Visualization of workpieces during simulation of milling processes
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsUlrich Schwanecke, Christof Sinn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for simulating to a workpiece contour by simulating a milling operation, whereby a blank workpiece is modeled by a family of straight lines in three-dimensional space and all straight lines are parallel to the z-axis. A workpiece contour is determined by intersecting the family of straight lines with a virtual milling edge FK according to a predetermined milling path in three-dimensional space, based on the intersecting points of the straight lines of all swept volumes. A surface grid is formed from the obtained set of intersecting points that describes the workpiece contour.
Claims15
A method for simulating a workpiece contour in a simulated milling operation, comprising the steps of:
- defining a coordinate system in three-dimensional space;
- modeling a blank workpiece in the three-dimensional space with a family of mutually parallel straight lines aligned with an axis of the coordinate system,
- defining a milling path and enclosing the family of straight lines with a rectangle, which rectangle bounds a predetermined milling path determined as a function of cutter positions and a radius of a spherical cutting tool;
- cutting the family of straight lines with the virtual spherical cutting tool along the predetermined milling path within the rectangle, said cutting producing swept volumes in form of partial volumes, wherein the partial volumes have the form of two spheres or hemispheres, which are connected by an additional partial volume in the form of a cylinder aligned with the milling path, wherein the spheres or the hemispheres as well as the connecting cylinder each have a dimension corresponding to a radius of the cutting tool;
- determining intersecting points of the straight lines separately for each of the partial volumes;
- and
- forming a surface grid by connecting the determined intersecting points, wherein the surface grid produces the workpiece contour.
An apparatus for simulating a workpiece contour in a simulated milling operation, comprising:
- means for defining a coordinate system in three-dimensional space;
- means for modeling a blank workpiece in the three-dimensional space with a family of mutually parallel straight lines aligned with an axis of the coordinate system;
- means for defining a milling path and enclosing the family of straight lines with a rectangle, which bounds a predetermined milling path determined as a function of cutter positions and a radius of a spherical cutting tool;
- means for cutting the family of straight lines with the virtual spherical cutting tool along the predetermined milling path within the rectangle, said cutting producing swept volumes in form of partial volumes, wherein the partial volumes have the form of two spheres or hemispheres, which are connected by an additional partial volume in the form of a cylinder aligned with the milling path, wherein the spheres or the hemispheres as well as the connecting cylinder each have a dimension corresponding to a radius of the cutting tool;
- means for determining intersecting points of the straight lines separately for each of the partial volumes;
- and
- means for forming a surface grid by connecting the determined intersecting points, wherein the surface grid produces the workpiece contour.
A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium and having computer program instructions capable of being executed on a digital computer, comprising:
- computer program instructions for defining a coordinate system in three-dimensional space;
- computer program instructions for modeling a blank workpiece in the three-dimensional space with a family of mutually parallel straight lines aligned with an axis of the coordinate system,
- computer program instructions for defining a milling path and enclosing the family of straight lines with a rectangle, which bounds by a predetermined milling path determined as a function of cutter positions and a radius of a spherical cutting tool;
- computer program instructions for cutting the family of straight lines with the virtual spherical cutting tool along the predetermined milling path within the rectangle, said cutting producing swept volumes in form of partial volumes, wherein the partial volumes have the form of two spheres or hemispheres, which are connected by an additional partial volume in the form of a cylinder aligned with the milling path, wherein the spheres or the hemispheres as well as the connecting cylinder each have a dimension corresponding to a radius of the cutting tool;
- computer program instructions for determining intersecting points of the straight lines separately for each of the partial volumes;
- and
- computer program instructions for forming a surface grid by connecting the determined intersecting points,
- wherein the surface grid produces the workpiece contour.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.