Description
On this monograph the creator presents a thorough computational geometry technique to handling theoretical and practical problems arising from numerically controlled pocket machining. The approach unifies two scientific disciplines: computational geometry and mechanical engineering. Topics of practical importance which might be dealt with include the choice of tool sizes, the determination of tool paths, and the optimization of tool paths. Full details of the algorithms are given from a practical perspective, including information on implementation issues. This practice-minded approach is embedded in a rigorous theoretical framework enabling concise observation of definitions and proof of the correctness and efficiency of the algorithms. In particular, the construction of Voronoi diagrams and their use for offset calculations are investigated in great detail. In response to Voronoi diagrams, a graph-like structure is introduced that serves as a high-level abstraction of the pocket geometry and provides the basis for algorithmically performing shape interrogation and path planning tasks. In any case, the efficiency and robustness of the approach is illustrated with figures showing pocketing examples which have been processed by the creator’s own implementation.