In this paper, we identified important characteristics that make
a particular pocket-milling operation energy efficient. Recognizing
similarities in the two computational problems of energy-efficient
toolpath generation and digital micrography, we proposed toolpaths
based on streamlines of a vector-field that could be
energy-efficient by design. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing
a toolpath generated using principles from digital micrography
with a MRR equivalent toolpath generated using commercial CAM
software. We found that the proposed toolpath consumed at least
20% less energy than any (MRR- equivalent) MasterCAM generated
toolpath. Although more research is required before generation of
energy-efficienttoolpaths based on the principles of digital micrography
can be commercially viable, we believe that these results
can convince researchers that in addition to MRR, the geometric
characteristics of toolpaths must be considered when generating
toolpaths to avoid energy waste in machining operations. We hope
that our work can inspire further research on analyzing and reducing
energy consumption in machining.