Optimization Toolpath Generation for Drill Hole on Three Axes CNC Machine Using Genetic Algorithms

Flat metal sheets with many holes are widely used in industries for example, box shells, plates, or PCB boards. The selection of the tool path becomes extremely difficult as the number of holes increases. Longer paths reduce machining productivity. Among those routes, each route is a different total length. If the route is chosen for the tool path too long, the total machining time will increase, and productivity will be reduced. This paper presents a simple method for optimizing tool paths when drilling multiple holes in large steel plates. The tool path includes two styles of cutting and un-cutting tool paths and other parameters. We investigated the un-cutting tool path for the proposed method. The presented method was applied to a drilling problem to find an optimal tool path with the shortest total length. The proposed method can be applied to three-axis CNC machines with interpolated movements to predict the shortest total distance of tool paths.