A method of tool path compensation for repeated machining process

This paper proposes a software method to compensate for the contour error in repeated machining process. In the proposed method, the profile of the first machined part is measured by a coordinate measuring machine. Based on the measured data, the tool path is modified by a compensation algorithm, and then, is represented by a series of linear segments. Finally, the compensated tool path is fed to the CNC machine tool for the machining of subsequent parts. Mathematical analysis and experimental evaluation are presented in this paper. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.