AutoSurface: automated surface toolpath generation for complex geometry
How AutoSurface generates dense surface paths from CAD or 3D scans without operator intervention.
Surface finishing — sanding, coating, polishing — needs many small motions, all with consistent tool orientation, spacing, and contact. Programming all of those waypoints by hand is the kind of work that punishes everyone involved. Operators spend days teaching paths that have to be re-taught the moment a part geometry shifts.
What AutoSurface does
AutoSurface is the Augmentus module that generates surface-following toolpaths automatically. It accepts geometry from either a CAD file or a 3D scan, and produces a complete path that respects:
- Tool standoff and contact angle requirements
- Pattern spacing for full coverage
- Joint limits and collision avoidance
- Surface curvature, including complex and freeform shapes
Whether the part comes in as a clean CAD model or a noisy 3D scan, the output is the same: a ready-to-deploy program.
Why scans matter
A lot of finishing applications work on parts that don't have CAD — castings, hand-laid composites, weldments. AutoSurface treats a 3D scan as a first-class input, which means manufacturers without engineering CAD can still automate the work. The reconstructed surface drives the toolpath directly.
The workflow on the floor
Load the part, scan or select the CAD, choose the process recipe, and let AutoSurface generate. From there, the path can be deployed to any supported controller. The first variant takes the same time as the hundredth.
