Abstract: The application refers to a method for a layer by layer material removal from an arbitrarily shaped three-dimensional surface (1) by removal means, such as a laser, operating on the surface in a point-wise fashion, wherein the removal means is used to produce a surface structure (2) on the three-dimensional surface (1) and can be carried out by mapping the surface (1) on planar layers, whereby the surface structure is represented by raster images (3). These raster images (3a) include gray levels (5). The gray levels (5) correspond to the depth of the surface structure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing material from a three-dimensional surface (1) of any shape in a multi-layered manner by means of a material removing agent (9) such as a laser that acts in points on a surface. According to said method, a surface structure (2) is removed from the three-dimensional surface (1), the surface is approximated by a polygon network, and raster images are associated with the polygons (19) of the polygon network (18). Said polygons are projected onto the machining region (1)) of the material removing means. A series of superimposed polygon networks being associated with a layer of material, each of the polygon networks being associated with a layer in which material is removed, if the information stored on the projected raster image indicates the planned removal of material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing material from a three-dimensional surface (1) of any shape in a single or multilayered manner by means of a material removing agent (9), such as a laser, that acts in points on the a surface and where a surface structure (2) is applied to the three-dimensional surface (1); wherein the inventive methods can be carried out in such a way that the surface (1) is described by a mathematical function and approximated by a polygon whereby each polygon of the polygon network is assigned to a work area for the laser. Raster images are associated with each of the polygons, which determine the depth values for the surface structure. The polygons (3) are removed line by line. When the depth values of the surface structure differ by a large margin, the material removal takes place in several layers (7) of polygon networks.