Effect of machining inclination angle of ball-nose end mill on surface topography

During milling process, the angle between the cutter axis and the normal of workpiece surface (i. e., machining inclination angle) is one of the main factors affecting the surface topography. Based on the trajectory equation of cutting tool, a prediction model for the machined surface topography generated by a ball-nose end mill was established with the help of MATLAB software. The effects of machining inclination angle on three-dimensional surface topography, scallop height and two-dimensional surface profiles were analyzed respectively. The accuracy of the prediction model was verified by a milling experiment with the ball-nose end mill under different machining inclination angles. It indicated that a reasonable machining inclination angle was very important to get the desirable surface topography.