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Smooth contour-parallel tool path generation for high-speed machining through a dual offset procedure

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Abstract

In generating a contour-parallel tool path, traditional offset methods usually offer an arc rounding option for superior sharp corners. For the inferior ones, however, they are left untreated. The inferior sharp corners are harmful to high-speed machining (HSM). They should be dealt with when they emerge for the first time; otherwise, they will be further inherited by the offset successors. In this paper, we presented a dual offset procedure to round the inferior sharp corners. For a given path, literally, the procedure conducts two offsets: at first, the path is offset inwards, generating an intermediate curve; then, this curve is further offset outwards, outputting the dual offset curve. The dual offset curve is guaranteed to be smooth. It is used to replace the original path. One side effect of this procedure is that many uncut regions will be left in the corner areas. These uncut regions are detected through a Boolean operation and removed by smooth clear-up tool paths. Finally, the dual offset and clear-up tool paths are connected with a set of linking arcs. The proposed smooth tool path generation method is implemented and verified by several examples. Comparative cutting simulations show that this method has a potential to improve the machining efficiency in terms of HSM with nearly a zero cost.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The State Key Lab of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Zhiwei Lin, Jianzhong Fu, Hongyao Shen & Xinhua Yao

  2. Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Process and Equipment of Zhejiang Province, College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Jianzhong Fu

Authors
  1. Zhiwei Lin
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  2. Jianzhong Fu
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  3. Hongyao Shen
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  4. Xinhua Yao
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Correspondence to Jianzhong Fu.

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Lin, Z., Fu, J., Shen, H. et al. Smooth contour-parallel tool path generation for high-speed machining through a dual offset procedure. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 81, 1233–1245 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7275-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7275-z

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