# Equal contribution; * Corresponding Authors; cs: coming soon

Continuous Toolpath Optimization for Simultaneous Four-Axis Subtractive Manufacturing
Zhenmin Zhang, Zihan Shi, Fanchao Zhong, Kun Zhang, Wenjing Zhang, Jianwei Guo,Changhe Tu, Haisen Zhao*
Computer Graphics Forum 2024 (Present on Eurographics 2025).

• paper
• abstract

  Simultaneous four‐axis machining involves a cutter that moves in all degrees of freedom during carving. This strategy provides higher‐quality surface finishing compared to positional machining. However, it has not been well‐studied in research. In this study, we propose the first end‐to‐end computational framework to optimize the toolpath for fabricating complex models using simultaneous four‐axis subtractive manufacturing. In our technique, we first slice the input 3D model into uniformly distributed 2D layers. For each slicing layer, we perform an accessibility analysis for each intersected contour within this layer. Then, we proceed with over‐segmentation and a bottom‐up connecting process to generate a minimal number of fabricable segments. Finally, we propose post‐processing techniques to further optimize the tool directionand the transfer path between segments. Physical experiments of nine models demonstrate our significant improvements in both fabrication quality and efficiency, compared to the positional strategy and two simultaneous tool paths generated by industry‐standard CAM systems.