Patent ID: 6459952
Filing Date: 2002-10-01
Classification: G05B,G16Z,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of producing a 3-D signage work in a signboard formed of constituting material, said method comprising the sequence of steps:(a) on a computer-graphics modeling workstation, creating a 3-D computer-graphics model of a signboard of predetermined dimensions and a 3-D computer-graphics model of an axially rotating carving tool to be moved relative to said 3-D computer-graphics model of said signboard in order to produce a 3-D computer-graphics model of a 3-D signage work having 3-D surfaces to be formed in said signboard using said axially rotating carving tool associated with a computer-controlled carving machine capable of simultaneously moving said axially rotating carving tool along at least three coordinate axes referenceable to said signboard; (b) automatically determining a tool path along which said axially rotating carving tool is to be moved relative to said signboard during sign carving operations carried out by said computer-controlled carving machine in order to form said 3-D signage work in said signboard; (c) during said sign carving operations, removing constituting material from said signboard by moving said axially rotating carving tool relative to said signboard along said tool path under the control of said computer-controlled carving machine in order to form in said signboard, a 3-D carved pattern corresponding to said 3-D graphical model for said signage work, wherein said 3-D carved-pattern formed in said signboard has 3-D surfaces corresponding to said 3-D surfaces of said 3-D computer-graphics model of said 3-D signage work.