TY  - JOUR
AB  - This paper describes algorithms and software for decomposing CAD models for a new mold manufacturing process called WirePATH™, which uses wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) to reduce mold fabrication time. A decomposition strategy has been developed to account for the limitations of wire EDM. During decomposition, CAD models are separated into manufacturable segments and then layered if they contain curved or relatively flat sloped surfaces because wire EDM is limited to steeply sloped ruled surfaces. A new algorithm for direct adaptive layering of CAD models is developed. The algorithm analyzes surface error by comparing line segments against actual curves from the model surface. Also, the maximum angle needed to produce each layer is checked, and, in some cases, the layers are reconstructed to conform to the maximum angle.
VL  - 10
IS  - 5
SN  - 1355-2546
DO  - 10.1108/13552540410562322
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/13552540410562322
AU  - Brink James
AU  - Lee Alex
AU  - Anderson David
AU  - Ramani Karthik
PY  - 2004
Y1  - 2004/01/01
TI  - CAD model decomposition for WirePATHTM
T2  - Rapid Prototyping Journal
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 288
EP  - 296
Y2  - 2024/04/23
ER  -