JP4624902B2 - NC path generation method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating an NC path used for mold manufacture.

  A three-dimensional model of a mold shape is generally created using CAD software. Conventionally, the person in charge of NC path creation uses the CAM software to make settings for outputting the NC path to a predetermined range of the mold model based on the three-dimensional model of the mold and the machining process table. Yes. As a result, the generation of the NC path is very time-consuming until the NC path is created because human intervention is involved and various settings are individually set for each process and instructions are issued. It is. Therefore, it is desired to establish a system that automatically generates NC paths.

JP 07-080747 A

  In contrast, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a machining NC automatic program generation method and apparatus. The purpose of this is to provide a machining NC automatic program generation method capable of creating an NC path even if it is not an expert. Specifically, the NC path is automatically generated when the machining method for each part of the machining surface is already specified from the shape. In other words, the NC path automatic generation target is any one selected from a surface in contact with the product, a surface in which the dies are always in contact with each other, a surface in which the dies are in contact with each other at the time of molding, and the like. Surface.

  However, generating a NC model for each classified part after classifying it into a specific part (part) of the mold part by a human in this way can quickly create a mold model from product data. From the viewpoint of generating the NC path, it is not always a sufficient situation. This can be understood from the current situation in which the configuration of the processed surface of the mold is complicated and the product cycle is shortened, as represented by portable devices and the like. Therefore, even for a mold model having a complicated shape, it can be said that it is desirable to automatically generate an NC path from the upstream process in the NC path creation process.

  In view of such a situation, the present invention constructs a system that can automatically generate NC paths for a product model with a die model such as a male type (CORE), a female type (CAVI), a slide, and a loose core as a unit. The purpose is to do. In this respect, it is a problem to significantly reduce the man-hours for NC path creation by maintaining the same level of machining quality as in the case of conventional human intervention and automatically creating NC paths with short machining time. Become.

  The present invention systematizes information related to a machining surface of a mold that has been judged by humans, adds the systematized information to each part data of the machining surface, and uses the added information and the information. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically generating an NC path using CAM software based on tool information.

The present invention
An NC path generation device that generates an NC path from mold shape data to which predetermined attribute information is assigned,
Processing that prompts the user to create a predetermined number of attributes that are classified based on functions required for the processing surface, classify the mold shape data based on the attributes, and assign attribute information to each region Functional classification means of the surface,
Each area to which the attribute information is assigned is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the processing surface, processing shape information is assigned to each classified part, and the processing order is specified at the level of each part Machining shape classification means to perform,
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the processing shape information, a processing condition specifying means for specifying a tool used for each part;
An NC path generation device characterized by comprising:

  In the apparatus according to the present invention, attributes classified from functions required for the machining surface include, for example, a wire hole attribute, a product surface attribute, a relief attribute, a 1.5R pocket attribute, a curved surface alignment attribute, a taper alignment attribute, and origin detection. It is an attribute.

  In addition, the tilt angle information in the machining shape classification means according to the present invention includes at least a large angle and a minimum angle.

  Further, in the machining condition specifying means according to the present invention, specifying the tool to be used for each part means that each part classified by the machining shape classifying means is associated with each tool whose machining order is specified in advance. It is characterized by being realized by the table means adapted to.

  In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention further specifies each of the same tools specified in the same region of the respective regions in order to specify a part to be processed using the same tool from a desired processing range of the mold. In addition to the parts, the same tool part extracting means for extracting each part in which the same tool is specified although the area is different is provided.

  Furthermore, the apparatus according to the present invention is a means for generating an NC path by determining the use order of each tool with each part obtained by the same tool part extracting means as a unit for shortening the machining time. It is provided with.

The present invention also provides:
A method for generating an NC path from mold shape data to which predetermined attribute information is assigned using a computer,
Creating a predetermined number of attributes that are classified based on functions required for the machining surface, and prompting the user to classify the mold shape data based on the attributes and assign attribute information to each region When,
Each area to which the attribute information is assigned is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the processing surface, processing shape information is assigned to each classified part, and the processing order is specified at the level of each part And steps to
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the machining shape information, identifying a tool used for each part;
A method for generating an NC path characterized by comprising:

  In the method according to the present invention, the attributes classified from the functions required for the machining surface are, for example, a wire hole attribute, a product surface attribute, a relief attribute, a 1.5R pocket attribute, a curved surface alignment attribute, a taper alignment attribute, and origin detection. It is an attribute.

  In addition, the tilt angle information in the method according to the present invention includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle.

  Further, in the method according to the present invention, specifying the tool to be used for each part uses a table in which each classified part is associated with each tool whose processing order is specified in advance. It is characterized by being realized by.

  Further, in the method according to the present invention, in order to identify a part to be machined using the same tool from a desired machining range of the mold, In addition to the region, the method includes a step of extracting each region where the same tool is specified although the region is different.

  Furthermore, the method according to the present invention includes a step of generating an NC path by determining the order of use of each tool, with each part obtained by the same tool part extraction means as a unit, in order to reduce machining time. It is provided with.

In another embodiment, the present invention further includes:
An NC path generation device that generates an NC path of a mold from product shape data when a target product can be generated by combining existing parts,
Database means for storing the part shape data constituting the target product data and storing the part shape data assigned with the predetermined attribute information classified from the functions required for the machining surface of the mold,
Means for prompting a user to select part shape data constituting desired product shape data from the part shape data stored in the database means;
Means for prompting the user to place the selected part shape data to conform to a desired product shape;
Means for arranging the part shape data using CAD means in response to a user's instruction, and performing synthesis calculation to generate desired product shape data;
Means for calculating mold shape data assigned with attribute information corresponding to each product surface, based on the attribute information of the mold associated with the part shape data constituting the desired product shape data;
Each region classified by the attribute information of the mold shape data is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the machining surface, and the machining shape information is assigned to each classified portion, and the level of each portion Machining shape classification means for specifying the machining order with,
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the processing shape information, a processing condition specifying means for specifying a tool used for each part;
An NC path generation device characterized by comprising:

  In the apparatus according to the present invention, attributes classified from functions required for the machining surface include, for example, a wire hole attribute, a product surface attribute, a relief attribute, a 1.5R pocket attribute, a curved surface alignment attribute, a taper alignment attribute, and origin detection. It is an attribute.

  In addition, the tilt angle information in the machining shape classification means according to the present invention includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle.

  Further, in the machining condition specifying means according to the present invention, specifying the tool to be used for each part means that each part classified by the machining shape classifying means is associated with each tool whose processing order is specified in advance. It is realized by the table means configured as described above.

  Further, in the apparatus according to the present invention, the means for calculating the mold shape data to which the attribute is attached further assigns a corresponding attribute to the surface where the molds are in contact with each other.

  In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention further specifies each of the same tools specified in the same region of the respective regions in order to specify a part to be processed using the same tool from a desired processing range of the mold. In addition to the parts, the same tool part extracting means for extracting each part in which the same tool is specified although the area is different is provided.

  Furthermore, the apparatus according to the present invention is a means for generating an NC path by determining the use order of each tool with each part obtained by the same tool part extracting means as a unit for shortening the machining time. It is provided with.

In another embodiment, the present invention further includes:
A method for generating an NC path of a mold from product shape data when a target product can be generated by combining existing parts using a computer,
Storing, in a database, part shape data constituting target product data, and part shape data assigned with attribute information classified from functions required for a machining surface of a mold;
Prompting the user to select part shape data constituting desired product shape data from the part shape data stored in the database;
Prompting the user to place the selected part shape data to conform to a desired product shape;
Placing the part shape data using CAD means in response to a user's instruction, and performing synthesis calculation to generate desired product shape data;
Calculating mold shape data with attributes corresponding to each product surface, based on the attribute information of the mold associated with the part shape data constituting the desired product shape data;
Each region classified according to the attribute of the mold shape data is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the processing surface, and the processing shape information is assigned to each classified portion, at the level of each portion Identifying the processing sequence;
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the machining shape information, identifying a tool used for each part;
A method for generating an NC path characterized by comprising:

  In the method according to the present invention, the attributes classified from the functions required for the machining surface include, for example, a wire hole attribute, a product surface attribute, a relief attribute, a 1.5R pocket attribute, a curved surface alignment attribute, a taper alignment attribute, It is an origin detection attribute.

  In addition, the tilt angle information in the method according to the present invention includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle.

  Further, in the method according to the present invention, specifying the tool to be used for each part means that each part classified by the machining shape classifying means is associated with each tool whose machining order is specified in advance. It is realized by using a table.

  Further, in the method according to the present invention, the step of calculating the mold shape data to which the attribute is attached further includes a step of assigning a corresponding attribute to a surface where the molds are in contact with each other.

  Further, in the method according to the present invention, in order to identify a part to be machined using the same tool from a desired machining range of the mold, In addition to the region, the method includes a step of extracting each region where the same tool is specified although the region is different.

  Furthermore, in order to shorten the machining time, the method according to the present invention determines the order of use of each tool, with each part obtained by the step of extracting each part having the same tool specified in different regions as one unit. Thus, the method includes a step of generating an NC path.

  As described above, the present invention uses a computer to classify the machining surface based on the function required for each machining surface of the mold, further classify the machining surface based on the inclined shape of the machining surface, and By associating these classification results with tools that can be used for machining, it is possible to derive a tool and a machining locus that are actually used for cutting. Conventionally, human beings have made judgments regarding the classification. However, the present invention automates this classification and associates these classification results with tool selection so that the NC path can be quickly identified. is there. As a result, according to the present invention, what NC path is to be created at which location from the information of the three-dimensional model of the mold shape and, in a certain case, the information of the three-dimensional model of the parts constituting the product. It can be determined automatically. In addition, the present invention has an advantage that the automatic generation of NC paths by using CAM software and CAM software can effectively utilize existing design resources.

  By realizing the automatic selection of the machining method and the tool used based on the above-mentioned “attribute information” and “inclination angle information” for the machining surface, for example, the sliding surface and the relief surface seem to have the same shape at a glance. Even in such a case, it is judged that the machining accuracy required by cutting is different from the functions required for each machining surface, and selecting a cutting method and a tool to be used based on the judgment, It can be done instantly without human intervention. Inversely, even if the functions of the machining surface of the mold are different, the part that can be used by the same cutting method and tool is extracted, and the NC path is output so that they are cut together. It is possible to automatically generate an NC path with a short machining time.

  In addition, by systematizing the method of classifying the die machining surface based on the function required for the die machining surface from the product data, the existing design assets can be used effectively to shorten the design time and reduce the design man-hours. Can be reduced.

  Here, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, the following description is merely an example of the present invention, and the technical scope of the invention is not limited by the following description.

  An apparatus for generating an NC path according to the present embodiment is realized by a general computer having a memory and a database and predetermined software executed thereon. The designer (user) can proceed with generation of the attribute of the mold shape by performing necessary operations while being guided by the predetermined software on the computer screen. Then, if a state in which the attribute is assigned to the mold shape is generated, or if a state in which parts constituting the product are assembled on CAD is generated in a fixed case, an NC path can be automatically generated. It has become.

  In addition, mold coordinate axes such as those used in a general-purpose CAD system or a general-purpose CAM system are already stored in the computer so that the three-dimensional data related to the mold shape and the three-dimensional data related to the product shape can be handled. For example, it is assumed that the software is associated with the software according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, a flow for generating an NC path from mold data will be described first. Next, a flow for generating the NC path from the upstream process when the design data of the target product is a partial change of the already designed product will be described.

[Configuration to generate NC path from mold data]
The method of generating the NC path from the mold data according to the present invention is based on the relationship between the function of each machining surface of the mold, the shape of the machining surface, such as the inclination of the machining surface, and the tool actually used in the machining machine. In addition, the machining order is defined and the NC path is calculated.

  FIG. 1 shows a flow for generating an NC path using mold data. Here, it is assumed that the mold shape model for creating the NC path is stored in a CAD system that can be used for mold design. First, the user uses a mold design CAD system to display a mold shape model for creating an NC path on a computer monitor. Then, the user is prompted to classify the machining surface based on the function required for the machining surface of the mold with respect to the mold shape model displayed by the system using the predetermined interface. A classification operation is performed on each area of the shape model, and attribute information can be assigned to each classified area (step 100). At this time, the mold data to which the attribute information is assigned is stored in a predetermined memory. The attributes referred to here are, for example, a surface that is in contact with a product (product surface), a surface that is always in contact with molds (always contact surface), a surface that is contacted when molds are molded (matching surface), a mold A surface that slides between them (sliding surface) and a surface that does not come into contact with molds or products (a relief surface). This attribute is an example, and other attributes can be used. If it is associated so that it can be recognized on the CAD system, the machined surface is classified based on the function required for the machined surface of the mold, such as a product vertical wall (which constitutes the vertical wall of the product surface). Others may be used.

  The surfaces that make up the mold are roughly divided into the above product surfaces, constant contact surfaces, mating surfaces, sliding surfaces, and relief surfaces, etc., from the functions required for the machined surfaces. It depends on the mold shape. Depending on the configuration, the required processing accuracy and processing method differ, and the tools used for processing also differ. In this respect, the determination of the processing method of the processing surface depends on the function required for the mold, and is determined based on this. For example, the relief surface is a surface where the molds do not come into contact with each other and does not come into contact with the product, and there is no problem even if the shape to be molded is somewhat rougher than the other surfaces because of its function. On the other hand, the product surface is a surface that is in contact with the product and has a function of directly defining the product shape, and therefore needs to be molded with higher accuracy than other surfaces. In addition, the other continuous contact surfaces, the mating surfaces, and the sliding surfaces are similarly assumed to have the required processing quality from their respective functions. Conventionally, a designer uses which surface each processing part belongs to as an element for determining processing means such as a processing trajectory and a processing order. The classification in step 100 is a systematic incorporation of the designer's judgment criteria into NC path automatic generation.

  Next, each area of the mold in which the machining surface is classified and attribute information is assigned by the user based on the function required for the machining surface of the mold is used as the tilt angle information of each surface constituting the machining surface. Based on this, it is further classified into predetermined parts, and a process order is assigned to each part (step 110).

  Here, as the inclination angle information, the minimum angle and the maximum angle can be used as a threshold value for judging a gentle slope and a steep slope. For example, by setting both the maximum angle and the minimum angle to 30 degrees in advance using a table or the like, a processing method corresponding to a gentle slope is assumed to be a gentle slope for a part having an angle of 30 degrees or less. And a machining method corresponding to a steep slope can be associated with a portion having an angle of 30 degrees or more as a steep slope. In addition, by setting the minimum angle as 40 degrees and the maximum angle as 20 degrees, similarly, a part having an angle of 40 degrees or less is regarded as a gentle slope so that a processing method corresponding to the gentle slope is performed. And the site | part which has an angle of 20 degree | times or more can also be linked | related so that the processing method corresponding to a steep slope may be made as a steep slope. In this case, the portion of 20 degrees or more and less than 40 degrees is set to be processed corresponding to both the steep slope and the gentle slope. Therefore, for example, if the minimum angle is 40 degrees and the maximum angle is 20 degrees, it can be used to stabilize the accuracy of the processed surface using a processing method corresponding to both steep and gentle slopes.

  Each area of the machined surface classified by attribute information is composed of various shapes. And the cutting method and the tool to be used differ with the shape. For example, when the processing surface has a flat portion, a gentle slope, or a steep slope, the cutting methods are different. Further, the order of cutting depends on the shape of the processed surface. For example, in the case of a shape having a steep inclination with respect to the cutting direction or processing of a fine part, the processing order is generally later. As described above, as a criterion for selecting a tool to be used for machining each machining site, conventionally, an NC path designer uses shape information such as an inclination constituting a machining surface. Further classification in step 110 is a systematic incorporation of this criteria of the designer into NC path automatic generation. In the present invention, the steep slope can be specified by extracting a surface having a steep angle element equal to or greater than a maximum angle specified in advance. Further, the gentle slope can be specified by extracting a surface having a dull angle element equal to or less than a predetermined minimum angle.

  Further, the step 110 is configured such that the attribute information assigned by the step 100 can be taken into account when the process order of each part is specified based on the shape information of the processed surface. That is, the process order for each part is to be specified based on the finished surface finishing accuracy based on attribute information as well as shape information on the processed surface. In this respect, even if the processed parts have the same shape, the finishing accuracy differs between the case where the parts are in contact with the product surface and the case where the parts are not in contact with each other or the product. That is, the part that contacts the product surface has a higher required accuracy for processing than the part that does not contact the molds or the product. Therefore, in order to process the processed parts in order from the parts with low required accuracy to the high parts, the process order is assigned so that the parts that do not contact the molds or the product are processed before the parts that contact the product surface. It can be specified in advance so that it can.

  Based on the above, in the present invention, when a combination of the attribute information and the shape information of the processed surface is obtained, a desired process order corresponding to the combination is assigned to the part and used for the combination and processing described later. By setting so as to be associated with the tool, the tool used for machining each part is specified. Note that the combination of the attribute information and the shape information of the processed surface and the process order may be set in advance using a table or the like, for example.

  Next, a tool unique to the processing machine and a processing locus of the tool are specified for each classified part, and a processing order in each part is assigned (step 120).

  The classification of each part in step 110 is determined based on the function of the mold for which the surface is required and the inclined shape of the surface. In step 120, for each part, the type of tool required for machining, the diameter of the tool, the machining speed, etc. are selected from the classification based on the function and shape elements, and further, the function of the CAM software is used. A machining locus is calculated. Specifically, based on the classification result of each part in step 110, the function required for the machining part, the range (area) of the part and the inclined shape, the type of tool that can be used on the processing machine, and the tool This is realized by associating the type of the diameter and the processing speed of the part. This association may be realized by preparing a table or the like in advance. Thereby, the process of each site | part can be subdivided into a more specific process with the tool to be used, the locus | trajectory, and the processing speed.

  According to the above, even if the attributes are different in step 100, each part may result in the same tool being selected in relation to its shape in step 120. Therefore, it is possible to extract each part using the same tool, although the attributes are different, and to specify a part to be processed using the same tool from a desired processing range of the mold. In other words, in addition to a part using the same tool within the same attribute, a part using the same tool is extracted between different attributes, so that an NC path is output so as to process them together. Can be customized to be used to reduce.

  In the above, regarding the NC path creation process of the machined surface, each NC of the machined surface according to the classification according to the “functions required for the machined surface of the mold” and the “inclined shape constituting the machined surface” according to the classification. Focusing on the fact that the processing method of the processing site is specified, this classification is performed efficiently using a computer. The NC path is automatically generated by associating the result of the classification with the tool actually used in the processing machine.

  In the above NC path creation process, step 100 may be realized by customization so that it can be used on CAD software, for example. Further, step 110 and step 120 may be realized by customization so that they can be used on CAM software, for example.

[Configuration to generate NC path from product data]
The method for generating the NC path from the product data according to the present invention adopts a configuration in which the configuration for generating the NC path from the mold data is expanded. When the design data of the target product is a partial change of a product that has already been designed, the NC path designer does not need to specify the function of each machining surface of the mold described above, and is a more upstream process. The NC path can be automatically generated by creating the product shape on the CAD.

  FIG. 2 shows a flow for generating an NC path from product data. Here, it is assumed that the part data of the product data for which the mold is to be created is stored in the database in a state linked to the CAD system. In addition, it is assumed that these component data are stored in the database as a component library corresponding to an already designed product. Furthermore, it is assumed that the attribute relating to the function required from the machining surface of the corresponding mold data is assigned to the part data. First, when a user selects part data as a component of a desired product stored in a database using a CAD system, the part shape is displayed on a computer monitor (step 200). Next, when the user arranges part data while looking at the computer monitor, creates a desired product shape, and instructs the computer to perform synthesis calculation, the product shape is synthesized and calculated by the CAD system. The accompanying mold attribute information is also copied from the database to the product shape data (step 220). The above process can be repeated until a desired product shape can be created (step 230). When the user instructs the computer that the desired product shape data has been created, the CAD data is used to create the mold data as the inverted shape of the product (step 240). Next, the part shape attribute of the product is transferred to the mold data (step 250). Next, the mold parts other than the mold part in contact with the product are classified based on the required functions, and attributes are assigned according to the classification (step 260). Specifically, first, it is determined whether a slide part is necessary for the mold part other than the mold part in contact with the product. After that, if it is necessary to have the slide part, slide from the outer peripheral surface of the product. Select the area to be the part. Thereafter, the other mold parts are classified according to the outer peripheral shape of the product. In addition to assigning attributes to mold parts that are in contact with the product at step 250, attributes can be assigned to mold parts that are not in contact with the product surface (parts where the molds are in contact with each other) at step 260. Note that the attributes assigned in steps 250 and 260 are the same as those assigned by the user after step 100 in the case of generating the NC path from the above-described mold data. Next, each region of the mold to which the attribute is assigned is further classified into predetermined portions based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the machining surface, and a process order is assigned to each portion (step 270). Step 270 is the same processing as step 110 in FIG. 1 described above. Next, a tool unique to the processing machine and a processing locus of the tool are specified for each classified part, and a processing order in each part is assigned (step 280). Note that the processing in step 280 is similar to the processing in step 120 of FIG. 1 described above.

  The above method according to the present invention is a component that constitutes a product in view of the fact that the attribute based on the function required for the machining surface of the mold is determined depending on the properties of the shape of the product. A method for specifying the shape of the mold corresponding to the shape and the attribute thereof is provided. By the above method, NC path generation systematization can be established from the upstream process, so that the NC path design efficiency can be improved.

  In the NC path creation process described above, steps 200 to 260 may be realized by customization so that they can be used on CAD software, for example. Further, step 270 and step 280 may be realized by customization so as to be available on the CAM software, for example.

  Here, an embodiment in which the NC path is actually created using the processing flow described so far will be described.

  This system includes a general computer terminal such as a personal computer or a workstation and its peripheral devices, and a computer program executed on the computer. Since the computer peripheral device is a general-purpose device, the central part of the present system is a software part related to NC path generation composed of a computer program.

  The NC path generation software according to the present embodiment is linked to CAD software and CAM software on a computer terminal, and can be accessed and controlled from the CAD software and CAM software on the terminal. As the CAD software and CAM software, commercially available software widely used in this field can be used, and CAD software and CAM software that are independently developed or customized may be used. This NC path generation software does not indicate that the NC path generation software can be operated only by control on the CAD software and CAM software, and links the CAD software and CAM software to the NC path software constituting this system. It may be operated in a customized form.

  FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the cabinet 310 and the core 330 with respect to the product 320. In this embodiment, a process of generating an NC path for the cabinet 310 corresponding to the product 320 will be described. First, the designer searches for a part constituting the product 320 from a database linked to the CAD software, arranges the corresponding part using the CAD software, and creates a product shape. Then, the designer gives an instruction using a predetermined interface so that the CAD product can recognize the assembled product shape. These correspond to steps 200 and 210 in FIG. Then, desired product data as shown in FIG. 4 can be generated. Here, the light 410, the camera 420, the window 430, the button 440, the microphone 450, and the design surface 460 are component groups stored in advance in the database.

  FIG. 5 shows attributes classified from the properties based on the shape of the parts group shown in FIG. The attributes are a light attribute 510, a camera attribute 520, a window attribute 530, a button attribute 540, a microphone attribute 550, and a design surface attribute 560, respectively. These attributes are classified based on the shape of the component, and are stored in advance in the database in an inseparable relationship with the component shape data.

  FIG. 6 shows a state in which the attributes of the parts shown in FIG. 5 are transferred to the cabinet. This corresponds to the one created by executing step 250 in FIG. It can be seen that a shape obtained by inverting the product shape shown in FIG. 5 is transferred to the mold. In addition, attribute information corresponding to each component is assigned to the mold portion corresponding to each component. Specifically, a light attribute 610, a camera attribute 620, a window attribute 630, a button attribute 640, a microphone attribute 650, and a design surface attribute 660 are assigned, respectively.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which attributes are assigned to mold parts that do not contact the product. Specifically, a taper alignment surface attribute 710, a plane abutting surface attribute 720, a curved surface alignment surface attribute 730, a pocket surface attribute 740, a blank surface attribute 750, and a relief surface attribute 760 are assigned, respectively. From the size and range of the product shape data, first, the tapered alignment surface and the curved alignment surface are specified so as to secure a predetermined area, and then the plane is abutted against the adjacent predetermined area. Surfaces and pocket surfaces have been identified, and finally the relief surface area has been identified in a direction away from the product relative to the surface. These can be calculated from the positional relationship with the product shape using CAD software. This attribute assignment corresponds to the one executed in step 260 of FIG.

  FIG. 8 shows the attribute of the mold part to which the attribute classification based on the property of the product shape is transferred (see FIG. 6) and the attribute assigned to the mold part that is not in contact with the product (see FIG. 7). The state displayed together is shown. 8, the same numbers as those shown in FIG. 6 and the numbers shown in FIG. 7 indicate the same attributes. The attributes assigned here are the same as those assigned by the user to the respective machining surfaces after step 100 in FIG. As described above, when the product to be designed is known in advance, the user only has to arrange the parts constituting the product stored in the database or the like on the CAD according to the shape of the finished product. Thereby, the mold attribute corresponding to the part is automatically specified, and the formation of the mold not contacting the product part and the attribute are also specified. Therefore, it is possible to perform the mold attribute assignment process more quickly and accurately than a human assigns attributes to individual mold parts.

  Here, with regard to step 270 in FIG. 2, for the sake of simplicity, attention is paid to the curved mating surface attribute, and the region to which the attribute is assigned is classified into a predetermined part based on the inclination angle information of the surface. explain. FIG. 9 shows a curved mating surface attribute 910 similar to the curved mating surface attribute 730 of FIGS. FIG. 10 shows a state where the curved mating surface attribute portion 910 of FIG. 9 is enlarged and displayed. Specifically, the curved surface matching surface attribute 910 is classified into the steep slope 1100, the top surface 1200, and the gentle slope 1300. In this embodiment, the steep slope 1100 is obtained by extracting a surface including a steep angle element having an angle of 20 degrees or more from the curved surface matching surface attribute 910. The top surface 1200 is obtained by extracting the top surface indicating a certain horizontal plane from the curved surface matching surface attribute 910. In addition, the gentle slope 1300 is obtained by extracting a surface including a gentle angle element having an angle of 40 degrees or less from the curved surface matching surface attribute 910. The angle here is as described in step 110 of FIG. In addition, the threshold values of the gentle slope and the steep slope are set to 40 degrees and 20 degrees, respectively. For a part having an inclined shape between 20 degrees and 40 degrees, it corresponds to the processing corresponding to the gentle slope and the steep slope. By performing both processes, there is an aim to improve and uniform the processing accuracy. Although the thresholds for specifying steep and gentle slopes are 20 degrees and 40 degrees, in relation to the tools actually used in the processing machine, for example, a tool that can be reliably and accurately machined if it is 40 degrees or less is provided. In the case of using a processing machine, it is of course possible to change both the threshold values set above, for example, to 40 degrees. Although not shown, the tool is selected based on the combination of the steep slope 1100, the top surface 1200, and the gentle slope 1300 as the slope shape information and the information indicating the curved surface mating surface attribute.

  Although not shown in the figure, based on step 280 of FIG. 2, according to the mold attribute of each surface and the inclined shape of each surface in the same manner as described above for other attributes other than the curved surface mating surface attribute. The NC path can be generated by classifying the parts into predetermined parts, calculating the corresponding tool and the machining locus of the tool.

  According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, for example, in a mobile phone mold design, a model with a camera function can be easily designed. That is, when designing a mold for a model with a camera function, the mold designer first has to design the shape of the camera part and its mold if there is no design result of the camera part corresponding to the target model on CAD. However, if there is already a design track record, the camera parts corresponding to the target model are identified from them, and the other parts are combined by combining the existing parts. A phone shape can be generated. If the user can specify the product shape of the mobile phone on the CAD, it is possible to automatically generate a mold shape and further generate an NC path of a desired area.

  As described above, the embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and various modifications can be easily made thereto. To be understood. In addition, as long as they are within the scope of matters described in the respective claims and equivalent matters, they are naturally included in the technical scope of the present invention. Although the above embodiment is for a specific product, this is only an example, and the present invention is not limited to this specific example.

The flow which produces | generates NC path | pass using the metal mold | die data concerning this invention is shown. The flow which produces | generates NC path | pass from the product data based on this invention is shown. The appearance of mold data and product data of the cabinet core is shown. The appearance of the target product shape is shown. The state of attribute classification based on the properties of the product shape is shown. The state that the attribute classification based on the property of the product shape is transferred to the mold is shown. This shows how attributes are assigned to mold parts that do not touch the product. The attribute classification based on the property of the product shape shows the attribute of the mold part transferred and the attribute assigned to the mold part not in contact with the product. Indicates the curved surface matching attribute. The external appearance which expanded and displayed the metal mold | die part of the curved surface matching attribute of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

310 Cavity 320 Product 330 Core 410 Light 420 Camera 430 Window 440 Button 450 Microphone 460 Design surface 510, 610 Light surface attribute 520, 620 Camera surface attribute 530, 630 Window surface attribute 540, 640 Button surface attribute 550, 650 Microphone surface attribute 560 , 660 Design surface attribute 710 Taper mating surface attribute 720 Plane abutting surface attribute 730, 910 Curved mating surface attribute 740 Pocket surface attribute 750 Blank surface attribute 760 Escape surface attribute 1100 Steep slope 1200 Top surface 1300 Slow slope

Claims (18)

An NC path generation device that generates an NC path from mold shape data to which predetermined attribute information is assigned,
Processing that prompts the user to create a predetermined number of attributes that are classified based on functions required for the processing surface, classify the mold shape data based on the attributes, and assign attribute information to each region Functional classification means of the surface,
Each area to which the attribute information is assigned is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the processing surface, processing shape information is assigned to each classified part, and the processing order is specified at the level of each part Machining shape classification means to perform,
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the processing shape information, a processing condition specifying means for specifying a tool used for each part;
An NC path generation device comprising: 2. The NC path generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inclination angle information in the machining shape classification means includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle. In the processing condition specifying means, specifying the tool to be used for each part means that each part classified by the processing shape classification means is associated with each tool whose processing order is specified in advance. 3. The NC path generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the NC path generation apparatus is realized by table means. Furthermore, in order to identify the part to be machined using the same tool from the desired machining range of the mold, in addition to each part where the same tool is identified within the same area, the area is different. The NC path generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising an identical tool part extraction unit that extracts each part in which the same tool is specified. A method for generating an NC path from mold shape data to which predetermined attribute information is assigned using a computer,
Creating a predetermined number of attributes that are classified based on functions required for the machining surface, and prompting the user to classify the mold shape data based on the attributes and assign attribute information to each region When,
Each area to which the attribute information is assigned is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the processing surface, processing shape information is assigned to each classified part, and the processing order is specified at the level of each part And steps to
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the machining shape information, identifying a tool used for each part;
A method of generating an NC path characterized by comprising: 6. The method of generating an NC path according to claim 5 , wherein the tilt angle information includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle. Specifying the tool used and the machining trajectory of each part is realized by using a table in which each classified part is associated with each tool whose machining order is specified in advance. The method for generating an NC path according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein: Furthermore, in order to identify the part to be machined using the same tool from the desired machining range of the mold, in addition to each part where the same tool is identified within the same area, the area is different. method for generating NC path according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a step of extracting each portion identified by the same tool. An NC path generation device that generates an NC path of a mold from product shape data when a target product can be generated by combining existing parts,
Database means for storing the part shape data constituting the target product data and storing the part shape data assigned with the predetermined attribute information classified from the functions required for the machining surface of the mold,
Means for prompting a user to select part shape data constituting desired product shape data from the part shape data stored in the database means;
Means for prompting the user to place the selected part shape data to conform to a desired product shape;
Means for arranging the part shape data using CAD means in response to a user's instruction, and performing synthesis calculation to generate desired product shape data;
Means for calculating mold shape data assigned with attribute information corresponding to each product surface, based on the attribute information of the mold associated with the part shape data constituting the desired product shape data;
Each region classified by the attribute information of the mold shape data is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the machining surface, and the machining shape information is assigned to each classified portion, and the level of each portion Machining shape classification means for specifying the machining order with,
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the processing shape information, a processing condition specifying means for specifying a tool used for each part;
An NC path generation device comprising: 10. The NC path generation apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the tilt angle information in the machining shape classification means includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle. In the processing condition specifying means, specifying the tool to be used for each part means that each part classified by the processing shape classification means is associated with each tool whose processing order is specified in advance. The NC path generation device according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the NC path generation device is realized by a table means. Attribute calculating the mold shape data are given the means, against the surface of the mold are in contact with each other, according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that allocating more corresponding attribute NC path generator. Furthermore, in order to identify the part to be machined using the same tool from the desired machining range of the mold, in addition to each part where the same tool is identified within the same area, the area is different. The NC path generation device according to any one of claims 9 to 12 , further comprising an identical tool part extraction unit that extracts each part in which the same tool is specified. A method for generating an NC path of a mold from product shape data when a target product can be generated by combining existing parts using a computer,
Storing, in a database, part shape data constituting target product data, and part shape data assigned with attribute information classified from functions required for a machining surface of a mold;
Prompting the user to select part shape data constituting desired product shape data from the part shape data stored in the database;
Prompting the user to place the selected part shape data to conform to a desired product shape;
Placing the part shape data using CAD means in response to a user's instruction, and performing synthesis calculation to generate desired product shape data;
Calculating mold shape data with attributes corresponding to each product surface, based on the attribute information of the mold associated with the part shape data constituting the desired product shape data;
Each region classified according to the attribute of the mold shape data is further classified based on the inclination angle information of each surface constituting the processing surface, and the processing shape information is assigned to each classified portion, at the level of each portion Identifying the processing sequence;
Based on the attribute information assigned to each part and the machining shape information, identifying a tool used for each part;
A method of generating an NC path characterized by comprising: 15. The method of generating an NC path according to claim 14 , wherein the tilt angle information includes at least a maximum angle and a minimum angle. Identifying the machine-specific tools and machining trajectories of each part is realized by using a table in which each classified part is associated with each tool whose machining order is specified in advance. 16. The method of generating an NC path according to claim 14 or 15 , wherein: Step of attribute calculation mold shape data are given the ranges, for the surface on which the die are in contact with each other, any one of claim 14, further comprising the step of allocating the corresponding attribute 16 A method of generating the NC path described in 1. Furthermore, in order to identify the part to be machined using the same tool from the desired machining range of the mold, in addition to each part where the same tool is identified within the same area, the area is different. The method for generating an NC path according to any one of claims 14 to 17 , further comprising a step of extracting each specified part of the same tool.

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