Engagement milling
AssigneeSurfware, Inc.
InventorsAlan Diehi, Robert Patterson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for generating, by a direct process, a tool path for milling a region of a workpiece by a milling cutter is disclosed. The tool path consists of one or more passes. The method includes the steps of storing a maximum engagement of the milling cutter and defining each one of the one or more passes such that a value of the engagement, when traversing each one of the one or more passes, does not exceed the maximum value of engagement.
Claims26
A method for generating a tool path for milling a region of a workpiece by a milling cutter, the tool path comprising one or more passes, each pass forming an in-process material boundary comprising a plurality of tangential continuous arcs, each pass successively advancing into the region by a value of pitch, the region having first, second and third sides, the first side being a current in-process material boundary and the second and the third sides being part or material boundaries, the first side meeting at its respective ends the second and the third sides, the method for defining each one of the one or more passes comprising the steps of:
- defining a first one of the plurality of tangential continuous arcs to be tangent to the second side and having a radius of curvature greater than one-half of a distance between the second and third sides where the first side meets the second and the third sides;
- and
- defining a second one of the plurality of tangential continuous arcs to be tangent to the third side and having a radius of curvature less than one-half the distance between the second and the third sides where the first side meets the second and the third sides.
A method for generating a tool path for machining a pocket with a milling cutter, the tool path including a first portion, a second portion and a transition portion connecting together the first portion and the second portion, the method for generating a path for the transition portion comprising the steps of:
- determining a radius of a first arc based on a stepover of the milling cutter;
- determining a radius of a second arc based on the radius of the first arc and a maximum engagement of the milling cutter;
- and
- situating the first arc so as to connect the first portion to the second portion in a tangent continuous manner;
- situating a third arc so as to be tangent continuous with a first end of the first arc at a first end of the third arc and intersecting a second end of the first arc at a second end of the third arc;
- and
- situating a fourth arc, so as to be:
- (1) tangent continuous with the second end of the third arc, (2) tangent to the second arc and (3) tangent continuous with either the first portion or the second portion.
A method for generating a tool path for expanding with a milling cutter, a region bounded by a first material boundary, the tool path consisting of one or more 360 degree circular passes of increasing radius arranged end-to end, the method comprising the steps of:
- defining a first one of the one or more circular passes for creating a second material boundary, the second material boundary being tangent to the first material boundary and tangent to the first material boundary at a predetermined location;
- and
- defining a second one of the one or more circular passes for creating a third material boundary, the third material boundary being tangent to the second in-process material boundary at the predetermined location.
An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for generating a tool path for milling a region of a workpiece by a milling cutter, the tool path comprising one or more passes, each pass forming an in-process material boundary comprising a plurality of tangential continuous arcs, each pass successively advancing into the region by a value of pitch, the region having first, second and third sides, the first side being a current in-process material boundary and the second and the third sides being part or material boundaries, the first side meeting at its respective ends the second and the third sides, the method for defining each one of the one or more passes comprising the steps of:
- defining a first one of the plurality of tangential continuous arcs to be tangent to the second side and having a radius of curvature greater than one-half of a distance between the second and third sides where the first side meets the second and the third sides;
- and
- defining a second one of the plurality of tangential continuous arcs to be tangent to the third side and having a radius of curvature less than one-half the distance between the second and the third sides where the first side meets the second and the third sides.
An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for generating a tool path for machining a pocket with a milling cutter, the tool path including a first portion, a second portion and a transition portion connecting together the first portion and the second portion, the method for generating a path for the transition portion comprising the steps of:
- determining a radius of a first arc based on a stepover of the milling cutter;
- determining a radius of a second arc based on the radius of the first arc and a maximum engagement of the milling cutter;
- and
- situating the first arc so as to connect the first portion to the second portion in a tangent continuous manner;
- situating a third arc so as to be tangent continuous with a first end of the first arc at a first end of the third arc and intersecting a second end of the first arc at a second end of the third arc;
- and
- situating a fourth arc, so as to be:
- (1) tangent continuous with the second end of the third arc, (2) tangent to the second arc and (3) tangent continuous with either the first portion or the second portion.
An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for generating a tool path for expanding with a milling cutter, a region bounded by a first material boundary, the tool path consisting of one or more 360 degree circular passes of increasing radius arranged end-to end, the method comprising the steps of:
- defining a first one of the one or more circular passes for creating a second material boundary, the second material boundary being tangent to the first material boundary and tangent to the first material boundary at a predetermined location;
- and
- defining a second one of the one or more circular passes for creating a third material boundary, the third material boundary being tangent to the second in-process material boundary at the predetermined location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.