Machinable volumes extraction—non-block type raw material input

A method for automatically extracting machinable volumes by considering non-blank type raw material input is proposed. The method takes CSG input (both raw material and finished part) and determine relative shifting origins of the finished part to ensure its machinability. CSG to DSG transformation is performed to extract DSG primitives of raw material and finished part. Both DSG primitives are mapped to find removing volumes based on geometrical definition. The geometrical definition removing volumes are further reorganized into a set of machinable volumes by considering the influence of process information. A prototype system to implement the method is developed on a SUN/260 computer system. An example is evaluated to demonstrate the success of the system.