Simply put, five axis machining refers to a CNC machine tool that adds two rotation axes (A, B or A, C, etc.) to the three linear axes (X, Y, Z) in three-dimensional space, allowing the cutting tool to approach the workpiece from five directions.
The core working principle of five axis machining
The charm of five axis machining lies in its “dynamic machining” ability. The core principle can be divided into two points:
One clamping, comprehensive processing: This is the biggest advantage of five axis machining. Traditional three-axis machine tools require multiple adjustments to the workpiece posture in order to process different sides, while five axis machine tools allow the tool to touch almost all surfaces of the workpiece at the optimal angle by rotating the worktable or tool head. This not only saves time, but also fundamentally eliminates the accumulated errors caused by repeated clamping.
Tool attitude optimization: When machining complex surfaces such as impellers, propellers, and mold cavities, five axis linkage can allow the tool edge to cut instead of the tip, maintaining a constant linear velocity, thereby improving surface quality, protecting the tool, and extending its service life.
Significant advantages of five axis CNC machining
Extremely high machining accuracy: avoids benchmark conversion errors caused by multiple clamping, ensuring positional accuracy between various features of complex parts.
Excellent machining efficiency: Through continuous five axis linkage, complex geometric shapes can be machined in one go, while allowing for the use of shorter tools for deep cavity machining, reducing vibration and improving cutting parameters.
Unparalleled complexity processing capability: capable of manufacturing complex parts that traditional machine tools cannot match, such as integral bladders in the aerospace industry, artificial bone joints in medical devices, etc.
Excellent surface quality: By maintaining the optimal angle between the tool and the machined surface, tool marks can be effectively avoided, resulting in a smoother surface and reducing subsequent polishing processes.
Shortening production cycle: Integrating multiple processes such as CNC milling, CNC drilling, and tapping, simplifying the production process and greatly reducing the cycle from design to finished product.
