Methods, Systems, And Devices For Designing and Manufacturing Flank Millable Components

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for designing and manufacturing flank millable components. In one embodiment, devices, systems, and methods for designing a flank millable component are provided, in which a user is notified when a component geometry option is selected that will result in the component not being flank millable. In another embodiment, the user is prevented from selecting a geometry option that would result in the component not being flank millable. In yet another embodiment, devices, systems, and methods are provided for manufacturing a component with a flank milling process, in which optimized machine instructions are determined that minimize milling machine motion.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA[0001]This application is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 720,166, filed Oct. 30, 2012, entitled “System and Method of Flank Milling a Turbo-Machinery Blade Using Ruled Surfaces,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention generally relates to the field of design and manufacture of components. In particular, the present invention is directed to the design of flank millable components and methods of determining milling instructions for flank milling components.BACKGROUND[0003]In a typical turbomachinery component design process, a turbomachinery component can be designed using computer automated design (CAD) software that can be used to generate a dataset representing the shape of the component. Computer automated manufacturing (CAM) software can then be used to translate the data set into a series of machining instructions that will be used to manufacture the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]In yet another implementation, the present disclosure is directed a method of flank milling a component. The method includes providing a component-geometry subroutine capable of determining a surface geometry of a flank millable component, said component-geometry subroutine configured to notify a user of said sub-routine when the user selects a geometry option that will result in the component not being flank millable, providing a machine-instruction subroutine capable of converting a surface geometry calculated by said component-geometry subroutine into machine instructions for machining a flank millable component with the cutter of a milling machine, and said machine-instruction subroutine configured to calculate machine instructions that result in minimal milling machine motion by simultaneously minimizing the motion of the milling machine in both azimuthal and polar directions.

Problems solved by technology

Flank milling, however, can only be used to machine certain geometries and state of the art turbomachinery components often have very complex shapes.

This high degree of flexibility can lead to the design of a component that will be difficult or impossible to flank mill.

The designer, however, may not realize he or she has designed a component that cannot be flank milled until very late in the design process, for example, not until prototyping or manufacturing.

At that point the designer is in an undesirable position choosing between proceeding with a less efficient and more costly manufacturing process such as point milling, or going back and re-designing the component.

And even if a flank millable geometry is input into the CAM software, the machine instructions calculated by the CAM program can result in excessive machine motion and undesirably long machining times.

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