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A modern six-axis wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) system is capable of producing more complex geometries than 2D, 2 1/2D, or ruled surface parts. The rotational axis on a six-axis WEDM system allows a part to be rotated while using a cutting wire to fabricate it. However, limited automation for process planning six-axis WEDM systems requires significant time and effort must be put into process planning. Even with commercially-available computer-aided design (CAO) software, it is difficult to produce process plans for a six-axis WEDM system. Toward automatic development of process plans, a method of determining such setup plans, including the number of setup orientations and rotational axis movements, is presented in this paper. Tangent visibility analysis results presented in our prior research are used to guide the setup, and intermediate coordinate systems are defined in order to classify the tangent visibility results. A greedy algorithm is developed to determine the set of intermediate coordinates and setup orientations for she-axis WEDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visibility analysis is broadly used in milling and casting process planning and in coordinate measuring machine applications. However, standard visibility analysis (which involves determining visibility from a given viewpoint), cannot be applied directly to inline cutting systems such as wire electrical discharge machines or hot wire foam cutters. The motivation of this paper is to accurately calculate the tangent visibility for objects represented by polygonal surfaces. In this paper we define a new type of visibility - tangent visibility. We develop an algorithm to calculate the global tangent visibility for in- line cutting systems, and several models are tested to verify its accuracy. Several polyhedral models are tested to verify the correctness of the tangent visibility algorithm; and the complexity of the algorithm is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for rapid computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining is being developed in an effort to automatically create functional prototypes and parts in a wide array of materials. The method uses a plurality of simple two-and-a-half-dimensional (2½-D) toolpaths from various orientations about an axis of rotation in order to machine the entire surface of a part without refixturing. It is our goal to automatically create these toolpaths for machining and eliminate the complex planning traditionally associated with CNC machining. In this paper, we consider a problem that arises in automating this process—visibility to the surface of a model that is rotated about a fourth axis. Our approach involves slicing the computer-aided design (CAD) model orthogonal to the axis of rotation. The slice geometry is used to calculate two-dimensional visibility maps for the set of polygons on each slice plane. The visibility data provides critical information for determining the minimum number and orientation of 2½-D toolpaths required to machine the entire surface of a part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]