Manufacturing process optimization is an ever-actual goal. Within this goal, machining parameters optimization is a very important task. Machining parameters strongly influence the manufacturing costs, process productivity and piece quality. Literature presents a series of optimization methods. The results supplied by these methods are comparable and it is difficult to establish which method is the best. For machining parameters optimization, this paper proposes a novel, simple and efficient method, without additional costs related to new software packages. This approach is based on linear mathematical programming. The optimization mathematical models are, however, nonlinear. Therefore, mathematical model linearization is required. The major and difficult problem is the linearization of the objective function. This represents the key element of the proposed optimization method. In this respect, the paper proposes an original mathematical procedure for calculating the part of the objective function that refers to the analytical integration of the tool life into the model. This calculus procedure was transposed into an original software tool. For demonstrating the validity of the method, a comparison is presented among the results obtained by certain optimization techniques. It results that the proposed method is simple and as good as those presented by the literature.

The present paper continues the authors’ research in machining process optimization, including the direction of machining parameters optimization. The paper develops an innovative method, via surface integrity, for determining the technological route and the related depths of cut, with respect to machining front faces of cast iron parts. For correctly establishing the depths of the cut, the errors that appear within surface and subsurface layers during the casting process, as well as during machining, must be gradually eliminated. These errors make it necessary to consider the concept of surface integrity. This paper presents the modality of integrating the components of surface integrity into the depth of cut. For the practical use of this method, a new software tool based on a series of mathematical models and a small database was conceived. A case study illustrates how the method is applied and the software tool used to solve a specific application in the case of a belt pulley.