Trends in Aerospace development have led to thin-walled, reduced-weight engine designs. The demands in manufacturing have forced production speeds and material removal rates (MRR) to increase. As component wall thickness gets thinner, the consequence oftentimes is an increase in chatter vibrations. This paper suggests that a correctly chosen tool-to-workpiece offset geometry may lead to a robust and chatter free process. The results show the differences in force response for three geometries while varying the height overhang of the workpiece. This is part of a concerted effort to develop a robust methodology for the prediction of chatter vibrations during milling operations of thin-walled Aerospace components. This paper gives guidelines on how to accomplish robust machining practices. It also answers the following questions: How critical is the choice of offset between tool and workpiece during milling setup? And what effects do the entry and exit of cut have on system vibrations?

Recent developments in the Aerospace industry have led to thin-walled, reduced-weight engine designs. Due to demands in manufacturing, production speeds and material removal rates (MRR) have increased. As component wall thickness gets thinner, the consequence oftentimes is an increase in chatter vibrations. This paper suggests that a correctly chosen tool-to-workpiece offset geometry may lead to a robust and chatter-free process. The results show the differences in force response for three geometries while varying the overhang of the workpiece. This is part of a concerted effort to develop a robust methodology for the prediction of chatter vibrations during milling operations of thin-walled Aerospace components. This paper outlines certain robust machining practices. It also analyzes the criticality of the choice of offset between tool and workpiece during milling setup as well as the effects that the entry and exit of cut have on system vibrations.

During milling of thin-walled components, chatter vibrations give rise to process issues. These include dimensional inaccuracy, damaged and scrap parts, and damaged cutting tools. This, in turn, leads to loss of production time with increasing cost as a consequence. This paper identifies the force profile during a single cut milling process. It focuses on the exit and post-exit behavior of the cut and discusses the process dynamics. The force profiles of various tool-to-workpiece positions are analyzed as regards the exit and post exit phases. A standard on-the-market cutter and a specially designed zero rake cutter are used in the investigation. Finally, a time-domain simulation of the force is performed and compared to the experimental results. The study concludes that a small change in exit angle may result in a considerable improvement in cutting behavior. In addition, the tool position should be chosen so that the cutter exits in the least flexible direction possible for the workpiece.