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Complex shapes are widely used to design products in several industries such as aeronautics, automotive and domestic appliances. Several variations of their curvatures and orientations generate difficulties during their manufacturing or the machining of dies used in moulding, injection and forging. Analysis of several parts highlights two levels of difficulties between three types of shapes: prismatic parts with simple geometrical shapes, aeronautic structure parts composed of several shallow pockets and forging dies composed of several deep cavities which often contain protrusions. This paper mainly concerns High Speed Machining (HSM) of these dies which represent the highest complexity level because of the shapes' geometry and their topology. Five axes HSM is generally required for such complex shaped parts but 3 axes machining can be sufficient for dies. Evolutions in HSM CAM software and machine tools lead to an important increase in time for machining preparation. Analysis stages of the CAD model particularly induce this time increase which is required for a wise choice of cutting tools and machining strategies. Assistance modules for prismatic parts machining features identification in CAD models are widely implemented in CAM software. In spite of the last CAM evolutions, these kinds of CAM modules are undeveloped for aeronautical structure parts and forging dies. Development of new CAM modules for the extraction of relevant machining areas as well as the definition of the topological relations between these areas must make it possible for the machining assistant to reduce the machining preparation time. In this paper, a model developed for the description of complex shape parts topology is presented. It is based on machining areas extracted for the construction of geometrical features starting from CAD models of the parts. As topology is described in order to assist machining assistant during machining process generation, the difficulties associated with tasks he carried out are analyzed at first. The topological model presented after is based on the basic geometrical features extracted. Topological relations which represent the framework of the model are defined between the basic geometrical features which are gathered afterwards in macro-features. Approach used for the identification of these macro-features is also presented in this paper. Detailed application on the construction of the topological model of forging dies is presented in the last part of the paper.

Recent evolutions on forging process induce more complex shape on forging die. These evolutions, combined with High Speed Machining (HSM) process of forging die lead to important increase in time for machining preparation. In this context, an original approach for generating machining process based on machining knowledge is proposed in this paper. The core of this approach is to decompose a CAD model of complex forging die in geometric features. Technological data and topological relations are aggregated to a geometric feature in order to create machining features. Technological data, such as material, surface roughness and form tolerance are defined during forging process and dies design. These data are used to choose cutting tools and machining strategies. Topological relations define relative positions between the surfaces of the die CAD model. After machining features identification cutting tools and machining strategies currently used in HSM of forging die, are associated to them in order to generate machining sequences. A machining process model is proposed to formalize the links between information imbedded in the machining features and the parameters of cutting tools and machining strategies. At last machining sequences are grouped and ordered to generate the complete die machining process. In this paper the identification of geometrical features is detailed. Geometrical features identification is based on machining knowledge formalization which is translated in the generation of maps from STL models. A map based on the contact area between cutting tools and die shape gives basic geometrical features which are connected or not according to the continuity maps. The proposed approach is illustrated by an application on an industrial study case which was accomplished as part of collaboration.

This paper will provide a method to decompose forging dies for machining planning in the case of high speed machining finishing operations. This method lies on a machining feature approach model presented in the following paper. The two main decomposition phases, called Basic Machining Features Extraction and Process Planning Generation, are presented. These two decomposition phases integrates machining resources models and expert machining knowledge to provide an outstanding process planning.

Nowadays high speed machining (HSM) machine tool combines productivity and part quality. So mould and die maker invested in HSM. Die and mould features are more and more complex shaped. Thus, it is difficult to choose the best machining strategy according to part shape. Geometrical analysis of machining features is not sufficient to make an optimal choice. Some research show that security, technical, functional and economical constrains must be taken into account to elaborate a machining strategy. During complex shape machining, production system limits induce feed rate decreases, thus loss of productivity, in some part areas. In this paper we propose to analyse these areas by estimating tool path quality. First we perform experiments on HSM machine tool to determine trajectory impact on machine tool behaviour. Then, we extract critical criteria and establish models of performance loss. Our work is focused on machine tool kinematical performance and numerical controller unit calculation capacity. We implement these models on Esprit CAM Software. During machining trajectory creation, critical part areas can be visualised and analysed. Parameters, such as, segment or arc lengths, nature of discontinuities encountered are used to analyse critical part areas. According to this visualisation, process development engineer should validate or modify the trajectory.

Today's forging die manufacturing process must be adapted to several evolutions in machining process generation: CAD/CAM models, CAM software solutions and High Speed Machining (HSM). In this context, the adequacy between die shape and HSM process is in the core of machining preparation and process planning approaches. This paper deals with an original approach of machining preparation integrating this adequacy in the main tasks carried out. In this approach, the design of the machining process is based on two levels of decomposition of the geometrical model of a given die with respect to HSM cutting conditions (cutting speed and feed rate) and technological constrains (tool selection, features accessibility). This decomposition assists machining assistant to generate an HSM process. The result of this decomposition is the identification of machining features.

Today's High-Speed Machining (HSM) machine tool combines productivity and part quality. The difficulty inherent in HSM operations lies in understanding the impact of machine tool behaviour on machining time and part quality. Analysis of some of the relevant ISO standards (230-1998, 10791-1998) and a complementary protocol for better understanding HSM technology are presented in the first part of this paper. These ISO standards are devoted to the procedures implemented in order to study the behavior of machine tool. As these procedures do not integrate HSM technology, the need for HSM machine tool tests becomes critical to improving the trade-off between machining time and part quality. A new protocol for analysing the HSM technology impact during circular interpolation is presented in the second part of the paper. This protocol which allows evaluating kinematic machine tool behaviour during circular interpolation was designed from tests without machining. These tests are discussed and their results analysed in the paper. During the circular interpolation, axis capacities (such as acceleration or Jerk) related to certain setting parameters of the numerical control unit have a significant impact on the value of the feed rate. Consequently, a kinematic model for a circular-interpolated trajectory was developed on the basis of these parameters. Moreover, the link between part accuracy and kinematic machine tool behaviour was established. The kinematic model was ultimately validated on a bore machining simulation.

In several fields like aeronautics, die and automotive, the machining of the parts is done more and more on high speed machines tools. Today, the offer for purchasing these machine tools is very wide. This situation poses the problem of the judicious and objective choice meeting industrial needs that must be necessary well expressed. The choice remains difficult insofar as the technical data provided to the customers by the manufacturers of machine tools are insufficient as well quantitatively as qualitatively. In this paper we present a protocol for the characterization of machines tools in order to direct the choice. The protocol is based on the one hand on no-load complementary tests to those recommended by the standards ISO 230 and ISO 10791 and on the other hand on the tests in load on a part test. In the first part, we present the industrial needs as well as an analysis of the technical data of machine tools. The second part is devoted to the study of the standards, the description of the protocol and the presentation of the results.

The paper deals with associating the optimal machining strategy to a given pocket geometry, within the context of High-Speed Machining (HSM) of aeronautical pockets. First we define different classes of pocket features according to geometrical criteria. Following, we propose a method allowing to associate a set of capable tools to the features. Each capable tool defines a machined zone with a specific geometry. The last part of the paper is thus dedicated to associate the optimal machining strategy to a given geometry within the context of HSM. Results highlight that analyses must be conducted in a dynamical as well as a geometrical viewpoint. In particular, it becomes necessary to integrate dynamical specifities associated to the behavior of the couple machine/NC unit in the tool path calculation.