Robust and efficient tool path generation for machining low-quality triangular mesh surfaces

This paper presents a new method to generate iso-scallop tool paths for triangular mesh surfaces. With the popularity of 3D scanning techniques, scanning-derived mesh surfaces have seen a significant increase in their application to machining. Quite often, such mesh surfaces exhibit defects such as noises, which differentiate them from the good-quality mesh surfaces previous research work focuses on. To generate tool paths for such low-quality mesh surfaces, the primary challenge lies in robustness against the defects. In this work, a robust tool path generation method is proposed for low-quality mesh surfaces. In addition to robustness, the method is quite efficient, providing the benefit of faster iterations and improved integration between scanning and machining. The fundamental principle of the method is to convert the tool path generation problem to the heat diffusion problem that has robust and efficient algorithms available. The effectiveness of the method will be demonstrated by a series of case studies and comparisons.