Chip form modelling and chip-forming animation in oblique cutting

The reliability of machining operation is an essential requirement in a modern production system. Chip control is one major aspect with regard to turning operation and becomes significant in industrial automation. At present, toolpath simulation is available in most computer aided manufacturing (CAM) systems. However, only the rendering scene of the stock material shape changing during cutting and the resultant part are shown. The chips formed in the machining process are not modelled or displayed in the simulation. To assess the chip control properly, many models and simulation methods were developed for predicting the chip forms produced in the cutting operation. If the chip forms can be predicted using some of the mathematical models, the design and planning of the machining operation can be greatly assisted, especially in the shop-floor level. Apart from chip form prediction, modelling of the machining process and chip formation are also issues that must be considered. To do this, a chip modelling and simulation system is proposed. Based on the machining parameters settings, the corresponding chip model can be calculated and simulated for more realistic analysis. The present paper first outlines the chip form mathematical model being used. The criteria to ensure that the theoretical model can be used to calculate the practical chip models effectively are described. Then the modelling of the chips and the simulation of the chip forming with computer graphic animation are explained. Several sets of turning parameters are used as examples to demonstrate how the corresponding chip models are calculated from the proposed system.