Machining Large Complex Shapes using a 7 DoF Device

A new approach to the refixturing-free sculpturing of large, arbitrarily complex shapes has been developed. Based on an enhanced accessibility analysis of the target shape, a reduced set of candidate machining orientations is determined. Then, machining takes place at very close distance between the tooling machinery and the part, thus achieving effective material removal in complex regions. Minkowski operations on the involved (dynamic) volumes are performed to update their multi-map representations. Performance tests, both virtual and physical, show that it is possible to automatically generate a strategy for material removal and for tool path planning. The method has been implemented on in a 7 DoF workcell called the Sculpturing Robot, at the Faculty of Design, Engineering and Production of Delft University of Technology. Presently the system is applied to perform Rapid Prototyping of conceptual shape models.