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ModuleWorks has successfully tested its latest calculation strategies for rotary and geodesic machining using a barrel mill finishing tool. The trial was conducted at the Hommel and Okuma Technology Center in Langenau, Germany, on an Okuma Multus-B200W multitasking CNC machine. The selected workpiece was a spiral mandrel distributor, which presented a realistic challenge for multi-axis milling algorithms.

The trial focused on testing barrel mill machining strategies for pre-finishing the walls of workpieces. The barrel shape of the selected finishing tool generated smaller cusps and delivered a quality surface finish. It used large stepovers that accelerated the machining process. A taper barrel tool improved performance further, since workpiece walls were machined using the large barrel section of the tool and the inner corners using the tip.

Deburring was performed using ModuleWorks’ deburring cycle, which automatically creates a tool path for spherical-tip tools along all sharp edges of a workpiece. Because of this, machine operators did not need to manually adjust the conventional generic toolpath strategies. Instead, operators selected the entire workpiece. Then, the algorithm automatically found its edges and applied automatic tilting to calculate a collision-free tool path.

“Multi-axis rotary machining is technically very challenging, and it’s exciting to see how our new toolpath strategies for barrel mill tools significantly enhance both the efficiency and the quality of the machining process”, says David Plater, Technical Director at ModuleWorks.