A computation device for computing the position of a tool for cutting a ridge line formed by a cylinder surface and a peripheral wall surface forming a through-hole passing through an article being processed in the shape of a column, the computation device computing the position on the basis of a first foundation vector and a second foundation vector in a plane that is perpendicular to a tangent line of the ridge line, data being processed, an ellipse formed by the plane and the column, a prescribed process width, the radius of the tool, and the angle of a distal-end corner of the tool.

An automated computer-implemented method for generating commands for controlling a computer numerically controlled milling machine to fabricate a machined object from a workpiece, the machined object being configured to facilitate subsequent finishing into a finished object, the method including defining a surface of the finished object, defining an offset surface defining an inner limiting surface of the machined object, defining a scallop surface defining an outer limiting surface of the machined object and calculating a tool path for the milling machine which produces multiple step-up cuts in the workpiece resulting in the machined object, wherein surfaces of the machined object all lie between the inner limiting surface and the outer limiting surface and the number of step-up cuts in the workpiece and the areas cut in each of the step-up cuts are selected to generally minimize the amount of workpiece material that is removed from the workpiece.

A method is provided for material-removing machining when moving a tool of a machine tool along a tool path, including providing a workpiece comprising a first workpiece portion and a second workpiece portion adjacent to the first workpiece portion, wherein the tool path comprises a first path section comprising path segments adapted to a geometry of the first workpiece portion, and a second path section comprising path segments adapted to a geometry of the second workpiece portion. The method comprises determining the first path section to cover the first workpiece portion except for a first edge section, determining the second path section to cover the second workpiece portion except for a second edge section, and determining a transition section of the tool path to cover the first edge section and the second edge section, such that the first and second path sections and the transition section cover the entire first and second workpiece portions.

A method of toolpath generation is provided whereby the tool may be any smooth convex axisymmetric shape. The tool includes a tool body extending between a shank and a head. The shank is configured to be mounted in a collet which may optionally rotate. In the case of a stylus tool, the head has an axisymmetric forming surface used to press metal. In the case of a routing tool, the head has cutting surfaces which are enveloped by a smooth convex axisymmetric surface and the tool is used for milling a part. In a least one embodiment the tool is a stylus tool which has a forming surface that has been generated from a portion of a clothoid curve.

A method for iterative design using a computer numerical control (CNC) machine for automated changing of a CNC computer design program controlling the CNC machine may install an executable application to the CNC computer design program. The executable application may have a plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to display a customer tab on a home screen of the CNC computer design program, wherein the customer tab displays a plurality of icons. The plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to synchronize settings of the CNC computer design program to settings on the CNC machine so the settings on the CNC computer design program mirror the settings on the CNC machine when an import icon of the plurality of icons is selected is selected.