Abstract
Abstract
An algorithm for rough machining of multi-sculptured surfaces on milling machines is presented. The boundary contours are first created by decomposing the sculptured surfaces into a number of parallel cutting layers. These contours are defined using the Z buffer map created from the parallel projection of the triangles that approximate the surfaces. A set of offset curves is then generated inside the boundaries in each layer based on the proposed minimum distance approach. This algorithm efficiently creates boundary contours and inherently prevents the problem of loops, shocks and self-intersections that usually occur during the offset curve generation. One notable advantage of the proposed method is that the tool path generation is independent of the method used for surface description.