Patent ID: 9573202
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: B23C,B23Q,G05B,Y10T

Claim:
1. A method of generating a tool path for machining a surface of a workpiece by moving a rotary tool relative to the workpiece, the rotary tool having a cutting blade adapted to cut a workpiece surface intermittently, the method comprising the steps of: dividing a design-stage workpiece surface of the workpiece into a mesh, based on shape data on the design-stage workpiece surface and a shape of dimples to be formed by the cutting blade, the mesh comprising vertices and lines connecting the vertices; setting a pattern of arrangement of a plurality of virtual dimples on the design-stage workpiece surface, so that the virtual dimples have corresponding vertices as center points thereof and a size determined by a length of a corresponding line connecting two neighboring vertices; setting a sequence for machining the virtual dimples; and determining a tool path of the rotary tool based on the sequence for machining the virtual dimples.