Tool Motion Control Referring to Voxel Information of Removal Volume Voxel Model to Achieve Autonomous Milling Operation

Abstract

In order to achieve flexible and autonomous milling operation, a system called Digital Copy Milling (DCM) was developed in our previous studies. Additionally, tool motion control, in which the voxel information of the removal volume voxel model is referred to, is performed in DCM. In this study, a feed speed control function and tool posture control function are integrated with the DCM by referring to the feed speed and tool posture parameters stored in the voxel properties of the removal volume voxel model. It is assumed that these parameters change gradually as a diffusion phenomenon to automatically determine the voxel properties using a diffusion equation. In order to calculate the diffusion equation, the voxel in the removal volume corresponds to a calculation grid of the diffusion equation and not just to the storage of the feed speed and tool posture parameters. For experimental verification, the feed speed and tool posture parameters were automatically determined, and the tool motion was successfully controlled independent of the tool path generation to perform the milling operation.