With five-axis machining, the problems of 3+2-axis machining are not removed; they have been shifted from the programmer to the CAM system.

In order to use short tools on the entire part, collision control becomes the most important consideration. It is simply not enough for the CAM system to find collisions between the part and the tool and holder, but it must automatically avoid the collisions, so that the CAM programmer does not have to manually modify the inclination angle of perhaps tens of thousands of data points, or more.

Unlike five-axis functions for specific parts like turbine blades, airfoils and impellors, the five-axis functions for a moldmaker are different. Moldmakers do not necessarily need to cut “normal” to all of the faces in the CAD file, they need simply to rotate the inclination angle just enough to automatically avoid collisions between the tool, holder and the part.
When evaluating CAM software for machining molds, especially deep molds there are many things to consider:
1) Flexibility of five-axis functions
2) Reliability of five-axis cutter paths
3) Ease of use
4) Five-axis milling machine limitations
5) No five-axis solution is possible