Patent ID: 8295972

Claim:
A method for milling selected portions of a workpiece by a cutting tool of a numerical control machine, the numerical control machine having associated therewith a processor and a memory, the method comprising: receiving a main toolpath, the main toolpath comprising one or more cuts; computing one or more transition toolpaths, each transition toolpath defining a transition area intersecting one or more of the cuts of the main toolpath; trimming one or more cuts of the main toolpath at substantially two or more points of intersection between the main toolpath and the transition areas; connecting the trimmed portions of the main toolpath with one or more connecting moves such that each connecting move is substantially inside one or more of the transition areas wherein the cutting tool is substantially disengaged from the workpiece during the connecting move within the transition areas; and milling the selected portions of the workpiece by moving the cutting tool in accordance with the cuts, transition toolpaths, trimmed cuts, and connecting moves.