DELTA-VOLUME DECOMPOSITION FOR MULTI-SIDED COMPONENTS

The subdivision of the removal, or delta volume, of a machined compone nt into meaningful volumes suitable for efficient machining is at pres ent a complex and time-consuming task. An algorithm is presented for r ecognizing CNC machining volumes from 3D boundary representation solid models. The 2.5D volumes identified are associated with generic depre ssions and protrusions. The novelty of the algorithm lies in the fact that its success does not depend upon a pre-defined library of feature s and that it guarantees the accessibility of the Volumes found. (C) 1 998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.