Accessibility analysis in 5-axis machining of sculptured surfaces

An approach for evaluating the global accessibility for 5-axis machining of sculptured surfaces is presented. The objective is to develop an algorithm which can determine all the feasible orientations along which the tool can reach a specified point without colliding with the workpiece. It is based on the projection of features, which define the unfeasible domains, on a unit sphere centered at the target point. The local curvature of the surface, the shape and the size of the tool and other obstacles (i.e. clamps and fixtures) are taken into consideration. The method also has potential applications in fields such as workpiece set-up, inspection planning and robotics manipulation