Abstract: The profile of a barrel cutter is a cutting segment with a large radius. This arc segment enables larger step-overs while remaining satisfied surface roughness, and it allows the cutter to tilt away from the part surface by changing the position of the contact point on the cutting segment, avoiding the collisions of the barrel cutter with the part. Hence, barrel cutters are suitable for blisk surface milling. The shortest path algorithm is usually utilized in most existing smoothing methods of generating collision-free rotary axes movements. The optimization problem must be converted from a continuous problem into a discrete problem when using the shortest path algorithm, and reducing the sampling interval will improve the obtained solution. However, it will require extensive computations. To solve this shortcoming, two strategies to reduce the computation time of the shortest path algorithm are proposed, and a smooth flank milling tool path generation method for blisk surfaces with barrel cutters is developed accordingly. This method smooths the tool tip trajectory and the rotary axes movements simultaneously. Numerical examples and the machining test are carried out to confirm the validity of the proposed approach.

Key words: barrel cutters, smooth tool path, blisk surface, shortest path algorithm