Global smoothing for five-axis linear paths based on an adaptive NURBS interpolation algorithm

The five-axis tool path generated by CAM software usually consists of a series of linear paths. The tangent direction at the corner of the adjacent line segment will suddenly change, and the curvature is also discontinuous, which will cause vibration and shock during the machining process. Thus, a global corner smoothing algorithm based on cubic NURBS interpolation is proposed to smooth the linear paths in this paper, so as to achieve G2 continuous for five-axis linear paths. The algorithm proposed does not require matrix operations to solve the control points, and it can also reduce the number of control points while satisfying the interpolation error. The algorithm is then used to generate smooth NURBS path for ceramic core burrs and blockage repair. The simulation and experiment show that the algorithm proposed can satisfy the error constraints, reduce the vibration of the motion axis, and improve the surface quality of laser cutting.