Abstract

Complex shapes such as medical implants or injection molds require the use of super-finishing operations to minimize geometrical defects, down to mirror effect finish. These pre-polishing and polishing operations are still regularly performed manually by skilled workers. In spite of advantages in terms of repeatability, productivity and geometrical quality, automatic polishing methods are not widely used because they require systematic and significant developments.
The present work contributes to enhance the automatic polishing process compared to the geometric quality of the parts. To achieve this control, a numerical simulation of material removal is implemented. This software simulates the material removal during a pre-polishing operation performed on 5-axis machining center. It is based on a contact model obtained between the pre-polishing tool and the part, as well as an abrasive model including wear of the disc. This simulation allows to check the uniformity of the material removal on the surface and to identify potential areas where macro-geometric defects appear.
A method is also proposed to balance variations of the abrasive efficiency. The correction is performed by optimizing the federate and/or the spindle speed along the tool path. This method provides a constant material removal and reduces the geometrical deviations generated during pre-polishing operations.