Digital thread enabled time optimal trajectory generation for machining toolpaths

The manufacturing sector is undergoing a data-driven revolution, with standards such as ISO 10303 (STEP) enabling a seamless digital thread – enhancing productivity, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. As the complexity of manufacturing operations grows, so does the demand for end-to-end certifiable processes via interoperable, standards-based digital workflows to maintain traceability and trust – from design, through to manufacture and beyond. This study introduces a novel ISO 10303-238 (STEP-NC) compatible CNC toolpath trajectory generation framework. Uniquely, it allows feature-based customisation in the CNC interpolation stage, generating minimum time toolpaths within geometric tolerances and machine limits. The proposed method has been validated against an industrial controller, showing cycle time reductions up to 14.37%.