Universal conversational programming for machine tool systems

A method for controlling movement of machine tool systems, the method including the steps of:

• providing a conversational programming interface that permits a user to create a program for execution by any of a plurality of machine tool systems for machining a part, each system having at least four movable axes and a corresponding axis kinematics configuration;
• receiving, using the interface, a block of the program including a definition of a geometry of the part, the geometry requiring use of at least one of a rotary axis and a tilt axis and being defined without reference to any axis kinematics configuration;
• generating a first tool path relative to a first Cartesian coordinate system for forming the geometry;
• mapping the first tool path to a second Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to the part;
• transforming the mapped tool path to a third Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to an orientation and a location of the part relative to an axis kinematics configuration of a current machine tool system;
• and
• processing the transformed tool path to generate positions for the at least four movable axes of the current machine tool system based on the axis kinematics configuration of the current machine tool system.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for generating a conversational programming interface on a display to enable a user to create a part program for execution by any of a plurality of machine tool systems having at least four movable axes and a corresponding axis kinematics configuration;

• instructions for receiving, using the interface, a block of the part program including a definition of a geometry of a part, the geometry requiring use of at least one of a rotary axis and a tilt axis and being defined without reference to any axis kinematics configuration;
• instructions for generating a first tool path relative to a first Cartesian coordinate system for forming the geometry;
• instructions for mapping the first tool path to a second Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to the part;
• instructions for transforming the mapped tool path to a third Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to an orientation and a location of the part relative to an axis kinematics configuration of a current machine tool system;
• and
• instructions for processing the transformed tool path to generate positions for the at least four movable axes of the current machine tool system based on the axis kinematics configuration of the current machine tool system.

A first machine tool system for machining a part with at least one tool, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a moveable support supported by and moveable relative to the frame, the moveable support supporting the part;
• a machine tool spindle supported by the frame and moveable relative to the part, the machine tool spindle adapted to couple the at least one tool, the moveable support and the machine tool spindle including at least four moveable axes and a corresponding axis kinematics configuration;
• a controller operably coupled to the machine tool spindle and the moveable support, the controller executing the machining of the part through the controlled movement of the at least four moveable axes of the machine tool spindle and the moveable support;
• means for generating a conversational programming interface on a display that permits a user to create a part program that defines a geometry of the part without reference to the axis kinematics configuration such that the geometry as defined may be processed by any of a plurality of other machine tool systems having at least four movable axes, including one movable axis that is different from the at least four movable axes of the machine tool spindle and the movable support;
• means for generating a first tool path relative to a first Cartesian coordinate system for forming the geometry;
• means for mapping the first tool path to a second Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to the part;
• and
• means for transforming the mapped tool path to a third Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to an orientation and a location of the part relative to the axis kinematics configuration;
• wherein the controller processes the transformed tool path to generate positions for the at least four movable axes based on the axis kinematics configuration.