Patent ID: 7243000

Claim:
A method for automatically dividing a machining process executed to obtain a predetermined product shape from a material shape of a workpiece, wherein the method is applied to an automatic programming apparatus, the method comprising: computing a removal shape, which is a shape to be removed from the material shape when executing the machining process, based on the material shape and the product shape; determining a reference machining boundary that intersects a reference axis defined on the product shape and divides the volume of the removal shape into two equal parts; searching the product shape to find out whether there is at least one profile changing portion along the reference axis; defining, on the removal shape, a process division boundary that intersects the reference axis, based on the reference machining boundary and the profile of the product shape, wherein when the profile changing portion exists, the process division boundary is defined such that the process division boundary passes through the profile changing portion closest to the reference machining boundary, and wherein, when there is no profile changing portion, the reference machining boundary is defined as the process division boundary; and dividing the machining process into a first process and a second process with the process division boundary.