In a method for 3D radius correction in CNC milling, a mill path of an original milling tool producing a surface contour on a workpiece is calculated for an original milling tool based on dimensions of the mill cutter tip, with the positions of the mill cutter tip specified by an NC program. A surface normal of an end face milling surface and a surface normal of a circumferential milling surface are then specified, for each position of the mill cutter tip taking into account dimensional differences between an actually available milling tool and the original milling tool. By specifying along the mill path a spatial orientation of the milling tool axis, a correction vector is specified from the milling tool orientation, dimensional differences and the surface normals, and the workpiece is machined by traversing the mill path with the actual milling tool under consideration of the correction vector.

A self-configuring computer-controlled fabrication apparatus that utilizes no fewer than four user changeable tools concurrently installed to fabricate a three-dimensional component from digital design data out of a variety of materials using additive and/or subtractive methods. User interchangeable tools perform different tasks including paste extrusion, filament extrusion, inkjet deposition, laser curing, laser etching, milling, cooling, curing, inspection, and component placement, among others. Each tool, that is selected and installed by the user for each job, contains operational information regarding its performance in nonvolatile memory such that the system can read, then adapt, the build process to the set of tools currently installed.

In a control method for the movement of a tool with a machine tool, the machine tool involves a numerically controlled machine tool, in order to produce an arbitrary required surface of a workpiece by machining. A numeric path program is created which describes the machining of the workpiece with the tool at machining points and which controls the control device. The numeric path program produces a path with respect to the geometric nature of the surface of the workpiece to be machined, with the path including a plurality of sample points and individual paths, with each individual path connecting a pair of the sample points to each other. The numeric path program is evaluated and selected on the basis of a geometric quality criterion, with the geometric quality criterion having continuity as at least one criterion.

A method for processing a workpiece with a tool is provided with holding the workpiece, holding the tool, and moving the held tool relative to the held workpiece in accordance with an NC program including an arithmetic expression to calculate a position of the held tool.

The machining station can include a table; at least three robots each having a multi-axis mover secured to the table, and a gripper opposite the table, the robots being interspaced from one another on the table; and a controller. The controller controls the robots to hold a workpiece in a coordinated manner. The computer numerical command (CNC) machine-tool system machines the workpiece while the workpiece is held by the robots. The workpiece can be moved into and out from the machining station with a trolley which slidingly engages a trolley path formed within the table.

Each type of metal component part for two or more watch designs can be derived from instances of that corresponding type of MIM blank for that component part, which is formed from a same injection molding tool (respectively for each type of component part). An example instance of the MIM blank formed for a type of component part then has at least a portion of the instance of the MIM blank subtracted through a CNC milling process to form an interim shape and geometry of an instance of the type of component part for a given watch design. The CNC milling process can be applied to the MIM blank for that component part when the MIM blank is in its interim shape and geometry and has not yet been hardened to a finished shape and geometry of an instance of that type of component part for the watch design.

A method implemented by a computer system, the computer-implemented method comprising receiving dimensions of a building surface, including a surface length and a surface height; receiving dimensions of a surface material unit, including a material length and a material height; receiving design parameters defining a three-dimensional design over the building surface; partitioning the three-dimensional design into a plurality of three-dimensional segments based on both the three-dimensional design and the dimensions of the surface material; and generating a set of milling instructions for cutting a plurality of surface material units into the plurality of three-dimensional segments.

A miller, a non-transitory computer readable medium, and a method for milling a multi-layered object. The method may include (i) receiving or determining milling parameters related to a milling process, the milling parameters may include at least two out of (a) a defocus strength, (b) a duration of the milling process, (c) a bias voltage supplied to an objective lens during the milling process, (d) an ion beam energy, and (e) an ion beam current density, and (ii) forming a crater by applying the milling process while maintaining the milling parameters, wherein the applying of the milling process includes directing a defocused ion beam on the multi-layered object.

A simulation method for milling by use of a dynamic position error includes the steps of: (a) generating a milling surface from a numerical control code, the milling surface having a plurality of grid points, the numerical control code having a position command; (b) calculating a normal vector for each of the plurality of grid points on the milling surface; (c) feeding back a position feedback of each of the plurality of grid points by the controller of the machine tool, and deriving a corresponding three-axis dynamic position error of the milling surface according to the position command and the position feedback; (d) calculating a component of the normal vector for the three-axis dynamic position error so as to obtain a normal-vector error value of the corresponding grid point; and, (e) displaying undercutting information of the normal-vector error value of the corresponding grid point on the milling surface.

A method implemented by a computer system, the computer-implemented method comprising receiving dimensions of a building surface, including a surface length and a surface height; receiving dimensions of a surface material unit, including a material length and a material height; receiving design parameters defining a three-dimensional design over the building surface; partitioning the three-dimensional design into a plurality of three-dimensional segments based on both the three-dimensional design and the dimensions of the surface material; and generating a set of milling instructions for cutting a plurality of surface material units into the plurality of three-dimensional segments.