Beam tool pathing for 3D compound contours using machining path surfaces to maintain a single solid representation of objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11048231-B2
Application number	US-201916447816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2019
Priority date	Jun 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

Computer based methods, systems, and techniques for planning and generating machining paths for a tool that manufactures a three dimensional object having beveled or “compound” contours from a workpiece. A computer aided design (CAD)/computer aided manufacturing (CAM) system creates intermediate machining path surfaces that extend based on a CAD solid model representing the geometry of the object to be manufactured. The intermediate machining path surfaces extend to a shape that simulates a cutting beam (e.g., a waterjet, a laser beam, etc.) of the tool. For a flat workpiece, the machining path surfaces may extend from a top surface of the workpiece, which is a tool beam entrance surface, to a bottom surface of the workpiece, which is a tool beam exit surface. An operator is able to visualize the cuts to be made and the actual finished object geometry, without requiring the creation of multiple CAD solid models.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A nontransitory processor-readable medium comprising processor executable instructions to:
obtain a computer aided-design (CAD) solid model from at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, the CAD solid model representative of a physical object to be manufactured from a workpiece;
identify a first bounding area;
identify a second bounding area;
identify one or more non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model, each of the one or more non-spanning machining faces having a first edge relatively proximate to the first bounding area and a second edge relatively proximate to the second bounding area, at least one of the first edge and the second edge spaced apart from the first bounding area and the second bounding area, respectively, such that each of the one or more non-spanning machining faces do not span between the first bounding area and the second bounding area;
create an extended machining path CAM surface model that defines a machining orientation for a tool, the extended machining path CAM surface model logically associated with one or more non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, the extended machining path CAM surface model including one or more extended machining path CAM surfaces each a representation of a respective one of the non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model, the extended machining path CAM surface model including a first extended surface edge relatively proximate to the first bounding area defining a beam entrance contour and a second extended surface edge relatively proximate to the second bounding area defining a beam exit contour; and
autonomously extend the extended machining path CAM surface model,
wherein the processor executable instructions cause a processor to:
autonomously extend the first extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model toward the first bounding area when the first extended surface edge is spaced apart from the first bounding area; and
autonomously extend the second extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model toward the second bounding area when the second extended surface edge is spaced apart from the second bounding area.

2. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the instructions cause the processor to:
logically associate a first bounding area with a first face of the CAD solid model in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, and logically associate a second bounding area with a second face of the CAD solid model in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium.

3. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
create a lead-in machining path CAM surface that corresponds to a starting path of the tool, the lead-in machining path adjacent at least one other machining path CAM surface, the lead-in machining path CAM surface defined by a plurality object geometry vectors that define a machining orientation for the tool, wherein at least one of the plurality of object geometry vectors associated with a workpiece piercing location for the tool defines an orientation for the tool that positions a cutting beam of the tool perpendicular to a surface of the workpiece at the workpiece piercing position.

4. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
create a lead-out machining path CAM surface that corresponds to an ending path of the tool, the lead-out machining path adjacent at least one other machining path CAM surface, the lead-out machining path CAM surface defined by a plurality object geometry vectors that define a machining orientation for the tool, wherein at least one of the plurality of object geometry vectors associated with an end location for the tool defines an orientation for the tool that positions a cutting beam of the tool perpendicular to a surface of the workpiece at the end location.

5. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
generate motion instructions or data that specify movement for the tool according to the extended machining path CAM surface model; and
store the motion instructions or data in the nontransitory processor-readable medium.

6. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 5 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
receive a selection of a positioning sequence for the motion instructions or data via a user interface; and
logically associate the positioning sequence with the motion instructions or data in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium.

7. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 5 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
obtain machining knowledge data stored in at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, wherein at least a portion of the motion instructions or data are dependent upon the obtained machining knowledge data.

8. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 5 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
autonomously determine at least one of the one or more non-spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model has been modified;
autonomously modify the extended machining path CAM surface model dependent on the modification to create a modified extended machining path CAM surface model; and
autonomously modify the motion instructions or data to specify a traversal of the modified extended machining path CAM surface model.

9. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
cause a display to display the modified CAD solid model and the modified extended machining path CAM surface model.

10. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 5 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
send the motion instructions or data to a controller associated with the tool.

11. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
cause a display to display the CAD solid model and the extended machining path CAM surface model.

12. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
extend the first extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model to the first bounding area; and
extend the second extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model to the second bounding area.

13. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
extend the first extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model a first distance toward the first bounding area; and
extend the second extended surface edge of the extended machining path CAM surface model a second distance toward the second bounding area.

14. The nontransitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 , further comprising processor executable instructions to:
identify one or more spanning machining faces of the CAD solid model, each of the one or more spanning machining faces having a first edge at least a portion of which is adjacent the first bounding area and a second edge at least a portion of which is adjacent the second bounding area, such that each of the one or more nonspanning machining faces do not span between the first bounding area and the second bounding area; and
autonomously create a simplified machining path

Assignees

• Flow Int Corp

Inventors

• Lind Vanessa A
• Desimone Frank E
• Mental Kenneth A
• Chillman Alex M

Classifications

• G06F30/10

  Geometric CAD · CPC title

• G06F2119/18

  Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability · CPC title

• Y02P90/02

  Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] · CPC title

• G05B2219/35134

  3-D cad-cam · CPC title

• B24C1/045

  for cutting (energy dissipating devices therefor B26F3/008) · CPC title