文档介绍：
A tool path planning method with surface division based on
cluster analysis
Pan Xin, Cai Yujun, Li Guohe*
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
(Tianjin Key Laboratory of High Speed Cutting & Precision Machining(TUTE))
Abstract: It seems to be a dilemma to make full use of the surface geometry to plan high-efficiency
tool paths and keep the paths smooth and easy to perform. An approach of sculpture surface division
and tool path planning based on cluster analysis is proposed to try to solve the dilemma. The k-mean
clustering algorithm is used to analyze the best cutting directions corresponding to the sampling points
on the surface using the concept of the equivalence class. With the clustering results, the surface can be
divided to a number of patches in which the best cutting directions are almost the same. It is easy to
plan high-efficiency tool paths in each patch via isoplanar method or isoscallop height method.
Simultaneously, the smoothness of path in each patch is guaranteed naturally. The index of improvable
capacity is introduced to adjust the surface division to keep the patches regular. pare with
traditional iso-scallop height method, an example is presented to implement the approach, and the tool
paths generated via the new approach achieve higher efficiency and better quality.
Key words: Numerical control machining;Tool path planning;Cluster analysis;Surface division;
Equivalence class
0 Introduction
The machining of dies & molds and parts that involve sculptured surfaces is a
time-consuming and expensive process. The production time and cost are the key factors in
today’petitive market. Thus it is very significant and challenging to improve the machining
efficiency and productivity. There are several existing procedures for the generation of cutting
paths for sculptured surface machining with ball-end cutters, namely iso-parametric method[1,2],
iso-planar method[3,4] and iso-scallop height method [5,6]. These methods don’t make ful