Adaptive spiral tool path generation for computer numerical control machining using point cloud

This paper reports a novel method to generate adaptive spiral tool path for the CNC machining of complex sculptured surface represented in the form of cloud of points without the need for surface fitting. The algorithm initially uses uniform 2 D circular mesh-grid to compute the cutter location (CL) points by applying the tool inverse offset method (IOM). These CL points are refined adaptively till the surface form errors converge below the prescribed tolerance limits in both circumferential and radial directions. They are further refined to eliminate the redundancy in machining and generate optimum region wise tool path to minimize the tool lifts. The NC part programs generated by our algorithm were widely tested for different case studies using the commercial CNC simulator as well as by the actual machining trial. Finally, a comparative study was done between our developed system and the commercial CAM software. The results showed that our system is more efficient and robust in terms of the obtained surface quality, productivity, and memory requirement.

Automated summary

This paper introduces a novel method for generating adaptive spiral tool paths for CNC machining of complex sculptured surfaces without the need for surface fitting. The algorithm utilizes a uniform 2D circular mesh to compute cutter location points, which are then refined adaptively to eliminate redundancy in machining and minimize tool lifts. The developed system was found to be more efficient and robust than commercial CAM software in terms of surface quality, productivity, and memory requirements.