIRP.