Computing offsets of point clouds using direct point offsets for tool-path generation

Offset surfaces have widespread applications in, for example, tool-path generation, robot path planning, error analysis, model design, layered manufacturing, and reverse engineering. This paper proposes a novel solution technique for the problem of surface offset on point clouds using direct point offsets along the normal vectors. In order to eliminate self-intersection and noise, a local geometric fitting surface created from neighbouring points is applied to check the validity of a point in the solution processing. Based on the generated offset surface, the tool paths can be generated using the direct projection method. Unlike traditional methods, the generated tool paths are represented by a series of cutter location (CL) points, and the placement and orientation of the actual cutting tool can be easily adjusted on the offset surface for avoidance of interference or overcut. Numerical experiments on several sets of scattered data points are presented, and the robustness and efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated by the results.

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