Cutter-path generation using multiple cutting-tool sizes for 2-1/2D pocket machining

Existing commercial CAD/CAM systems allow the user to generate the cutter-path for machining a 2-1/2D pocket by using only a single cutting-tool size. Therefore, to avoid potential problems, such as gouging and unmachined areas, the user tends to choose the size of the cutting-tool in a conservative manner. This can result in longer processing time and higher production cost than those that can be achieved by using multiple cutting-tool sizes to machine a given pocket. The key to cutter-path generation using multiple cutting-tool sizes lies in having an efficient mechanism for representing the material volumes that can be removed by a specified cutting-tool size and the unmachined material volumes that will remain after its use. In this paper, we develop a novel concept called the Voronoi mountain and describe its application to cutter-path generation using multiple cutting-tool sizes. The theoretical significance of this approach stems from its ability to: (i) to create a Voronoi mountain representation of unmachined material volumes without having to construct the corresponding Voronoi diagram; and (ii) to accommodate generalized pocket geometries.