Effect of Optimization Software on Part Shape Accuracy and Production Times during Rough Milling of Aluminum Alloy

Reducing production costs during machining processes can be implemented in several ways, including various methods of cutting parameters optimization. The aim of the described research was to evaluate the effectiveness of software that optimizes the NC (Numerical Control) code generated from a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) system. The experiments were carried out in rough milling. For the experiment, a sample with five pockets was designed and fabricated using the original NC programs from the CAM system and optimized NC programs. Evaluated criteria were the impact on the accuracy of the produced surfaces and degree of production time savings. When using the optimization software, despite more intensive cutting conditions, deviations on the side surfaces of the pockets were reduced from 3 to 23%. On the horizontal surfaces, for two pockets, there was an increase in deviations of a maximum of 7.8%, and for the remaining three pockets, there was a decrease in deviations ranging from 8.3 to 36%. The optimized NC programs achieved time savings ranging from 12.8 to 15.9%. This knowledge is important for manufacturers, as it allows shortening production times and thereby reducing related costs.