A Method for Tool Path Generation with Surface Subdivision.

Realtime tool path generation is effective for machining surfaces precisely of a die and enables to respond to changes of conditions like the diameter of a cutting tool. The software for the realtime tool path generation is required to be able to generate collision-free tool paths in high rate and to be reliable. In this paper, a new method is proposed for tool path generation based on a surface model. The method has a feature that collisions between a tool and surfaces are detected and avoided quickly and stably in a process based on surface subdivision. Simulated results show that the proposed method enables to generate tool paths for not only ball end type but also other types of tool, and generate tool paths immediately even if conditions like a using tool are changed, and generate tool paths in high rate enough to apply the method to the realtime tool path generation.