Efficiency Comparison of Side Roughing and Z-level Roughing Strategies in Titanium Alloy Machining

This study comparatively analyzed the machining efficiency of Z-level roughing and side roughing strategies in titanium alloy processing. When applied to the same part, the side roughing combination strategy reduced machining time by 45.6% and insert consumption per workpiece by approximately 35% compared with the Z-level roughing-only strategy. Furthermore, the side roughing strategy enabled stable, continuous machining for approximately 3 h, making it more suitable for automation than the Z-level roughing process, which requires insert replacement approximately every 64 min. These results underscore the efficacy of side roughing as a machining strategy for difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium alloys.