Analysis of drift in iso-scallop planning—machining by regions

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) occupies an increasingly significant role in engineering with all it has to offer in terms of new possibilities and improving designer/manufacturer productivity. Our present work is devoted to the integration of a module for automatic generation of cutter paths into a CAM program to machine freeform surfaces by end milling. The study addresses the more global issue relating to the adoption of tool path planning with constant scallop height. For present purposes, the cutter geometry is taken as given and does not enter into the study’s parameter choices. The main problem posed by planning for iso-scallop tool paths lies in the management of drift in trajectories, which leads to the path looping due to the fact that global programming over the surface remains unattainable. The proposed solution is to define surface subdivision criteria (machining by regions) enabling iso-scallop planning to be implemented in each region. We conducted our study on a three-axis numerical control machine tool.