Surface normal interpolation for five axis CNC milling

This paper presents an algorithm for five-axis CNC interpolation. The algorithm generates cutter location points by interpolating the surface normals along a desired path. The surface normals are represented by line coordinates which tie a orientation vector with a specific point in space. The algorithm uses line displacements to generate an approximation of the surface normals along a path. The main advantage of this method is that it relates the angular velocity of the tool to the feed rate requirement of the interpolation. An example is shown of the interpolation technique on a Bezier surface.