The pocketNC is a small scale five axis CNC machine designed to make advanced manufacturing techniques more accessible to businesses and individuals without an industrial budget. The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) was nice enough to let me run programs and get a feel for 5th axis on their machine over Summer 2019.
The icosohedron (D20) was a challenge part I set my sights on when I started out with the PNC. The shape is complex enough to require a basic understanding of 3+2 movement and toolpaths, so I built up to this part with simpler programs. The final was cut with a .125" endmill with a long tool offset, and had to be run slowly to reduce chatter. This part was machined and parted off in one operation, using the shoulder of the tool to produce a smooth finish on the sides.
This surface was my first test of a simultaneous five axis operation. The initial adaptive clearing was done with 3+2, and switched to simultaneous for finishing passes. Final surface finish was still grooved but could be improved with more passes.