Identification of an optimal set of cutting-tool sizes for machining polygonal surfaces

This paper proposes an analytical model of multiple tools selections for machining polygonal surfaces in terms of least machining time. Begin with retrieving a set of cutting-tools from the database and checking the feasibility of using it to machine the pocket, then the dynamic programming approach is applied to determine the possible multiple cutting tools combinations. For each cutting-tool, the corresponding feed-rate can be determined based on the database of cutting-tool knowledge and the machining cutter-path may be generated, and the area covered by the cutting-tool and the unmachined area can be obtained. When the cutter-path length associated with using a specific cutting-tool size has been determined, the processing time can be calculated using the feed-rate that was used. Our approach to calculate the unmachined areas and to generate the cutter-paths is based on an improved scanline filling approach. Based on this information, an optimal set of cutting-tool sizes that minimizes the total processing time for the polygonal surfaces will be identified. Finally, the proposed method has been verified by several experiment results.