Mal Sudhaker, milling-area manager for GF AgieCharmilles, said there are several reasons that shops are doing more 5-axis machining:
- Multisided machining capability.
- Reduced setups.
- Easy access to all part surfaces for machining.
- Shops can use stiffer, shorter cutters.
- Optimized cutting tool use to avoid zero-cutting situations with ballnose end mills.
- The machining of parts, such as impellers, blades, blisks and those for dental and medical components, that can’t be done on threeaxis machines.
- Faster machining times because larger diameter cutters can be used for less stepovers.