CAD/CAM system and method of generating machining paths for the same
AssigneeMitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasafumi Nakata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A CAD/CAM system comprises a removal shape extraction section for extracting removal shape data from the defined finish shape data and work shape data, and a machining step generation section for generating a machining step for each machining surface Z height of the removal shape extracted by the removal shape extraction section.
Claims21
A CAD/CAM system for automatically generating data for machining a workpiece into a finished shape, including the generation of plural machining paths according to predefined finish shape data and workpiece shape data, said data for machining the workpiece being expressed in a coordinate system having an X-axis and a Y-axis lying in a horizontal plane and having a Z-axis extending in a vertical direction, the system comprising:
- a removal shape extraction means for determining removal shape data from said predefined finish shape data and workpiece shape data, said removal shape extraction means comprising:
- Z direction division means for dividing the workpiece shape at points along the Z-axis corresponding to each machining surface Z height of the finished shape between upper and lower Z heights along the Z-axis;
- and contour curve inclusion judgment means for specifying a removal shape for each machining surface Z height by judging whether a finish shape contour curve is included in the removal shape, wherein the Z direction division means includes an extraction division means for extracting, in the case of a curved finish shape, an X-Y plane portion representing a section of the pertinent removal shape;
- and
- a machining step generation means for generating a machining step, corresponding to a machining surface of each removal shape extracted by said removal shape extraction means, for each of plural Z heights of the workpiece.
A method for use in a CAD/CAM system for automatically generating data for machining a workpiece into a finished shape, including the generation of plural machining paths according to predefined finish shape data and workpiece shape data, said data being expressed in a coordinate system having an X-axis and a Y-axis lying in a horizontal plane and having a Z-axis extending in a vertical direction, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining removal shape data from said predefined finish shape data and workpiece shape data, said step of determining removal shape data comprising the steps of:
- dividing the workpiece shape at points along the Z-axis corresponding to each machining surface Z height of the finished shape between upper and lower Z heights along the Z-axis;
- and specifying a removal shape for each machining surface Z height by judging whether a finish shape contour curve is included in the removal shape, wherein the Z direction division step includes extracting, in the case of a curved finish shape, an X-Y plane portion representing a section of the pertinent removal shape;
- and
- generating a machining step, corresponding to a machining surface of each removal shape extracted by said removal shape extraction means, for each of plural Z heights of the workpiece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.