Abstract
Five-axis machine tools are designed in a large variety of kinematic con.gurations and structures. Regardless of the type of the intended analysis, a kinematic model of the machine tool has to be developed in order to determine the translational and rotational joint movements required to achieve a speci.ed position and orientation of the cutting tool relative to the workpiece. A
generic and uni.ed model is developed in this study as a viable alternative to the particular solutions that are only applicable to individual machine con.gurations. This versatile model is then used to verify the feasibility of the two rotational joints within the kinematic chain of three main types of .ve-axis machine tools: the spindle rotating, rotary table, and hybrid type. A numerical measure of total translational joint movement is proposed to evaluate the kinematic performance of a .ve-axis machine tool. The corresponding kinematic analyses have con.rmed the advantages of the popular machine design that employs intersecting rotational axes and the common industrial practice during setup that minimizes the characteristic rotating arm length of the cutting tool and/or workpiece.
# 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Con.guration analysis; Kinematic model; Machine design; Machine setup; Five-axis machine tool
