Optimum routing algorithms for control programs design in the CAM systems for CNC sheet cutting machines

• Main Authors: Petunin, A. A., Chentsov, P. A., Polishchuk, E. G., Ukolov, S. S., Martynov, V. V.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; CAD/CAM; CAM; Computer aided manufacturing; Cutting equipment; Cutting tool paths; Heuristic methods; Interactive control; Machine tools; Mechanical engineering; Numerical controls; Optimization; Route optimization; Software
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0035636

In mechanical engineering, in the production of metal structures and in other industries, a significant part of the products are made from blanks obtained from sheet materials on CNC machines. Special software used at enterprises for the development of NC programs (so-called Computer-Aided Manufacturing, CAM-systems) ensure the automation of the process of the NC programs developing, but do not allow optimize the time and cost of the cutting process. At the same time, when modeling the tool path, CAD users often have to use interactive methods for designing control programs, since the algorithms for generating of programs implemented using the automatic design mode, in many cases do not allow satisfy to many technological requirements for sheet cutting. The paper describes a new approach to solving the Cutting Path Problem (CPP or the Tool Path Problem) in the automatic design mode, which allows taking into account the specific constraints of thermal sheet cutting technologies and solve different classes of Cutting Path Problem. The proposed approach is based on the use of several models of discrete and continuous route optimization, heuristic methods of accounting for technological constraints and the concept of the basic cutting segment. To test the developed optimization algorithms, specialized library of test instances. The results of computational experiments are presented.