Collision-free 3-axis milling and selection of cutting tools

This article deals with local and global conditions for collision-free 3-axis milling of sculptured surfaces and the selection of cutting tools for a given surface. We describe local and global millability results, the proof of which were published in a previous article. The theoretical background involves general offset surfaces. We present an algorithm here which, after evaluation of surface curvature, yields a differential inequality for the meridian curve of the cutting tool. This inequality is fulfilled if and only if the cutting tool is able to mill the entire surface. Besides this inequality, the optimal selection (or even design) of cutting tools involves a consideration of further characteristics, such as shape and size. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.