Patent ID: 7620473

Claim:
An automatic programming method of dividing a whole machining area into a first process region in which one end of a work model is held for a machining and a second process region in which other end of the work model is held for the machining after the machining in the first process region, and creating a program for controlling a numerical control unit based on the division of the machining area, the automatic programming method comprising: a first process including: extracting a turning area from the whole machining area that includes the turning area in which a turning is performed and a non-turning area in which machining other than the turning is performed after the turning; dividing the extracted turning area into an inner diameter machining side and an outer diameter machining side; obtaining a process-dividing position on the inner diameter machining side that indicates a boundary between the first process region and the second process region on the inner diameter machining side, and a process-dividing position on the outer diameter machining side that indicates a boundary between the first process region and the second process region on the outer diameter machining side; determining a region from the obtained process-dividing positions on the inner diameter machining side and the outer diameter machining side to the one end of the work model as the first process region; and determining a region from the obtained process-dividing positions on the inner diameter machining side and the outer diameter machining side to the other end of the work model as the second process region; and a second process including: determining the non-turning area as the second process region in such a manner that the non-turning machining area belongs to the second process region, if the determined process-dividing position on the inner diameter machining side or the process-dividing position on the outer diameter machining side is within the non-turning area; and creating and outputting the program for controlling the numerical control unit based on the determining in the first process and when available, based on the determining in the second process.