Nature inspired optimization of jerk limited feedrate profile for NURBS toolpaths in CNC machines

Abstract

Abstract In this paper a novel approach to solving the feedrate optimization problem in Computerized Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines for Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) toolpaths is presented. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) gradient-free algorithm is used to determine the optimal shape of the feedrate profile. The shape of the profile is optimized to achieve shortest travel time within the constraints imposed by the machine’s axes. Compared to more common approaches the profile is initialized with a quasi-optimal shape determined by a feedrate limit curve and then optimized to the final shape. Simulation results are presented that show the performance and computational effectiveness of the proposed method.