Speaking of the characteristics of the 5-axis machine, it is necessary to compare it with the traditional 3-axis equipment. Three-axis processing equipment is relatively common in production, and there are several forms such as vertical, horizontal and gantry. Common processing methods include end mill end cutting and side cutting. The profiling of ball nose knives, etc. However, no matter which form and method have a common feature, that is, the direction of the tool axis remains unchanged during the machining process, and the machine tool can only realize the Cartesian coordinates of the tool in space through the interpolation of the three linear axes of X, Y, and Z. movement in the system. Therefore, in the face of the following products, the disadvantages of low efficiency of three-axis machine tools, poor surface quality and even inability to process are exposed.
Compared with three-axis CNC machining equipment, 5-axis CNC machines have the following six advantages:
1. 5-axis Machine Maintain the best cutting state of the tool and improve the cutting conditions
As shown in the figure above, in the three-axis cutting method in the left figure, when the cutting tool moves to the top or the edge of the workpiece, the cutting state gradually deteriorates. To maintain optimal cutting conditions here, too, a rotating table is required. And if we want to completely machine an irregular plane, we must rotate the table several times in different directions. It can be seen that the five-axis machine tool can also avoid the situation where the linear velocity of the center point of the ball end mill is 0, and obtain better surface quality.
2. Effectively avoid tool interference
As shown in the figure above, for parts such as impellers, blades and integral blisks used in the aerospace field, the three-axis equipment cannot meet the process requirements due to interference. The five-axis machine tool can satisfy. At the same time, the five-axis machine tool can also use shorter tools for processing, which improves the rigidity of the system, reduces the number of tools, and avoids the generation of special tools. For our business owner, it means that the five-axis machine tool will save you money in terms of tool cost!
3. Reduce the number of clamping, complete five-sided processing in one clamping
Five-axis machining centers can also reduce datum conversion and improve machining accuracy. In actual processing, only one clamping is required, and the processing accuracy is more easily guaranteed. At the same time, due to the shortening of the process chain and the reduction of the number of equipment in the five-axis machining center, the number of fixtures, workshop floor space and equipment maintenance costs are also reduced. This means you can use fewer fixtures, less floor space and less maintenance costs to complete more efficient and higher quality machining!
4. Improve process quality and efficiency
The five-axis machine can use the tool side edge cutting, and the processing efficiency is higher.
5. Shorten the production process chain and simplify production management
The complete machining of the five-axis CNC machine greatly shortens the production process chain, which can simplify production management and planning scheduling. The more complex the workpiece, the more obvious its advantages over traditional production methods with decentralized processes.
6. Shorten the development cycle of new products
For enterprises in aerospace, automobile and other fields, some new product parts and forming molds have complex shapes and high precision requirements. Therefore, five-axis CNC machining centers with high flexibility, high precision, high integration and complete processing capabilities can It can well solve the problems of precision and cycle of complex parts processing in the process of new product development, greatly shorten the development cycle and improve the success rate of new products.
In general, five-axis machine tools have too many advantages, but five-axis machine tool control, CNC system, CAM programming and post-processing are also much more complicated than three-axis machine tools!
