US 2026/0310171 A1 · Systems and Methods to Automate CNC Programming

Abstract

A method in a data processing system for automating programming of a computer numerical control machine to create a detail from a stock block based on design specifications for the detail. The stock block includes a plurality of sides including a left side, a right side, a front, a back, a top and a bottom. The method comprises creating a stock model from the design specifications, setting leads and links to active datum on the stock model, determining from the design specifications what machine will be used to create the detail, determining from the design specifications what material will be used to create the detail, importing tool templates for the machine and the material that will be used to create the detail, and determining whether stock needs to be removed from the left and right sides of the stock block. If it is determined that stock needs to be removed from the left and right sides of the stock block: activating a top workplane, activating a top toolpath folder, creating a PowerMill block around the stock model, wherein the PowerMill block has an X negative expanded and a Z negative expanded, applying a 12mmZLevel template, creating a PowerMill block around the stock model, wherein the PowerMill block has an X positive expanded and a Z negative expanded, applying a 12mmZLevel template, updating the stock model, and resetting the leads and links to the active datum.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method in a data processing system for automating programming of a computer numerical control machine to create a detail from a stock block based on design specifications for the detail, wherein the detail includes a plurality of surfaces and wherein the stock block includes a plurality of sides including a left side, a right side, a front, a back, a top and a bottom, the method comprising:

creating a PowerMill silhouette boundary with a border from the detail surfaces;
creating a list of PowerMill polylines;
adding newly created boundary data to the list of PowerMill polylines;
and
for each polyline:
creating a bounding box from the polyline;
determining whether the polyline X and Y sizes are equal to the detail X and Y sizes;
and
if it is determined that the polyline X and Y sizes are equal to the detail X and Y sizes, converting the polyline into a PointCloud.

6 more elements

A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method for automating programming of a computer numerical control machine to create a detail from a stock block based on design specifications for the detail, wherein the detail includes a plurality of surfaces and wherein the stock block includes a plurality of sides including a left side, a right side, a front, a back, a top and a bottom, the method comprising:

creating a PowerMill silhouette boundary with a border from the detail surfaces;
creating a list of PowerMill polylines;
adding newly created boundary data to the list of PowerMill polylines;
and
for each polyline:
creating a bounding box from the polyline;
determining whether the polyline X and Y sizes are equal to the detail X and Y sizes;
and
if it is determined that the polyline X and Y sizes are equal to the detail X and Y sizes, converting the polyline into a PointCloud.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and Methods to Automate CNC Programming

Life of this patent

Systems and Methods to Automate CNC Programming

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20