Exploration of Influential Parameters for Speed Control Ofthe Flexible Blade Cutting Processabstract

Flexible blade cutting applied on thick layers of foam is very feasible for creating large sized physical models. The heated tool is set and moved in a circumferential tool motion along the front face of the layer. During these primary motions the cutting tool is positioned in order to ensure the best tool position and tool orientation for the cutting process. The adjustment of the tool position and tool orientation will introduce speed components, which will affect the cutting process. The principle of FF-TLOM cutting is to manufacture a foam layer under precise speed control. For a successful cutting process it is needed to check that no part of the cutting blade exceeds the maximum and/or minimum speed as defined for the FF-TLOM process.In this paper the secondary tool adjustments, like change in pitch, roll and yaw, are explored and the impact on the speed control is defined. The influence is first elaborated for the case of a straight cutting blade. Then the effects of a deflected or curved blade are estimated. A separation is made in a speed component along the depth of the blade and perpendicular to the blade. The speed control is influenced by an amount of parameters, making the cutting process very complex. The paper does not provide an applicable method of speed control, more research is needed to implement the adjustments into an optimized calculation method.