الفهرس 
Literature ReviewOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The calculation of the optimal path of the tool during the machining process is one of the most important steps in the entire production process. The length of the tool path affects the machining time, which affects the cost of the manufacturing process. This is why an algorithm was created to calculate the optimal path for pocketing using genetic algorithms. This algorithm consists of four main modules.
The first module is to extract the engineering data stored in a file of the programs to increase the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The neutral data files were selected to transfer the data from the CAD softwares and select the files (STEP and DXF). The STEP file was selected specifically as it is one of the most recent files where the DXF file is the most common of the files used in CAD softwares.
The second module is to recognize all pockets types like circular pockets, rectangular pockets and irregular shapes pockets and also to recognize all holes types.
The third module is to calculate the tool path for all pockets types, Therefore, five strategies used to calculate the tool path of the cutter (Contour Offset, Horizontal Zig Cut, Vertical Zig Cut, Horizontal Zigzag cut, Vertical Zigzag Cut), Then the shortest path length is selected.
The fourth module is to calculate the non-productive time, which is the transfer of the tool from the end of each pocket or hole to the beginning of the next pocket or hole. Genetic algorithms were selected to calculate the optimal tool path which represents the least time to move the tool in the air without cutting.
This algorithm has been implemented by Java language since it does not depend on a specific operating system and is suitable for all systems. The validity of the proposed algorithm was tested by four cases study, which included the various types of pockets expected from circular pockets, rectangular pockets, irregular pockets, and holes of different types. The length of the tool path was calculated using different methods and the best method was calculated to be the smallest value. It is noted that there is no specific strategy for all pockets, but it depends on its shape. It is necessary to calculate the tool paths for each pocket by all strategies not with a specific one. Concerning non-productive tool path, genetic algorithms were applied to find the best path to be chosen, where the shortest route was, and the path was calculated and compared manually. Thus, this proposed system has proved successful in selecting the shortest path in all cases tested.