The Effect of Toolpath Strategy on Machining Time in Al6061 Pocket Milling Processes

The choice of toolpath strategy is a significant factor influencing machining time in milling a pocket with different geometry. The existence of numerous toolpath strategies necessitated an in-depth investigation into selecting the optimal toolpath for enhanced machinability performance. This study discusses the effect of the toolpath strategy on toolpath length and machining time of rectangular, circular, and triangular pockets made of aluminium alloy, Al6061. The machining parameters, such as feed rate, cutting speed, and tool offset, remain constant throughout the simulation. The machining process of the pockets involved the selection of three distinct built-in toolpath strategies from Autodesk Inventor CAM software, namely the default 2D pocket, morphed spiral, and 2D adaptive toolpath. The toolpath length and machining time of the simulated toolpath are compared. The comparison results showed that the best toolpath is the default 2D pocket toolpath due to the lowest toolpath length and machining time for all types of pockets. The 2D adaptive toolpath outperforms the morphed spiral pocket toolpath for all types of pockets. The results also show that the morphed spiral toolpath is ineffective for pockets with sharp edges.