Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
ISSN 2580-0817
Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumption of Machining Process Luqman Dwi Saputra*.
Eko Yudiyanto Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Malang State Polytechnic.
Jl.
Soekarno Hatta No.
Malang, 65141.
Indonesia *Corresponding author: luqmandwisaputra35@gmail.
Article history:
Received: 7 March 2025 / Received in revised form: 20 April 2025 / Accepted: 27 April 2025
Available online 6 May 2025
ABSTRACT
The use of CNC milling machines to produce components, especially aluminum brackets used for automotive, is one of the advances in the industrial field.
The use of CNC milling machines has the advantage of producing processes with speed accuracy, and better workpiece quality than conventional This research investigates energy consumption in the CNC milling process by varying the toolpath motion strategiesAiZigzag.
Constant Overlap Spiral.
Parallel Spiral, and Parallel Spiral Clean CornersAias well as feed rates of 700 mm/min, 800 mm/min, 900 mm/min, and 1000 mm/min.
The goal is to find out the best parameters for using energy in the machining process.
The material used in this research is Aluminum 6061.
The shape tested is a bracket.
The simulation was conducted to determine the machining process time using Mastercam software.
The simulation results indicate that the Zigzag toolpath motion strategy at a feed rate of 1000 mm/min produces the lowest energy consumption .
620 Kilojoule.
whereas the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath at a feed rate of 700 mm/min produce the highest energy consumption .
142 Kilojoule.
The selection of appropriate machining parameters has a significant influence on the efficiency of processing time and production costs.
By selecting the right toolpath motion strategy and feeding parameters, the manufacturing industry can increase productivity and reduce production costs more effectively.
Copyright A 2025.
Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology.
Keywords: CNC milling, energy consumption, feed rate, machining time, simulation, toolpath motion.
Introduction Computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines are equipped with technology that utilizes programmed software to control the operation, movement, and precision level of machine tools.
This software is integrated with the machine, enabling automatic operation on various tools such as milling machines, lathes, drills, and others .
The purpose of using CNC milling machines is to facilitate the manufacture of products with various dimensions and complex shapes.
CNC can operate continuously and produce large quantities.
CNC
operates in a measured manner and produces good quality .
Therefore.
CNC milling machines have been widely used in the manufacturing industry in recent years .
, especially for aluminum bracket products, where rising demand and increasingly complex shapes have necessitated their use.
The CNC milling machining process can produce holes and geometric shapes that are quite complicated.
Consumers demand the aesthetics and function of aluminum brackets to support the structure of motorized/automotive vehicles.
In automotive components, aluminum is used for engine components, brackets, and accessories.
Bracket products have many variations in shape to adjust the development of automotive design .
The aluminum bracket production process uses CNC milling machines to form components.
DOI: 10.
17977/um016v9i12025p114 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
ISSN 2580-0817
The design develops according to consumer demand with complex accuracy and good quality results .
, .
Machining processes account for a large portion of the total energy consumption in the manufacturing sector.
The machining process is important to save energy and provide important information to the CNC operator to improve the energy efficiency of the machine.
Machining time optimization is a crucial factor in improving efficiency as well as process performance on CNC machines .
Some machining parameters in CNC milling that can affect machining time are feed rate, spindle speed, depth of cut, and toolpath motion.
The selection of parameters on the variation of feed rate will have an impact on the quality of machining results and machining time, which will also have an impact on costs in the production process .
Toolpath motion optimization using Mastercam software can help to measure machining time and reduce machining time significantly .
The toolpath motion simulation process can provide other benefits, such as avoiding collisions between the tool and the workpiece and determining the machining time for each production process.
Simulation can increase productivity and optimize costs before the production process .
, .
Simulation methods are widely used in manufacturing processes due to their ability to produce results comparable to experimental processes .
Simulation software programs have been developed to graphically verify instruction programs before running parts on machine tools with actual workpieces .
This study complements the shortcomings of previous research that have not presented energy consumption, as in the research of Pajaziti et al.
, which only explains the machining time and toolpath motion strategy .
In other research that explains the optimization of CNC milling machine machining parameters on the quality of results and machining time .
Camposeco-Negrete's research explains the optimization of energy consumption and surface roughness on Slot Milling Machines .
From the previous research, the study presents a simulation of the machining process on a CNC milling machine by varying the feed speed and toolpath movement on Aluminum 6061 material.
The resulting product is a bracket.
This method can predict the machining time required for the machining process, specifically to produce the product.
Machining time for each parameter variation is obtained through simulation using MastercamX5 software.
This software allows the simulation of the machining process to verify the accuracy of the project before it is implemented.
The machining time is further verified by experiments using the machine to determine the energy consumption required in the bracket production process.
The purpose of this research is to determine the best parameters to obtain a short predicted machining time.
The impact of this is low energy consumption and good results.
The best decision in the production process is a low production cost with good quality.
CNC milling machines account for a large portion of the total II.
Material and Methods Materials The research used simulation and experimentation.
The use of this simulation method is used in the machining process because of its ability to produce results that are close to the experimental process.
The simulation program to generate machining time is carried out using Mastercam X5 software.
This software serves to generate CNC program code.
The software is used to set the machining speed parameters and toolpath motion strategy CNC machining process.
In the CAM process, it can also simulate the machining time with the Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
ISSN: 2580-0817 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
bracket design as shown in Figure 1, with dimensions 131 x 64 x 5 mm.
The bracket material is 6061 aluminum with the composition in Table 1.
Figure 1.
Aluminum bracket design Table 1.
Composition of 6061 Aluminum Element Chemical Composition % REM.
Table 2.
Aluminum characteristics Characteristics High-purity aluminum Crystal structure Density at 20EE .
10^3kg/m^.
Tensile strength (MP.
Modulus of elasticity (GP.
Modulus of rigidity (GP.
FCC Machining Process Parameters Feed Rate The relationship between the feed rate and the machining process time is directly The faster the feed rate, the faster the workpiece feeding process will shorten the machining process time.
This parameter is very significant in several machining factors, including machining process time and workpiece surface roughness, with the relationship in Eq.
Vf =N x fz x Z a.
Where Vf is the feed rate .
m/mi.
N is the rotation speed (Rp.
, fz is the feed rate per tooth .
m/toot.
, and Z is the number of end mill cutting edges .
Cutting Speed Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
ISSN 2580-0817
The relationship between cutting speed and cutting time is influenced by the feed rate.
Cutting speed depends on the type of material used and affects the cutting results.
produce large cuts depending on the spindle rotation and feed rate.
The more the workpiece is reduced so that it can affect the machining process time.
This parameter is very significant in the machining process because it directly affects the stability of machining.
The relationship between parameters is formulated by Eqs .
, .
, and .
Vc= Axdxn a.
Vf =f x na.
Tm=n x Vf a.
Where Vc is cutting speed .
/mi.
, d is cutting tool diameter .
, n is machine/workpiece rotation .
ev/min - Rp.
, yuU is constant value .
, f is feeding .
eed/re.
, and Tm is machining time .
Depth of cut The relationship between the depth of cut and the machining process time occurs due to the number of repetitions and the length of the feed path.
The deeper the feed will reduce the number of passes made by the tool .
Energy Consumption Energy consumption on the 3-axis CNC milling mini router machine, with the relationship between each feeding parameter and the power consumption in the machining When the machine moves, the energy required is read by the increase in the need for electric current flowing through the CNC machine.
The relationship between the current and the power required to drive the machine is as in equation 5.
P= V x Ia.
Where P is the power .
V is the voltage generated from the feeding process .
, and I is the electric current generated from the feeding .
After obtaining the power consumption, it will be associated with the machining process The relationship between power and energy consumption required in the production process is as in equation 6.
E= P x ta.
Where E is energy consumption (Watt-hou.
P is power .
, and T is machining process time .
Toolpath Strategy Motion The toolpath motion in CNC milling is the feeding path of the cutting blade or tool during the machining process to form a workpiece.
The tool moves according to the planned G-code design.
In Mastercam X5 software, there are 8 variations of toolpath motion strategy (Figure .
, namely Zigzag.
Constant Overlap Spiral.
Parallel Spiral.
Parallel Spiral Clean Corners.
Morph Spiral.
High Speed.
One Way, and True Spiral.
The toolpath strategy variations are coded TP1 through TP8 .
Feed rate parameters with values of 700 mm/min, 800 mm/min, 900 mm/min, and 1000 mm/min.
The toolpath motion strategies used are Zigzag (TP.
Constant Overlap Spiral (TP.
Parallel Spiral (TP.
, and Parallel Spiral Clean Corners (TP.
The parameter limit Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
ISSN: 2580-0817 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
used is a tool with an HSS material diameter of 6 with 4 flutes.
Cutting speed with a value of 152 m/min.
Spindle speed with a value of 8067 Rpm.
Depth of cut 0.
Contour, and pocket 2 mm.
Fig.
Toolpath motion strategy From the specified machining parameters, the results of the Machining Time simulation of each workpiece are obtained.
The most optimal Machining Time is the smallest / smallest Machining Time data from various parameters that have been determined on the shape of the workpiece.
Measurement of Electrical Current and Voltage Values For the measurement of electrical energy, assisted by using a clamp meter with type KT87N and made in China to measure voltage and electric current, it will be done like the procedure according to the Figure 3.
Fig.
Measurement procedure of electrical current and voltage values Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
ISSN 2580-0817
Results and Discussions The NC program is created in MastercamX5 software based on machining parameters and with a predetermined design.
The process of making designs and programs is made in Mastercam X5 software according to the bracket design.
In this software, simulation will also be carried out, and the machining process time will be obtained.
Zigzag Toolpath Motion The first simulation was carried out using Zigzag toolpath motion.
Zigzag motion is a movement with a tool pattern that moves forward and backward repeatedly.
Figure 4 shows the Zigzag toolpath motion simulation performed in Mastercam X5 to determine the machining time for the bracket design.
The resulting machining times for each feed rate parameter are summarized in Table 3.
Fig.
Simulation of Zigzag toolpath motion Table 3.
Machining time of Zigzag toolpath motion Machining time .
Toolpath Feed rate Motion .
m/minut.
Facing Contour Pocket Total
TP 1
Table 3 presents the machining times for the Zigzag toolpath motion at various feed Based on these parameters, a graph illustrating total machining time is generated, as shown in Figure 4.
The simulation results for the Zigzag toolpath motion (TP.
indicate that the shortest machining time occurs at a feed rate of 1000 mm/min .
56 minute.
, while the longest occurs at 700 mm/min .
26 minute.
Spiral Constant Overlap Toolpath Motion The second simulation was performed using a Constant Overlap Spiral toolpath motion.
The Constant Overlap Spiral motion is a spiral motion path pattern with a constant overlap Figure 5 shows the simulation result of the Constant Overlap Spiral toolpath motion generated using Mastercam X5 software to determine the machining time for the bracket product design.
The machining times for each feed rate parameter obtained from the simulation are presented in Table 4.
Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
ISSN: 2580-0817 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
Table 4 presents the machining time for the Constant Overlap Spiral toolpath motion at each feed rate.
Based on these feed rate parameters, a graph illustrating the total machining time is generated, as shown in Figure 5.
Simulation results of machining time on the motion of the toolpath of Constant Overlap Spiral (TP.
The fastest machining time is the feed rate of 1000 mm/min, which is 20.
2 minutes, and the longest is 700 mm/min, which is 28.
Fig.
Simulation of Constant Overlap Spiral toolpath motion Table 4.
Machining time of Constant Overlap Spiral toolpath motion Toolpath Feed rate motion .
m/minut.
TP 2 Machining time .
Facing Contour Pocket Total Parallel Spiral Toolpath Motion The third simulation is performed using the Parallel Spiral toolpath motion.
The Parallel Spiral motion is a motion path pattern by combines parallel motion in parallel and spiral motion in a circular distance.
Figure 6 shows the result of the simulation of Parallel Spiral toolpath motion from Mastercam X5 software to obtain the machining process time of the bracket product design to produce a bracket product.
The machining process time of each parameter of the feed rate obtained from the simulation results will be processed as shown in Table 5.
Table 5 presents the machining time for the Parallel Spiral toolpath motion at various feed rates.
Based on these parameters, a graph illustrating the total machining time is generated, as shown in Figure 6.
The simulation results for the Parallel Spiral toolpath motion (TP.
indicate that the shortest machining time occurs at a feed rate of 1000 mm/min .
5 minute.
, while the longest is at 700 mm/min .
33 minute.
Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
ISSN 2580-0817
Fig.
Simulation of Parallel Spiral toolpath motion Table 5.
Machining time of Parallel Spiral toolpath motion Machining time .
Toolpath Feed rate Motion .
m/minut.
Facing Contour Pocket Total
TP 3
Parallel Spiral Clean Corners Toolpath Motion The fourth simulation is performed using Toolpath motion Parallel Spiral Clean Corners.
The Parallel Spiral Clean Corners motion is the path pattern of the Parallel Spiral with additional motion at the corners.
Fig.
Simulation of Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion Figure 7 shows the simulation result of the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion, generated using Mastercam X5 software, to determine the machining time for the bracket product design.
The machining times for each feed rate parameter obtained from the simulation are summarized in Table 6.
Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
ISSN: 2580-0817 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
Table 6.
Machining time of Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion Machining time .
Toolpath Motion Feed rate .
m/minut.
Facing TP 4 Contour Pocket Total Table 6 presents the machining time for the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion at various feed rates.
Based on these parameters, a graph of the total machining time is generated, as shown in Figure 7.
The simulation results for the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath (TP.
indicate that the shortest machining time is achieved at a feed rate of 1000 mm/min .
56 minute.
, while the longest occurs at 700 mm/min .
6 minute.
After obtaining the machining time for each toolpath motion .
n minute.
, the values are converted into hours.
To determine the required energy consumption, experiments are conducted to measure electrical power at each feed rate parameter.
The resulting data are presented in Table 7.
Table 7.
Energy consumption for each parameter Time Machining (Secon.
Current (Amper.
Energy Consumption (Kilojoul.
Zigzag Constant overlap spiral Parallel Spiral Parallel Spiral Clean Corners Zigzag Constant overlap spiral Parallel Spiral Parallel Spiral Clean Corners Zigzag Constant overlap spiral Parallel Spiral Parallel Spiral Clean Corners Zigzag Constant overlap spiral Parallel Spiral Parallel Spiral Clean Corners Feed Rate .
m/minut.
Toolpath Motion Based on the energy consumption data, it can be seen that in each parameter feed rate of 700, 800, 900, and 1000 mm/min, the largest energy consumption is obtained in the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners tool motion strategy with a feed rate of 700 mm/min with a value of 457.
142 Kilojoules.
In accordance with the machining process time on these parameters, which results in the longest machining process time.
The smallest energy Saputra and Yudiyanto (Toolpath Motion Strategy and Feed Rate in CNC Milling on Energy Consumptio.
Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology Vol.
No.
July 2025, pp.
ISSN 2580-0817
consumption is obtained from the Zigzag tool motion strategy with a feed rate of 307.
Kilojoules.
In accordance with the machining process time on these parameters, which results in the fastest machining process time.
Based on the data, the Zigzag toolpath motion produces the smallest energy consumption due to the non-repetitive feeding motion system and sequentially in both directions, namely forward and backward, and moves continuously so as to reduce machining time to the data obtained that the Zigzag toolpath motion produces the fastest time from the data above.
As for the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion, it produces the largest energy consumption due to the feeding movement system that rotates from the inside out different from the Zigzag, which only goes back and forth.
There is also an additional movement at each corner that will increase the length of the feeding path, which will make the feeding process longer, therefore, the Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion will produce the longest time from the data above .
Therefore, the selection of the feed rate is very influential because the higher the feed rate, the more material is cut and the faster the tool moves, which will affect the energy consumption in the machining process.
IV.
Conclusions In this research, 4 toolpath motion strategies, namely Zigzag.
Constant overlap spiral.
Parallel Spiral, and Parallel Spiral Clean Corners, and the parameters of feed rate are 700 mm/min, 800 mm/min, 900 mm/min, and 1000 mm/min, have been evaluated.
Based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that the selection of toolpath motion and feed rate is critical, as it directly affects the machining process time of the CNC milling machine, which in turn influences energy consumption during the machining process.
The results show that a feed rate of 1000 mm/min with a Zigzag toolpath motion produces the lowest energy consumption, at 307.
620 kilojoules.
In contrast, a feed rate of 700 mm/min with a Parallel Spiral Clean Corners toolpath motion results in the highest energy consumption, at 457.
Therefore, the selection of feeding parameters, especially toolpath motion and feed rate in the CNC milling machining process is very influential in the machining process time and the use of electrical energy so that it will affect the electrical energy consumption in the machining process which will have an impact on production costs, with the selection of the right machining parameters will be able to minimize production costs.
The results of this research are expected to benefit the industrial sector, particularly in manufacturing and energy industries, by enhancing productivity and cost efficiency.
This can be achieved through the optimization of machining parameters, such as machining speed and toolpath strategy, to improve energy efficiency and reduce production costs.
Future research should explore a broader range of parameters to optimize energy efficiency in more complex systems and consider integrating advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), to obtain more real-time and accurate data.
References