The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 27, 1994
Filed:
Oct. 14, 1993
Richard M Sowar, Boulder, CO (US);
William C Heiny, Arvada, CO (US);
Paul C Olsen, Broomfield, CO (US);
Mark R Hotchkiss, Louisville, CO (US);
Thomas L Dixon, Broomfield, CO (US);
Charles W Richard, Jr, Boulder, CO (US);
Michael D Raines, Boulder, CO (US);
Spacial Technology, Inc., Boulder, CO (US);
Abstract
The present invention relates to processes for the automatic generation of numerical control (NC) tool paths in a CAD/CAM environment. The present invention operates on mechanical parts described as solid models. The process employs well-defined solid models of the part to be machined and the raw stock from which it will be machined. The volumetric difference between the stock and the part defines the material (delta volumes) that must be cut away during the actual machining process. Delta volumes are solid models, and users (or an expert system) can subdivide delta volumes into smaller volumes that are consistent with a manufacturing process plan. A delta volume and a user-defined strategy for machining the delta volume are then input to NC algorithms. The algorithms generate NC tool paths that remove as much delta volume material as possible. Tool volumes are automatically generated from NC tool paths to represent the volume traversed by the cutting tool. By subtracting the tool volume from the delta volume, the material that remains to be machined modeled and stored as new delta volumes. The subtraction of the tool volume from the stock defines a new stock model that represents the incremental change in stock when the NC tool path is processed at the machine tool. The process is repeated until all delta volumes have been machined and the part has been manufactured.