Beam tool pathing for 3D compound contours using machining path surfaces to maintain a single solid representation of objects

A method of operation in a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system to define a machining orientation for a tool to manufacture a three dimensional physical object from a workpiece, the object having one or more machining faces which are to be machined by the tool during manufacturing, the CAM system includes a display, at least one processor, at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and which stores at least one of instructions or data executable by the at least one processor, the method comprising:

• obtaining a computer aided-design (CAD) solid model of the physical object to be manufactured from at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium;
• identifying a first bounding area;
• identifying a second bounding area;
• identifying one or more machining faces of the CAD solid model to be machining by the tool, each of the one or more machining faces having a first edge and a second edge;
• generating a machining path CAM surface model that defines a machining orientation for the tool, the machining path CAM surface model stored in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, and the machining path CAM surface model generated by,
• autonomously, by the at least one processor, generating one or more initial machining path CAM surfaces, each of the initial machining path CAM surfaces logically associated with a respective one of the machining faces in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, each of the initial CAM machining faces having a first edge and a second edge corresponding to the first edge and the second edge, respectively, of the machining face with which each of the initial machining path CAM surfaces is logically associated;
• and
• autonomously generating, by the at least one processor, one or more final machining path CAM surfaces of the machining path CAM surface model from the initial machining path CAM surfaces by, for each initial machining path CAM surface, extending the first edge toward the first bounding area when the first edge is spaced apart from the first bounding area, and extending the second edge toward the second bounding area when the second edge is spaced apart from the second bounding area, wherein the one or more final machining path CAM surfaces of the machining path CAM surface model are respective ones of one or more virtual or intermediate machining path CAM surface that extend from the CAD solid model of the physical object to be manufactured;
• and
• causing the display of the CAM system to display the CAD solid model and the machining path CAM surface model.

A processor-based system, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and which stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at least one processor:
• obtains a computer aided-design (CAD) solid model of the physical object to be manufactured from at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium;
• identifies a first bounding area;
• identifies a second bounding area;
• identifies one or more non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model, each of the one or more non-spanning machining faces having a first edge relatively proximate to the first bounding area and a second edge relatively proximate to the second bounding area, at least one of the first edge and the second edge spaced apart from the first bounding area and the second bounding area, respectively, such that each of the one or more non-spanning machining faces do not span between the first bounding area and the second bounding area;
• creates an extended machining path CAM surface model that defines a machining orientation for the tool, the extended machining path CAM surface model logically associated with one or more non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, the extended machining path CAM surface model including one or more extended machining path CAM surfaces each a representation of a respective one of the non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model, the extended machining path CAM surface model including a first extended surface edge relatively proximate to the first bounding area defining a beam entrance contour and a second extended surface edge relatively proximate to the second bounding area defining a beam exit contour;
• and
• autonomously extends the extended machining path CAM surface model, wherein the processor:
• autonomously extends the first extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model toward the first bounding area when the first extended surface edge is spaced apart from the first bounding area;
• and
• autonomously extends the second extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model toward the second bounding area when the second extended surface edge is spaced apart from the second bounding area,
• wherein to autonomously extend the extended machining path CAM surface model the at least one processor creates one or more virtual or intermediate machining path CAM surface that extend from the CAD solid model of the physical object to be manufactured and which thus represents geometry that is absent from the physical object to be manufactured.

A processor-based system, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and which stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at least one processor:
• obtains a computer aided-design (CAD) solid model of the physical object to be manufactured by a tool from at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium;
• identifies a first bounding area;
• identifies a second bounding area;
• identifies one or more machining faces of the CAD solid model to be machining by the tool, each of the one or more machining faces having a first edge and a second edge;
• generates a machining path CAM surface model that defines a machining orientation for the tool, the machining path CAM surface model stored in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, the processor executable instructions cause a processor to:
• autonomously generate one or more initial machining path CAM surfaces, each of the initial machining path CAM surfaces logically associated with a respective one of the machining faces in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, each of the initial CAM machining faces having a first edge and a second edge corresponding to the first edge and the second edge, respectively, of the machining face with which each of the initial machining path CAM surfaces is logically associated;
• autonomously generate one or more final machining path CAM surfaces of the machining path CAM surface model from the initial machining path CAM surfaces, the processor executable instructions cause a processor to, for each initial machining path CAM surface:
• extend the first edge toward the first bounding area when the first edge is spaced apart from the first bounding area;
• and
• extend the second edge toward the second bounding area when the second edge is spaced apart from the second bounding area, wherein the one or more final machining path CAM surface of the machining path CAM surface model are respective ones of one or more virtual or intermediate machining path CAM surface that extend from the CAD solid model of the physical object to be manufactured;
• causes a display to display the CAD solid model and the machining path CAM surface model.