A Minimum Route for Machine Tool Travel

This paper presents an algorithmic approach to solving the problem of excessive travel in C.N.C. machine tools, by introducing an efficient method to compute the shortest path between given sets of points (origin and destination) in an R^2(x,y) plane. When a work piece is located (as an obstacle between sets of points, it is proved that the optimum path between these points would be formed by sequences of connected straight line segments whose intermediate end points are vertices of an appropriate polygonal (closed control barrier). The case of one origin, one destination and a set of barriers is considered. This method is computationally efficient.