Automatic programming apparatus

An automatic programming apparatus which automatically generates an NC program for applying chamfering on edges of machined faces of a semifinished workpiece obtained by machining a blank to be machined into a predetermined shape, said apparatus comprising:

• an NC program storing section which stores an NC program organized so as to machine said blank into said semifinished workpiece, said NC program including at least movement position of a tool;
• a blank data storing section which stores shape data defining the shape of said blank and material data concerning the material of said blank;
• a tool shape data storing section which stores shape data defining the shape of said tool to be used for machining into said semifinished workpiece;
• a work shape data storing section which stores shape data defining the shape of said semifinished workpiece;
• a chamfering tool data storing section for storing data concerning specifications, such as dimensions and material, of a chamfering tool;
• a machining condition data storing section which stores machining conditions that are set in accordance with the material of said blank and the specifications of said chamfering tool;
• a tool path data generating section which analyzes said NC program stored in said NC program storing section and, after extracting the movement position of said tool, generates tool path data concerning the movement path of said tool;
• a work shape data generating section which, based on said shape data respectively stored in said blank data storing section and said tool shape data storing section and on said tool path data generated by said tool path data generating section, successively computes areas over which said blank is to be machined by said semifinishing tool when said semifinishing tool is successively moved along said tool path, and which generates shape data relating to said semifinished workpiece by performing processing to delete said computed machined areas from the shape of said blank and also generates attribute data indicating that faces newly generated by performing processing to delete said machined areas from the shape of said blank are said machined faces, said generated shape data of said semifinished workpiece and attribute data then being associated with each other and stored in said work shape data storing section;
• a CL data generating section which, based on said shape data of said semifinished workpiece and attribute data stored in said work shape data storing section, recognizes said machined faces of said semifinished workpiece and the shapes of said machined faces and sets the edges of said recognized machined faces as machining portions, and then, based on said blank material data stored in said blank data storing section and said data respectively stored in said chamfering tool data storing section and said machining condition data storing section, generates chamfering CL data of said set portions which at least includes data concerning tool used for chamfering, data concerning feed speed and rotational speed of said chamfering tool, and data concerning movement position of said chamfering tool in a work coordinate system;
• and
• an NC program generating section which generates a chamfering NC program from said movement position in said work coordinate system defined in said CL data generated by said CL data generating section.