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The following examples show how each of the 2D machining strategies are used and
gives an explanation of how they work. All 2D machining is performed on profiles,
INTRODUCING you should be familiar with profile creation from day 1 of the basic modelling course.
A brief explanation of profile creation will be given at the start of the machining
course.
Included within the 2D machining we will cover basic drilling and point sets.
BASIC 2D MACHINING
V12.x
Revision 1
This will join all elements, travelling in the direction of the arrow, to become one profile.
Make sure the intersection icon is selected and pick anywhere inside the centre slot.
This will create a profile for the middle slot (See Fig 2.0).
We now have created profiles for all of the provided geometry. Now we must define
the required thickness for each profile.
“NOTE’’
All profiles must have a thickness and material side before any 2D machining can be
performed on them.
Pick inside centre Select MACHINING/PROFILE CAM ATTRIBUTES and pick the outer profile (See Fig
profile 4.0).
Pick inside profile Outer Profile
Arrow
pointing
outwards
Figure 2.0 : 2D Milling Example
Select again outside the two slots (as indicated above), this will automatically create
all profiles apart from the outer rectangle (See Fig 2.0).
Figure 4.0
When the arrow is pointing inside then it is indicating that the material is on the inside
and all machining will be calculated on the outside (a boss).
Once the required material side has been selected hit the right hand mouse button
and you will be presented with the following dialogue box.
Profiles - PF5, PF6, PF7, PF8 and PF9 (CIRCLES & LARGE LINEAR SLOT) all
material sides to be outside (arrows pointing outwards) and the thickness to be as
follows (See Fig 5.0).
We have now assigned a material side and thickness to one of the profiles. Profile - PF10 (SMALL LINEAR SLOT) material side to be outside (arrow pointing
outwards) and the thickness to be as follows (See Fig 5.0).
Repeat the procedure for the remaining profiles with the values shown on the next
page.
PF1 PF2
Profile - PF11 material side to be inside (arrow pointing inwards) and the thickness
PF5 PF6
to be as follows (See Fig 5.0).
PF10
PF9
PF8 PF7
PF4 PF3
PF11 ‘The material side can be changed by pressing the space bar’
Figure 5.0 NOTE : The colour of a pocket and a boss are different
Operation Parameters
The islands have automatically been recognised so all we need to do now is to set up
Select ‘OK’ the operation parameters.
Double-click on operation parameters. You will then be presented with the following form.
We are now prompted to select the profile to machine.
Select the outer rectangular profile and any islands will be automatically selected.
These can be shown from within the operations manager
Distance between passes - This is the distance between each pass needed to
machine the pocket. The default is half of the cutter diameter.
Bottom/Lateral Oversize - This is the amount of material left on for finishing. The
bottom and side values can be different.
NOTE – This is not the amount of material left on the islands, this is set using a
different switch.
Safety Distance - This is the distance from the profile (incremental value) at which
the tool will start its approach at feed rate, after the initial rapid move.
Starting Z - This is the value at which machining movements begin at feedrate. The
default value is the top of the profile.
Max Depth of Cut - This is the value set for each Z level pass. This value is
calculated automatically, be default it is displayed as the same value as the diameter
of tool.
Last Pass Z - This value will be automatically calculated to identify the depth for the
final cut or last pass. It may be used to generate a later smaller depth finishing cut to
clear the bottom of the profile.
Use Clearance Plane - This switch allows you to avoid unnecessary rapid Islands/Approach/Retract Form
movements to the Clearance Plane. If switched off, a movement to the clearance
plane will be forced between each machining level. Approach Mode
Clearance Plane - This is the default Z plane defining the final Z level relative to the Feed - If selected, it defines that the descent to the start point is
top of the profile at which all rapid moves are made. made in feedrate mode.
Final Z Plane - This is the plane defining the Z level where the tool will return after Rapid - If selected, it defines that the descent to the start point is
each operation. It is normally the same as the clearance plane but may also be set to made in rapid mode.
a different value where an obstacle is to be avoided or where the tool should return to
a specific height between consecutive toolpaths. Descending - If selected, it defines the approach will be an angular move.
When used, the starting point will be automatically selected.
Use Bottom Radius/Bottom Radius - This will allow a radius to be roughed out at the
bottom of a pocket when the flag is active, the size of the radius is set by the value Zig Zag - If selected, it defines a ZigZag approach. When used, the
entered in ‘Bottom Radius’ dialogue box starting point will be automatically selected.
Use Draft Angle - This switch allows you to set a Draft Angle to be applied on the
profile during the machining. This does not apply to the draft angle of islands, this Descending Angle - This parameter is available only if the Descending Approach
can be set with another switch. Mode has been selected. It represents the tool-descending angle.
Residual Profiles - Lets you automatically generate any residual profiles showing Descending Step - This parameter is activated only if a ZigZag Approach Mode has
where the current tool has not removed any material. This material may normally be been selected. It represents the maximum Z step to reach the right depth.
removed by a subsequent operation using a smaller tool.
Islands Face Mill - When active this will allow the user to specify a top oversize on
Auto Rebuild - If this flag is active, the system to automatically re-calculate the the islands. The islands will be automatically cleaned during the pocketing operation.
machining once you select OK.
Top/Lateral Oversize - This is the value that represents the amount of stock that you
want to leave on the top and sides of each island.
Use Draft Angle - This is the value of the draft angle to be machined on the islands.
Cutting Condition
Spindle Speed - This is the spindle speed of the tool displayed in RPM
The Approach should be ‘Descending’
Plane Feedrate - This is the Feedrate of the tool or the cutting feed displayed in
mm/min Select ‘OK’
Feedrate into Material - This is the plunge feed of the tool when feeding down to The Machining will calculate automatically and the result should be similar to the
each cut and is displayed in mm/min. picture below but you will only see one view. Press ‘F2’ to see the other views…
*Length Compensation Number - This is the number that is read by the post
processor for any Length Compensation Number that might be needed for the
program.
*Cutting Side - This is where you specify where the tool should be climb or
conventional milling.
*User Remark and PP info - are specific for the post processor. Ask your instructor
for a more detailed explanation.
NOTE :
All of the flags marked * will not effect the calculation in any way and the
values will only become visible when the program has been post processed.
These icons control the display and animation of the toolpath. You can: -
See individual levels.
See all levels.
Move to the first or last level.
Simulate the tool in shaded or wireframe mode (VISI must be in ‘shaded
display mode’ for a shaded tool to be available).
Set the tool transparency.
Exit back to the Operation Manager
If you click the ‘show tool’ icon, the animation icons will also appear as shown below:
Quick Pocketing will apply the same values set in the operation parameters to all of
the profiles selected, regardless of depth, shape or material side.
The rest of the operation parameters are almost identical to the previous operation.
Refer to the previous operation for an explanation of the commands.
Quick Milling
We are now going to select a tool that is not in the current library.
PF1 PF2
PF4 PF3
Double click the ‘Operation Parameters’ and fill in the values as the picture below.
Diameter Compensation – This section allows you to apply the DIAMETER
COMPENSATION NUMBER that is used on the CNC control as a corrector for any
adjustments needed on the size of the piece. The LENGTH COMPENSATION
NUMBER which works in a similar way to the diameter corrector and calls values
from the CNC control.
Toolpath Offset
These parameters apply different offset strategies according to your requirements.
None – This means that the system will leave the centre of the tool on the selected
profile with no offset applied.
Profile Offset – When this flag is activated the toolpath is offset by half of the cutter
diameter and also allows the use of the diameter compensation switch.
Profile Corrected – This allows the centre of the tool to be left on the profile although
the toolpath is adjusted and extra circular moves are added where necessary.
Quick Milling will apply the same values set in the operation parameters to all of the
profiles selected, regardless of depth, shape or material side.
Profile Approach
Direct – The tool moves directly away from the last tool position to the start point in a
straight line.
Perpendicular – This allows a perpendicular approach to the start point of the Simulate the toolpath to see the results.
selected profile. The approach point is projected perpendicular from the start point.
Circular – This will create a circular approach from the selected starting point on the We have now completed our third 2D strategy. Most of the 2D strategies are very
profile. similar to those shown and are easy to follow.
Helicoidal - This will create a tangential approach to the selected start point but uses
a 3 axes helical move to perform the approach. You should now be at a stage where you can start to understand the principle of how
2D machining works.
Approach Radius – This will let the user enter the required radius for the approach
and is only active with the circular and helicoidal approach mode selected.
Profile Retract
Direct – The tool moves directly away from the last tool position to the retract point in
a straight line.
Perpendicular – The tool moves away perpendicularly form the end machining point
to the retract point.
Circular – This will move the tool circularly away from the machining end point to the
retract point.
Retract Radius – This will let the user enter the required radius for the retract method
and is only active with the circular retract mode selected.
Material Approach
Feed or Rapid determines whether or not the descent to the start point is a Feed or
Rapid move.
Select ‘Milling’
PF10
Select ‘Milling’
For the last operation we will select a tool from the current library.
We are now asked to select the start and finish machining points for the final profile.
Select the mid-point of the long bottom edge of the profile as both the start and end
machining point.
We could now change the machining direction from climb to conventional milling if we
needed*. For this profile we will accept the default so select the right hand mouse
Select ‘OK’ to confirm the tool selection button to confirm the machining direction.
*NOTE
By pressing the space bar we can change the machining direction from climb
to conventional.
Go through the following examples using the strategies you have already learned
and apply your own parameters to the strategies.
You will be given the depths of the profiles and the rest is up to you.
Example 1
Select ‘OK’ and display the toolpath. The result will be as follows
4 off large circular profiles = Material pointing outside (pocket) 50mm thickness
This operation is almost the same as quick milling and all the parameters in the forms
are identical. Refer back to the quick milling operation for an explanation of all the
parameters on each form.
Larger inner circular profile on datum = Material pointing outside (pocket) 20mm
thickness
PF1 PF3
PF4
PF2
Small inner circular profile on datum = Material pointing outside (pocket) 50mm
thickness
Using the information given create the machining for the above file. PF 1 = material pointing outside (pocket)
The model consists of one ‘closed’ shape profile and one ‘open’ section
profile.
NOTE
Only one section profile can be used at any one time.
Select the bottom planer shape profile and pick a point on that profile to
indicate the start and end machining point.
Now select the ‘section profile’ and use the ‘RHM’ button to confirm the
machining direction.
The first thing that must be done is the profile must have a machining side
attached to it. This is necessary to determine whether or not the cutter will
class the machining as inside or outside.
NOTE
There is no need to assign any thickness to the profile as no thickness
is need for this particular strategy, but giving the profile thickness will
not affect the machining.
Select ‘T3 – 6mm Ball Nose tool’
Select ‘Machining – Profile CAM attributes’ and pick the profile. Make
the material side ‘Inside’ as shown below: -
NOTE
Only Ball Nose tools can be used on this strategy
Select the profile and confirm the default machining direction using the
‘RHM’ button. Use the ‘RHM’ button to confirm that there are no
No thickness is needed on the profile machining boundaries.
And ‘X’ as the revolution axis. Confirm using the ‘RHM’ button
Profile above
Revolution axis
Confirm the profile and edges using the ‘RHM’ and ‘confirm selection’
Select ‘T2 – 10mm End Mill’
We now must select the profile to be used for this strategy and also select the
open edges from the profile we have just selected. The open edges are where
the tool will cut outside and are confirmed using the ‘RHM’ button and
‘confirm selection’.
Open the operation parameters and set up the parameters as laid out on the
next page. You will notice that all the parameters are very similar in this
strategy to the existing pocketing strategy. An explanation of these settings
and parameters has already been given earlier in these notes. Please refer to
those for an explanation of the parameters.
The result will be as shown above and the machining goes outside the
selected open edge.
Next, the system will ask you to ‘Indicate the approach point’ Clear the toolpath from the display.
Press ‘F2’ until you have a top view. Switch on the layers ‘Layer 1 and Helical Milling Profiles’
Note: the outer toolpath pass is shown to aid selecting the approach point
(you would normally approach from outside the pocket)
Select a point (intersection free point) similar to the one shown below: -
Open the operation parameters and you will be presented with the following
form. Once again you will notice that all the parameters are very similar in this
strategy to the existing pocketing strategy. An explanation of these settings
and parameters has already been given earlier in these notes. Please refer to
those for an explanation of the parameters. An explanation of the different
parameters is given below.
Pitch
This is in effect the depth of cut. It is the distance the tool will travel in Z from
one complete circular tool movement to another.
Final Contour
This option ensures that there is an extra circular pass added to the bottom of
the toolpath. This makes sure that when you are machining into a blind hole,
the bottom of the hole will be flat.
Change the parameters to the ones show below and select ‘OK’
Select a 20mm tool from the global library
Select ‘OK’
Now select one of the 2 circular profiles.
The system will now ask for the start\end machining point and the direction.
Select the ‘Centre point’ icon and pick the centre of the profile.
There are no thread mill tools in the default library, so we will have to create
one manually: -
The result will be as shown above. Notice the extra pass at the bottom of the
hole.
Thread Milling can be done either from profiles or points. We will mill the
thread using profiles
Select the 2 profiles and confirm the selection using the ‘RHM’ button
Once the operation parameters dialogue box is open you will be presented
with the previous form. Once again you will notice that all the parameters are
very similar in this strategy to the existing pocketing strategy. An explanation
of these settings and parameters has already been given earlier in these
notes. Please refer to those for an explanation of the parameters. An
explanation of the different parameters is given on the next page.
Internal Diameter
The internal diameter is the internal size of the thread and this value will
change depending upon whether an internal or external thread is selected.
Thread Length
The depth of the thread is determined here and this value indicates the depth
to machine. The value is taken from the attributes assigned to the profile
selected, or a default value is entered if a point is selected.
Number of Pitches
This is the complete number of threads taken from the tool parameters that
will be machined on the component. For example if the value is set to 5 and
the pitch is 2 then the system will machine the full depth of the thread in a The result will be as shown above.
series of 10mm cuts.
Try to changing the values and options within the operation parameters to see
Threading type – Internal and External the different results that can be achieved.
Internal or External thread type determines where the tool will produce an
internal or external thread form on the component.
Clear the toolpath
Pitch type – Left or Right
This flag defines either a left or right hand thread. When these switches are
activated the machining will be from either the top to the bottom of the thread Switch on the layers ‘Layer 1 and Blending Profile’
or vice versa depending on whether conventional or climb milling is used.
Change the parameters to the ones show on the previous page and select
‘OK’
Open the operation parameters and you will be presented with the form
shown on the following page. Once again you will notice that all the
parameters are very similar in this strategy to the previous strategies. An
explanation of these settings and parameters has already been given earlier
in these notes. Please refer to those for an explanation of the parameters. An
explanation of the different parameters is given below
This strategy is very similar to the profile and section strategy that was
explained earlier on in the notes. The difference is the following parameter.
*NOTE: - Only Ball Nose/Bull Nose and Corner rounding tools can be Fillet Radius
used for this type of strategy. This is the size of the radius to be machined
Select ‘OK’
Open the operation parameters and you will notice that the machining form is
different because of the different tool that we selected. Once again you will
notice that all the parameters are very similar in this strategy to the existing
strategies. An explanation of these settings and parameters has already been
given earlier in these notes. Please refer to those for an explanation of the
parameters. An explanation of the different parameters is given below
Change the parameters to the ones show below and select ‘OK’
On this particular strategy the operation parameters form will change
depending on the tool that is selected.
Repeat the procedure but create and use a corner-rounding tool with the
following parameters.
Select ‘OK’
Clear the toolpath
We now need to create a tool manually with the following parameters
Switch on the layers ‘Layer 1 and Chamfering Profiles’
Approach/Retract
Disengagement type – Radial and Axial
This defines the disengagement type of the tool from the chamfer. The Radial
option represents a retraction towards the tool centre by the distance entered
in the Input value and the movement type is radial from the cut on the profile.
The Axial option represents a retraction towards the tool axis by the distance
entered in the Input value and the movement type is axial from the cut on the
profile. The Preset diameter allows the user to enter a diameter in the Input
value and this is the diameter that the toolpath will offset to when disengaging
the toolpath.
Open the operation parameters and you will be presented with the form
displayed on the next page. Once again you will notice that all the parameters
are very similar in this strategy to the previous strategies. An explanation of
these settings and parameters has already been given earlier in these notes.
Please refer to those for an explanation of the parameters. An explanation of
the different parameters is given below
Angle
Is the angle of the chamfer with respect to the vertical axis
Depth Mode
This determines whether the chamfer will be machined by entering a value for
the depth and width or the width and angle
Multiple Passes
This option defines the approach type to the first pass on the profile and is
used in conjunction with the number of passes and the Radial or Axial option.
Number of passes
This defines the number of passes used to use with the Radial or Axial option
when the toolpath is generated.
Change the parameters to the ones show below and select ‘OK’
Use the space bar to select the machining direction and confirm the selection
with the ‘RHM’ button (In this case, we will machine in the downwards
direction)
Open the operation parameters and you will be presented with the form
displayed on the next page. Once again you will notice that all the parameters
are very similar in this strategy to the previous strategies and in particular the
Profile and Section strategy. An explanation of these settings and parameters
has already been given earlier in these notes. Please refer to those for an
explanation of the parameters. An explanation of the different parameters is
given below: -
Although these parameters actually seem to be the same and give the same
results they are in fact different and can be used to in different ways to
machine only a section along the profile. An example of this is given below.
You may have noticed that in the ‘Operation Manager’ the colour of text of the
strategy name changes based on its status. The colours are as follows: -
x A GREEN strategy means that the toolpath is new and has yet to be
calculated.
x A PURPLE strategy means that the toopath has been calculated but some
parameters have been modified and the toolpath needs to be re-
calculated.
x A RED strategy means that the toolpath cannot be calculated with the
parameters you have supplied. Look in the ‘CAM log window’ for an
indication as to the problem.
Congratulations!
Open the operation parameter again and change the values to the following
and select ‘OK’ This completes the basic 2D milling
tutorial
Right Extrusion Distance = -70
Right Cut Depth = 20
The result will be the same as below and only a 20mm section of the profile
has been machined but away from where the original profile is positioned.
Open up the type of cycle you require, for this example we will choose ‘Drilled Hole’
Click “Apply”
Select a circle
This is the main form where we enter the sizes and depths for the holes.
You will now see the diameter of the hole is entered in the dialogue box
Value D = Diameter of the hole in question
*NOTE
The depth of the hole is taken from the land of the drill and not the tip.
Holes can be picked from points on model e.g. Midpoint, Endpoint, Intersection, or
centre point. It is also possible to select pre-defined points already created.
Enter a value of 40 in the DP dialogue box (this will then drill the hole 40mm deep)
Select ‘OK’
Now select one of the points at the centre of one of the diameter 12 holes.
You will automatically be taken back to the form above and probably think that noting
has happened.
The cycles will be created and placed in the ‘Operations Manager’ and will disappear
from the ‘Fixed Cycle’ panel.
NOTE :
The system automatically picks up the correct drill, in this case a centre drill is also
selected. The ‘Fixed Cycle’ panel is still active and is waiting to carry on with more drilling
routines as required. Select ‘Cancel’ to exit.
Each cycle is different and trying different cycles will select different tools assigned to
each cycle.
Drill Type:
Normal – This is the standard drilling type, this will force the tool to drill straight to
depth and then rapid back out of the hole.
Chipping – This is where the drill stops at a set depth and rapids back off by a few
mm and then starts to feed again to the drill depth and does this all the way to the full
depth of the hole.
Pecking – This is similar to chipping but will rapid all the way out of the hole and rapid
back to a safe distance from the last Z value and continues to work in this way until
the full depth of hole is reached.
Param1, 2 & 3 – These parameters are only used for ‘chipping’ and ‘pecking’ cycles.
Param1 allows you to set the ‘Z’ increment. Param2 allows for the dwell time to be
set and Param3 is post-processor dependant.
Depth Management
Set Depth/Set Diameter - Only applies when using a CNC type combined centre drill
and chamfer style tool. You can select to go to a specific depth or diameter.
Depth - This is the calculated drill depth to the point of the drill. (You set the depth to
the shoulder and the system automatically calculates the depth to the point).
Mark Diameter - This value is only applicable for the centre drill and works from
If we now enter the ‘Operations Manager’ you will now see there is 2 drilling cycles, either the depth or the distance across the diameter of the centre drill. See below.
one for centre drilling and one for drilling. Starting Z – This is where the drill starts to drill to the depth you set (relative to the ‘Z’
position of the point(s). A positive value will start drilling the holes that distance
All the operation parameters are now just like any other cycle and are fully editable. BELOW the point(s) you select. A negative value will start drilling above the point(s)
An explanation of the operation parameters are as follows.
Optimise Toolpath* – This will allow the user to view different ways in which the tool
will travel between holes. Different variations can be tried here, which include No
optimization, Min X or Y distance, shortest toolpath and minimum distance.
*NOTE
This is not applicable on sets of points.
On the Machining menu you will see the command ‘Quick Profile attributes’
Using this command, you are able to pick multiple profiles and apply machining
attributes to them
NOTE: The same attributes will apply to all profiles picked at the same time using
this method….. i.e. The material side and heights will be the same for all profiles You will now be presented with the dialogue box shown above. The icons within the
picked at the same time. Operation Manager dialogue box are explained below: -
If you use this command, the panel shown below will appear: -
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
Notice that the second box has the legend ‘Negative thickness’. This means that a 1. New Operation – This selects the type of operation or template file to use.
negative value is implied in this box and therefore a minus sign is not required…. i.e. 2. New Drill Cycle – This selects the drilling options.
If the bottom of a pocket is at Z-50.0mm then you would enter a value of 50 3. Post Process – Select this to post process the calculated toolpath.
4. Toolpath Simulated Display – This is where the toolpath is simulated within the model
view environment.
5. Display Toolpath – This displays the completed toolpath on the screen.
We will now create the required toolpaths for this part. 6. Clear Toolpath – This icon hides the toolpath.
7. Delete – This deletes the selected item. (Including the whole project if selected).
8. Save template file – This is where the operations are saved into a template file
and can be used on any other job.
9. Print – Allows an HTML (or .xls) machining report to be produced of the
calculated operations.
Obstacle
Manager
Complete the examples on the following pages using the information given and
choose you own cycles and depths for the holes.
Try different cycles on the files given to see the results. Use Tapping and Counter-
bore cycles to see how they work.
This training document is intended to give an explanation of how to create, edit and
manage both the Machine Tool definition and Cutting Tool Libraries.
We will learn how to use both of these and how they can aid in the manipulation of
machining components.
A Machine Tool definition is needed for the creation of NC programs for fixed 3, 4
and 5 axis-machining centres. (The default is set as a standard fixed 3-axis milling
machine.)
Tool libraries are used to create a list of specific tools available for either all or
specific machine tools.
ToolLibraries
Select the menu item > Machining > NC-machines manager. You will be presented with the following form
The standard installation comes with a few machines already configured. The one’s
apart from the ‘Standard 3 Axis Milling’ are configurations for continuous 5-axis
milling machines. We will step through the procedure of creating a new 3-axis
machine in this tutorial: -
Comment – Here you may enter some comment of you own, maybe the workshop
Copy NC Machine where the machine is situated.
NOTE: - If you check ‘Set as default machine configuration’ then this machine will be
Show NC Machine Details used as the default machine when the system starts up. The post processor and
library assigned to this machine will also be used.
Default Local Library – Here you assign the tool library to be used with this machine.
This box will allow a specific library to be assigned to a specific machine.
Post Processor Configuration File – This is where you select the post processor to be
used with this machine. You can always change the post later if required, but this will
be the default post processor assigned to this machine.
For our training purposes, enter ‘Bridgeport’ in the Description and ‘Toolroom’ Single Horizontal - In this case we have a horizontal 4-axis machine tool. The post
in the comment dialogue boxes. processor considers it as an XYZ, plus an extra rotation around a primary axis.
Specific Configuration - To identify a machine tool with more axes you can select
Leave the ‘Set as default machine configuration’ un-checked the number of axis (1 or 2) after setting the specific configuration flag. If you select 2-
axis (i.e. 3-axis + 2-axis = fixed 5-axis) then the secondary axis portion of the panel
Leave the ‘Default local library’ set at none (we will create a new tool library next, will become available.
then come back and attach it to our new Bridgeport machine)
Primary and Secondary Axis.
Next, we will set the default post processor for our new Bridgeport. Click the
browse button, and then select the ‘Fanuc0m.cfg’ file. A large range of post- Table, Divisor or Head – These options are for future implementation. With this
processors is available. For this training example, we will stick with the Fanuc. version, selection of any of these three will not affect the NC output.
Select the ‘Axes Parameters’ form. Rotation Axis - When the post processor calculates new axis orientations, there is
NOT PRESENT usually more than one way to achieve the desired result. Generally, there will be
more than one potential combination of a primary and secondary axes rotation. The
post-processor will always select the combination that can be effected with the
minimum rotation. The initial axis angles may be defined as part of the configuration.
When the configuration file is loaded, the contents are checked, and you will receive
a warning message if the parameters are invalid.
Rotation Axis
On both the primary and secondary axis, you need to specify the tool axis and the
letter for the rotation axes. The axis can be rotated A around X, B around Y or C
around Z.
Rotation Direction
Bi-Directional – This flag means that the rotation of the fourth or fifth axis can be in
either direction.
Clockwise – This means that the rotation of the fourth or fifth axis can rotate only
clockwise.
Counter-Clockwise – This means that the rotation of the fourth or fifth axis can rotate
only counter-clockwise.
The user can specify the minimum and maximum angles of rotation around each
axis.
It is of course possible that you may create a machining operation that takes place in
This form is where we specify the way in which 4 and 5 axis positional machining will an orientation that is unachievable in your particular machining environment. In this
be handled when we post process a file that has machining on multiple faces. The case, the system will output an error message during post-processing.
default is ‘None’. If we change to Single Vertical, Single Horizontal and Specific
Configuration we can then specify the type of 4th and 5th axis.
Single Vertical - In this case we have a vertical 4-axis machine tool. The post
processor considers it as an XYZ, plus an extra rotation around a primary axis.
Select the ‘Extra Parameters’ form Now we will create a new tool library, and then assign it to our new machine.
NOT PRESENT
Select > Machining > Local libraries manager.
Change Position
If the machine needs a special tool change reference point it is possible to define the Copy Local Library
correct tool change co-ordinates here (normally left at X0, Y0, Z0).
Tool Axes
Copy Tools from Local
This parameter is connected only to the rotary axes setting. If you have a machine
Library
tool with more than 3 axes, the tool axes identify the default tool direction in respect
to the absolute co-ordinate system.
In our case we are just defining another 3-axis machine. We will leave all the default Display Library Details
settings set, apart from the ones we have already altered within the ‘General
Parameters’ form.
Enter the Name of your new library in ‘Local Library Description’ (Use
Bridgeport) We now have a list of tools available in the global database of milling tools and we
can choose the tool we want to add to our new local library.
Tools can be created in 3 ways; they can be selected from a global library of tools,
created manually or copied from one local library to another. New tools can also be
made during the creation of a cutting operation. So even if we need a new tool on a
job that is not in any library, we can always create them on the fly.
The first tool we create will be copied from the global library.
The global library is a list of tools that come as standard with the system.
For our first tool we will select a 12mm End mill. Click on the ‘Tool Holder parameters’ tab
This panel (shown on the next page) allows us to define a tool holder (or holder
assembly) that will be associated with this tool. If a tool holder is added to a tool,
collision avoidance and gouge detection are possible during 3D cutter path creation.
The tool holder must be defined as an assembly and can be made up of: -
1. A tool holder
2. An extension
3. An adaptor
Select the 12 mm End mill with the 111 mm overall length and click ‘OK’
There are very few restrictions on how the tool assemblies can be added together,
however,
Now we are presented with the cutting parameters form where we can set up the
speed and feed for the selected tool. The parameters here will be explained when we A few example assemblies can be found in the ‘Default Tool Assembly Library’
create a manual tool.
Allows you to save the selected component(s) into the
database. You have a choice to save the component(s) into
either the tool holder, holder extensions or holder adaptors
database .
The ‘Assembly Description’ box is used to name the assembly you are creating. You
must provide a name before you click the save icon or the OK button. Displays the presetting length. By
default it equals: - If enabled, this button
“Flute length + (Overall length- will run the automatic
Allows access to the holder’s database. From here you can Flute length)/2)” tool length checking
create, modify and delete holders. If a tool holder assembly has computation.
been added to the tool, the user
can input a value that is different
to the default. However, if a tool
holder assembly has not been
Allows access to the holder extensions database. From here added, the default-preset length
you can create, modify and delete holder extensions. will remain in effect.
Note. The user must supply a name for the holder before clicking on the OK button.
The other panels for Holder Extensions and Holder Adaptors work in the same way.
We will not add any tool holder data for this tool.
Select ‘OK’
Holder definition
This user interface allows the user to define a slice of tool holder by inserting the top,
bottom diameter and height.
Slice Z height
Slices editing
These buttons allow
Notice that there is no tool position assigned to this tool. We can set this at any time.
the user to move
These buttons allow We can set the tool position when we create the tool, after the tool has been created
and reorder the
the user to add a or even when we post process the program.
slices to define the
required shape of slice, remove a slice
the tool holder. or remove all the
NOTE: The “undo” slices.
button allows only
one level of undo.
A tool holder overlaid in the top right hand corner of the icon
This indicates that this tool has a tool holder attached to it
Create a tool from a Global Library
We will now create a tool manually.
Create a tool Manually Select ‘Create Tool Manually’
The icons in the ‘Pos.’ column indicate how the tool was created and it’s usage
status. See the description below: -
Open up the ‘Subtype’ and select ‘Ball nose’
A green cylinder
This means that this tool comes from the global library.
A white cylinder
This means that this tool comes from the local library
A green hand
This means that this tool has been defined manually in the local library
A white hand
This means that this tool has been added and it was not selected from any library
Enter ‘7’ in the Diameter (D) box and then select the Tool Parameters, Diameter (D) - This is the main diameter of the tool.
‘Enhanced Editing’ flag. 2nd diameter (d) – This is a second diameter setting, and is only active on certain tool
types. It relates to the diameter (d) on the tool image.
Tip Angle – This is the angle of the cutter on milling tools (where applicable) and the
angle of the tip on drilling tool.
Corner Radius – This is the corner radius of the tool. It is dependent on the type of
tool selected and is only active on bull nose, ball Conic and corner rounding tools.
Tool Length – This value applies to the overall length of the tool
The various flags and options are explained below.
Usable Length – This value applies to the overall cutting length of the tool.
General Parameters Form
Num. of Teeth – This is the number of teeth, inserts or number of flutes for the tool.
Tool Rotation – This is the direction the tool is rotating for normal cutting.
Coolant – This is the type of coolant that will automatically be turned on when this
tool is used.
Tool Position – This is the tool number or carousel position. It can be set manually,
left un-set by entering a question mark or set automatically.
Subtype – This is where you select the specific sub-type of tool. For example, an end
mill and a ball nose are both sub-types of a milling tool whilst a centre drill and a flat-
bottomed drill are both sub-types of a drill.
Materials
Tool Parameters Tool/Insert Material and Piece Materiel – Here the type of material can be defined
Enhanced Editing – When this flag is active, more options are available for the user and must be used in conjunction with the correct type of piece material. When
to define the tool. selected the correct speeds and feeds for the selected tool and material will be
selected and input into the Cutting Conditions form and the Feed Speeds dialogue
boxes *.
Cut Mode – This is the type of cutting the selected tool is actually doing and the
relevant cutting conditions will be entered into the Cutting Conditions form and the
Feed Speeds dialogue boxes *.
Cutting Conditions – This is where we can directly enter the cutting conditions for this
tool. The Vc[m/min] is the cutting speed of the tool in Metres per minute and Fz[mm]
is the feed of the tool in mm per tooth. If we have access to this information (from a
cutting tool catalogue for example), then we can compute the correct feed and speed
by entering the ‘metres per minute’ and ‘feed per tooth’ then clicking on the Compute
feed speeds icon (shown below): -
Feed Speeds – This is the actual spindle speed in revolutions per minute S[rpm] and
the cutting feed in mm per minute F[mm/min].
Cutting Parameters
Step Over – This is the default step over of the tool.
Step Down – This is the default step down of the tool.
Safety Distance – This the safe distance of the tool above the top of the workpiece.
Length and Diameter Corr – These values represent and length and diameter
compensation numbers that are applied to the tool and will only be seen in the post
processed output. Normally these are left blank, as the post-processor will use the
tool station number for these values instead. Select ‘OK’ and ‘OK’
*NOTE
To cover all combinations of speeds, feeds, cutting material and piece material,
Visitools will need to be used to input the correct information into the relevant
databases. This is further than the scope of this document and, suffices to say, most
customers ‘bracket’ the speeds and feeds entered here for other materials.
Enter the following information into the ‘General Parameters’ form and the ‘Cutting
Parameters’ form.
We have now created two tools within our new library and this demonstrates the
process needed to create a complete new local library. We have illustrated how to
create a tool from the global library and manually creating a tool.
Using the information you have been given, continue to enter a few more new tools
into our Bridgeport library.
Make sure you try different types. Try to create tools that are relevant to your
workplace.
Finally, once you have finished adding tools to your new tool library, we need to link
the new library to the Bridgeport machine we created earlier.
If any of the local library manager panels are on screen, click ‘OK’ to close
them.
Edit machine
configuration
icon
Highlight ‘Bridgeport’ from the ‘Default local library’ drop down selector box then
click ‘OK’ on both panels
Default local
library selector box
This has linked the Bridgeport tool library to the Bridgeport machine configuration.
Now, if the Bridgeport machine is selected when creating tool paths, the new tool
library and post-processor will be used automatically.
In this training documentation, the first type of toolpath (Roughing Spiral- Cavity) will
be explained in detail, while all subsequent toolpaths will be explained in more
general context.
Once you have created the first toolpath, you will notice that the dialog boxes
remain consistent for all toolpaths, which considerably reduces the learning process.
Agenda:
3DCAMRoughing
Roughing
Roughing Spiral
Rest Roughing Spiral
Roughing Against a Stock Model
Roughing Spiral – Cavity Pre Drilled Point
Roughing Spiral - Core
Roughing Zig-Zag
Roughing – Checking Collisions
Let’s create our first Roughing Spiral strategy.
From the following dialogue window select the Roughing Spiral strategy and then
pick ‘OK’ to confirm this.
Go to the menu Machining > Operation Manager to start up the operation manager.
You should now see the operations manager appear on the right hand side of the Now create a tool appropriate for roughing out this job.
screen containing an empty project. Click the Create Tool
Manually icon to create a
new tool. Choose the tool
type Mill from the next
dialogue box.
From the “General Parameters” page create a “Bull Nose” tool subtype using the Assign the feeds and speeds using the parameters shown on the dialogue box below.
parameters shown on the dialogue box below. The parameters you will need to The parameters you will need to adjust are ringed.
adjust are ringed.
Finally let’s assign a “Tool Holder” for this tool. We will select one of the default holders
Now switch to the “Cutting Parameters” page to assign some default Speeds and from the library that comes as standard with the software. Click on the “Tool Holder
Feeds for this tool. Click on the tab as shown Parameters” tab as shown below.
Select a holder from the standard library. From the list of Available holders select the Selecting the Machining Geometry
ISO50 type and then select ‘OK’ to confirm the choice.
Immediately after confirming the Toolholder parameters it is now required to select
the model for machining. Using the standard VISI controls pick the model from the
Click the Holders
screen area.
Database icon to pick a
holder from the default
library. The Edit Model geometry dialogue will appear.
Now we have decided the cutting strategy and tool, we have to set the relevant
machining operation parameters for this tool path. Your Operation manager should
now look like this and contains a default machine tool, the origin for the toolpath, the
tool and a cutting strategy (Roughing Spiral).
Max radius:
This value represents the maximum radii value that can be added to the corner of the toolpath.
Profile tolerance:
Each Z level consists of a contour profile (where the piece is cut) and a set of concentric offset
profiles. The profile tolerance controls the amount of smoothing to add to the corners when machining
a profile. The value is the maximum distance that the smoothed profile will diverge from the actual
contour profile.
Offset tolerance:
The value is the maximum distance that the smoothed profile
offset will diverge from the inner (offset) profiles. In essence, this
parameter is identical to the Profile Tolerance, except that it
refers only to the inner (offset) profiles and not to the outer
profile.
Smooth stepover:
This option optimises the toolpath for high speed machining
(H.S.M). For this type of machining it is necessary to remove any
sharp corners in the toolpath allowing the tool to run at a higher
feedrate and reduce cutter wear. Activating this option will add an
S-shaped transitional movement between each step across.
What’s happening here? An explanation of the Parameters in use on this page. Now we can move on to the Approach / Retract page. Click the tab to open this
dialogue panel.
Stock Oversize 0.5 mm
This means that we are leaving 0.5mm of material on sidewalls of the component for finishing.
Step Over
This is the distance between the passes on each level of the toolpath and can be set to a percentage of
the tool diameter or entered directly. Here we are using 40 percent of the tool diameter to define the
step over distance.
Approach / Retract Settings Ramp/helix angle:
The angle that the tool will move down into the material, in our case we are ramping using a 2 degree
The approach and retract settings will dictate how the cutter will move onto and off angle.
the machined piece. There are many parameters that have subtle effects on the
approach and retract type, most of which are set to sensible values based on the Ramp min. diameter:
cutter geometry. Please reproduce the settings shown below. A toolpath which would produce ramps smaller than this size (diameter span) will not be processed in
our case we will eliminate any toolpaths that are below 66mm span.
Vertical movements
Approach:
This is the size of a (vertical) radial movement added to the top of the approach ramp.
Retract:
This is the size of the (vertical) radial movement in the retract move.
Horizontal movements
Approach:
This is the size of the horizontal component in the approach ramp.
Retract:
This is the size of the horizontal component in the retract move.
Retract angle:
This is the angle of the retract move.
Plunge Area:
The plunge area allows the user to input a physical X, Y value to force an area at where the toolpath
should approach the part. If for example, the roughing strategy was being applied to a multi cavity
block. Selecting an area close to one cavity would force the toolpath to start inside that cavity.
It is also possible to select a point using the pick starting area icon.
Fitting options
Choose how the lead in and lead out arcs of the retract movements fit to the machining pass.
Click the “Transitions” tab to open this dialogue panel and reproduce the parameters
as shown.
Boundary
What’s happening here? An explanation of the Parameters in use on this page.
The Boundary page allows us to fine tune how the toolpath is constrained to any
Step Down Management selected boundaries and also controls the Z start / end depth limits within the
The step down management allows the user to control the Z step down for the roughing strategy. In our toolpath.
example we are using :-
Now we can move on to the Boundary page. Click the tab to open this dialogue
Constant: panel.
The system will remove the stock material using the fixed Z step down value of 2mm in our case.
Using this method, any planar areas that fall between two levels will not be machined.
Transition method:
Using this option the user can decide if cutting multiple pockets, whether each pocket should be cut
sequentially, or if thin walls are present, cut them level-by-level.
On the “Boundary” page reproduce the parameters as shown below. Most of the Batch Build the Roughing Spiral toolpath
values will be fine as default, the only one to change is highlighted. Toolpaths can be calculated in 2 ways. They can be processed automatically when
exiting from the machining parameters tabbed dialogue box, or alternatively they
can be calculated using the “Batch Build” technique. This in theory allows a user to
stack several un processed toolpaths in the operations manager and batch
calculate them in one hit.
In our case we only have one toolpath so far but can still calculate it with the batch
build technique.
Highlight the Roughing Spiral strategy inside the operation manager and click the
batch process icon as detailed in the image below.
Now that the toolpath has been calculated lets display it on the screen, this can be
done from the operation manager.
Click next to the Roughing Spiral
strategy to display the toolpath. A
red tick will appear.
Next we will calculate the toolpath P.T.O
Enable the Shaded Tool icon to show the tool in shaded representation. Now create a new Rest Roughing Spiral strategy.
This icon will display all the Z level steps. Click the New
Operation icon to
create a new strategy.
These 2 icons show only the top or bottom levels respectively.
These 2 icons allow the stepping up and down through each Z level.
From the following dialogue window select the Roughing Spiral strategy and then
pick ‘OK’ to confirm this.
The image to the right
shows the tool displayed
using the icon to step
down the Z levels.
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Rest Roughing
In this example, use a 20mm diameter cutter with a 5mm corner radius. Enter the Spiral strategy in the operation manager.
cutter parameters as shown in the dialogue below. Note: - If you are unsure how to
access the cutter parameters please refer to the Roughing tutorial or the Tool Libraries
guide.
Enter the parameters shown on the Machining tab in particular adjust the Stock
oversize and the Step Down.
Add some default feeds and speeds from the “Cutting parameters page” and set
the tool defaults. An example is shown below.
Now click onto the Remachining tab, this is one of the most important pages for this The system will now create a stock model (not seen by the user) based on the
strategy as this is the place where the user can reference previously calculated reference toolpath(s). The Rest Area passes will be based on a comparison between
roughing toolpaths. the actual model and the stock model.
From the remachining tab there are several parameters that will effect the quality of
the stock model and toolpath behaviour.
Select OK to confirm the choice of the Roughing Spiral strategy. The reference
operations box should now be displaying 1 to indicate only 1 item is being
referenced.
The process of roughing against a stock model is very necessary when machining
castings. More than often the casting model needs to be machined down to a
finished component size. To avoid excessive cuts and moves when roughing away
the casting it is important to be able to reference the actual rough casting model as
a stock model rather than roughing to a generic bounding profile.
From the following dialogue window select the Roughing Spiral strategy and then
pick ‘OK’ to confirm this.
Make sure that you have filtered the Mesh selection so that the stock mesh(casting)
cannot be picked from the screen. Now pick the purple solid model as the machining
piece. Disable the mesh filter and
then pick the purple solid
for the machining piece.
Check that you are using similar Now add the geometry using the same dialogue window.
values to those shown below for
the triangulation of the model for Click on the Add Geometry
machining purposes, the chordal icon to begin the selection of
tolerance is set at 0.1 for a the geometry from the screen.
Roughing type of cutting
Strategy. Note: - It is possible to select Meshes,
Solids and Surfaces when using the By
Solid stock definition.
From the next dialogue window make sure you use the drop down window to select
the correct geometry stock type.
Now calculate the toolpath by clicking OK from the dialogue box. The calculation
Double click here to access takes a little longer when trimming back to a stock model.
the parameters for this
strategy. As you can see the toolpath is now trimmed back to the stock model the down side
of this kind of process is that there are more rapid moves introduced into the
toolpath.
Enter the parameters on the machining as shown below, the values that need to be
changed have been highlighted.
This co-ordinate represents the centre of the machined piece adjust your values to
suit.
Now recalculate the toolpath using either Auto Rebuild from the machining tab form
or Batch Build from the operation manager.
The image below shows the cutter now vertically approaching the preset drilling
point.
Note: - It is not possible to use a Plunge Point that is outside of the model geometry.
Remember, the Plunge area coordinates dictate which pocket the tool will start in first
USING MULTIPLE DRILL POINTS and ultimately the machining order.
In the previous example only one drill point was used as a pre drilled entry point.
However if your file contains multiple cavities, each requiring the tool to enter at a
specified drill point then more than one point can be picked.
Now create a tool appropriate for roughing out this job.
Roughing
Roughing Spiral - Core In this example, use a 30mm End Mill cutter. Enter the cutter parameters as shown in
the dialogue below. Note: - If you are unsure how to access the cutter parameters
Core roughing is almost identical please refer to the Roughing tutorial or the Tool Libraries guide.
to Cavity roughing, except for a
couple of toggle switches that
need to be checked, in order to
get the result we are looking for.
As the name suggests this type of
roughing strategy is suited to
Core types of model geometry
where the tool will machine the
part from the outside to the
inside.
From the following dialogue window select the Roughing Spiral strategy and then
pick ‘OK’ to confirm this.
Add some default feeds and speeds from the “Cutting parameters page” and set
the tool defaults. An example is shown below, you can enter feeds ands speeds that
you feel appropriate.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown below. The important area to
chordal tolerance is set at 0.1 for a Roughing type of cutting Strategy. note on this form is the Core Management area. Make sure that the Detect core
areas is flagged.
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Roughing Spiral
strategy in the operation manager.
For core roughing, the cutter enters the materially horizontally from outside the part.
This parameter defines the distance outside the part from which the cutter will start.
Double click here to access Note that this parameter is only active if detect core areas is switched on.
the parameters for this
strategy. Now switch to the Boundary tab and make sure the box is checked for the parameter
Use defined boundary. This will ensure that the toolpaths will be constrained to the X
and Y bounding box for the part.
Select OK to calculate the toolpath and then run the toolpath simulated display from Points to NOTE about Core Roughing
the operation manager.
The very first Z level is the only level at which the user can influence the entry point for
the cutter. The parameter that effects this position is shown below. Go to the
Approach / Retract tab and look at the Plunge area coordinates.
It must be stated that this coordinate is not an EXACT coordinate point but is used to
Now use the simulated display to check the result. define the general area of the plunge, the software will then dictate the exact
Click the Toolpath position of the plunge.
Simulated Display to
animate the cutter at each
level. Select the icons shown Here is the plunge point
below. on the 1st level of our
example, influenced by
the plunge area
coordinates 0, 106.
On subsequent Z levels of the toolpath the system will pick the entry points and these
points should always be from outside of the part.
Try experimenting with the Plunge Area Coordinate to see how it influences the
position of the tool.
Tool approaches from
outside of the part and
works inwards to wards the
core form.
In this example, Select ‘T5 – 26mm R5 Bull Nose’ from the available cutters list as
Roughing shown below.
Roughing Zig-Zag
Zig-Zag roughing is an effective
strategy for cutting softer materials
such as aluminium, graphite, copper
and various types of modeling
board. It is also a very good strategy
to employ if the machine tool being
used cannot process too many
circular movements as this strategy
has a lot of liner point to point
movements and fewer arcs.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
Pick the New Operation “Roughing Zig-Zag” chordal tolerance is set at 0.1 for a roughing type of cutting Strategy.
The Offset value represents the distance between the ZigZag path and the
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Roughing Zig-Zag contouring passes within each level of the toolpath. This parameter is necessary to
machining strategy in the operation manager. clean up the cusps left on the part after the Zig-Zag passes have removed the bulk of
the material.
The default value is [flat radius tool] * 0.45 for flat and bull nose cutters, while it is
forced to equal zero on Ball tools.
In our example(26 R5 tool) this equates to 8 x 0.45 = 3.6
Now switch to the Boundary tab and make sure the box is checked for the parameter
Use defined boundary. This will ensure that the toolpaths will be constrained to the X
Double click here to access and Y bounding box for the part.
the parameters for this
strategy.
Click OK to calculate the passes. The image below shows one Z level pass of Zig-Zag
roughing. You can see in the images here, the effect of the offset parameter.
So far all the roughing strategies have used a Constant Step down in the Z axis. The
last thing we will change on this example is the type of step down used.
Go back to the machining parameters and click on the Transitions tab. Change the
values to represent those in the image below.
Extra Pass
This value relates to the maximum horizontal distance between two adjacent Z level
slices. If the horizontal distance between the two Z level slices is greater than the
specified value, an extra Z slice is added. Using this parameter you will be able to
control how many extra slices are required on the ‘flatter’ areas to ensure a constant
stock volume is left for secondary machining operations. The smaller the value for
extra pass the more Z slices will be calculated by the system.
Now rebuild the toolpath and check the results. If you zoom into the toolpath you
can see that there have been extra levels introduced. P.T.O
Double click on the Roughing Spiral strategy to access the machining parameters for
Roughing this strategy. Go to the General tab and look at the ‘Consider Tool Holder’ parameter
this needs to be checked to enable holder collision detection.
Checking Collisions
When creating a set of machining toolpaths it is critical to check that the selected
tooling and holder assembly can machine the passes without collision. If you choose
to make use of this functionality any collisions that are detected are automatically
trimmed out from the areas the tool and holder cannot access.
Open the Operation Manager and you will see a pre calculated toolpath.
If you animate the toolpath using the ‘Toolpath Simulated Display’ and step down to
the lower levels of the toolpath you can see a tool holder collision.
Holder clearance
Defines the safety distance between the holder and the model geometry.
The Roughing operation fully gouge checks the Tool holder against both the part
Tool holder shown gouging model and the un-machined stock model.
with workpiece.
For Finishing paths please note that this value represents ONLY the distance between
the holder and the model geometry. Any stock oversize is not considered. Therefore
this value must always be larger than any stock oversize value.
Now rebuild the toolpath to see the effect of Toolholder collision checking. Tool Presetting Length
With tool holder collision detection applied. A second method of preventing a collision
with the workpiece is to calculate the ideal
length of tool required for currently applied
toolpath.
Open the Operation Manager and you will see a pre calculated toolpath.
Now click the Tool Length Check icon from the Operation manager Toolbar.
Leave the settings as shown in the image and now calculate a new presetting length. Now edit the Tool and make the total length suitable as shown below.
After editing the tool select OK to confirm and select YES to update the operation
parameters and cutting conditions.
In this training documentation it is assumed that the user is familiar with the basic
navigation of VISI Machining and the Operation Manager, so only parameters
relative to the machining strategy will be explained in detail.
Once you have created the first toolpath, you will notice that the dialog boxes
remain consistent for the majority of the toolpaths, which considerably reduces the
learning process.
Constant Z
Parallel Plane
Parallel Plane Cross Machining
Planar Face Machining
3D Stepover
Radial
True Spiral
Contour Projection
Tracing 3D
ISO Machining
Semi & Finishing In this example, use a 12mm diameter cutter with a 3.5mm corner radius. Enter the
cutter parameters as shown in the dialogue below. Note: - If you are unsure how to
Constant Z access the cutter parameters please refer to the Roughing tutorial or the Tool Libraries
guide.
Open the file Waterline.wkf
Add some default feeds and speeds from the “Cutting parameters page” and set
the tool defaults. An example is shown below.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown below.
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Constant Z
strategy in the operation manager.
Stock Oversize: - We have set a value of zero here so the piece is finished to
Double click here to access component size.
the parameters for this Step Down: -Each Z level pass will be calculated at constant 0.5mm depth increments
strategy. Machining Strategy Unidirectional: - The cutting strategy will be moving in one
direction only as opposed to changing direction at the end of each pass.
Notice that the dialog box is very similar to the ones used during roughing. This Step Over Mode Constant: - The passes will be calculated at a constant Z pitch of
strategy is most effective on steeper surfaces. This is because the spaces between the 0.5mm with no intermediate passes calculated.
passes are calculated from the stepdown value, and on surfaces where there is little Auto Rebuild: - With this switched checked and when the ‘OK’ button is clicked the
z-level change, the spaces between the passes are greater and you may get toolpaths will be calculated straight away.
unsatisfactory results. You can therefore limit the work area to surface angles
between, for example, 40 and 90 degrees. Limit your passes to work within an angle Now switch to the Boundary tab to change some of the machining limits.
range, to get the best results for the tool.
Look at the parameters shown below and change those that are marked in the red As you can see from your toolpath the Z steps stay a constant pitch all the way down
box. the job and the motion is in one direction only.
Parameters To Change.
Let’s make some subtle changes to the toolpath by adjusting the parameters of the
strategy.
Open the machining parameters again and go to the Transitions tab. In this instance
we will make the tool ramp between each Z level to try and eliminate a constant
witness line down the part. Adjust the parameters as shown below and select ‘OK’ to
calculate the toolpath.
Tangential Link
Min Z Level: - Here we have set the Z level for the passes to fall between 0 and 29, this
ensures that the passes are calculated around the main form and do no machine Try checking this option to see the difference between this and a standard ramping
around the outside of the part base and do not drop below a Z depth of 29. option.
Without changing any other parameters click the ‘OK’ button to calculate The ramp will blend in and
the first set of passes. out of each Z level with a
smooth tangential motion.
Trim to ramp
The information on the file for the boundaries and the drive curves has already been
generated and the information needs to be present before the options can be used.
Go to the “Step Over Mode” drop down and switch it to Adaptive, this will open up 3
new parameter boxes, enter the values as shown below. Click OK to calculate. Open the file “Multiple Curves no machining.wkf”
Minimum Step Over: - This specifies the minimum stepdown value to be used for the in
between passes, meaning passes will be no less than this distance from each other.
Precision: - This controls how accurately the system finds the appropriate height to
insert a new slice.
Extra Pass: - This parameter relates to the maximum change in the surface profiles for
two adjacent z-levels. Having calculated the surface profile at a given z-height the
profile at the next z-value is provisionally calculated. The maximum value of the
shortest horizontal distance between adjacent points on the two profiles is then
calculated. If the change in profiles from one z-level to the next is greater than the
Profile Step-in, then the provisional profile is discarded. An adjustment is then made to
the z-level so that an extra profile is inserted. This process is repeated until a profile
If you need assistance in generating these curves or profiles then please ask for Pick the model and confirm
assistance.
Generate a new machining operation using the “Constant Z” strategy using a “6mm
Ball Nosed Tool”
Select the 3 yellow profiles as machining boundaries. If you are unsure how to do this
please ask your tutor for more help.
SELECT THESE 3
PROFILES
Open the operation Parameters and change the “Step-Over Mode” to “Drive Curve” The step on the curve is calculated as shown in the diagrams below: -
NOTE
Single or Multiple drive curves can be used for this option.
Select the 3 blue curves highlighted below: -
Once the drive curve option is selected then the “Step on curve” becomes active
and the “Step down” is now unavailable.
The “Step on curve” now relates to the step along the curve and not the step in Z, as SELECT THESE 3
is the default option. CURVES
The option of having the step along the curve allows greater control of the slices
along the model and this is particularly useful for components that have a shallow
angle.
Select “OK” to accept the curves Constant Z Helical
Activate the “Auto Rebuild” flag (Machining Tab) and switch on the option for the
rapid management from the Boundary tab to “Safety Distance” and generate the
toolpath.
Start the Operation Manager and begin by adding a Constant Z toolpath.
HINT!!!! Machining > Operation Manager
The result will be as below with the Z levels adjusted to the drive curves, shown here Pick the New Operation “Constant Z”
with the Rapids hidden from the display.
In this example, Select ‘T3 – 6mm Ball Nose’ from the available cutters list as shown
below. Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the 2 Leading Curve
Machining strategy in the operation manager.
Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown. Add a Step-down value of
1mm in the Stepdown box.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
Now switch to the Transitions tab and focus on the Transition method parameters. Constant Z Helical – Removing the toolpath “lifts”.
Switch the Transition method option to Helicoidal as shown in the image.
As you can see from the image and the toolpath
From the Boundary tab make sure that the Min Z Level values are set as shown below itself, where the part has a totally vertical wall the
so that the toolpath will not fall over the edges of the main rectangular base area of Helical transition can produce some anomalies. This
the part, i.e we are restricting the Z limits to which the toolpath can be applied. can be solved by reducing the machining tolerance
slightly.
This should solve the problem and produce a better quality toolpath with out the
small spikes.
Now click the OK button to calculate the toolpath. The result is shown below.
The toopath motion should be totally Helical, in this case there is one approach and
one retract move. This option ensures that there are no marks left on the part and if
necessary will
automatically switch to
a normal Constant Z
transition if a Helical
transition cannot be
achieved. There will also
be a clean up pass
applied on any flat
areas of the part. Check
out the very bottom
pass on this part, this is a
horizontal clean up
pass.
Start the Operation Manager and begin by adding a Parallel Plane toolpath.
Machining > Operation Manager
Add some default feeds and speeds from the “Cutting parameters page” and set
the tool defaults. An example is shown below.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown below and select ‘OK’ to
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the calculate a basic toolpath. Later other options will be changed to see the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy. differences.
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Parallel Plane
strategy in the operation manager.
Double click here to access Stock Oversize: - We have set a value of zero here so the piece is finished to
the parameters for this component size.
strategy. Step over: -Each pass will be calculated at a constant horizontal pitch of 0.5mm
between each pass.
Machining Strategy Zig-Zag: - The cutting strategy will be move the cutter in two
directions changing direction at the end of each pass, moving back and forth across
the piece.
Raster Passes are spaced perpendicularly to the tool axis. Consequently, this
Stroke Angle: - The passes will be calculated at 45 degrees across the job, this is
machining strategy is most effective on shallow (nearing horizontal) surfaces. The z-
sometimes good way of ensuring a better overall finish where surfaces may be
height of each point along a raster pass is the same as the z-height of the
otherwise parallel to the machining direction e.g zero degrees.
triangulated surfaces, with adjustments made for applied thickness and cutter
Auto Rebuild: - With this switched checked and when the ‘OK’ button is clicked the
definition.
toolpaths will be calculated straight away.
Let’s look at the results in Zoom into the top left or bottom right corner of the job and you will notice that there
our example. is a strange ZIG ZAG movement in a small portion of the toolpath.
As you can see, passes
have been calculated at To remedy this undesirable movement we need
the desired pitch moving to tweak another parameter.
back and forth across the
job at a 45 degree angle. Go to the Transitions tab and look at the
parameter “Min.Step-over without lift off”.
Currently set at a value of 12mm. This value sets
the minimum acceptable toolpath length before
the tool will lift off the job. In this case the length
Parameters To Change. of the passes in these areas falls below the 12mm limit. Look at the dialogue below
Let’s make some subtle and change the value as shown. Click ‘OK’ to calculate the toolpath.
changes to the toolpath
by adjusting the
parameters of the
strategy.
Go to the Machining tab
and switch the direction to Unidirectional and click OK to calculate the passes.
Now note that each toolpath Open the file pass extension.wkf
lifts of at the end of each
pass to maintain motion in
one direction.
Add a new Paralell Plane toolpath to the project in the operation manager and On the Machining tab enter the basic parameters a shown below, adjusting the Step
select a tool from the existing default library. Choose T4 – 10mm Ball Nose cutter. Over and the Stroke angle values as indicated.
From within the Operation Manager enter the machining parameters for the strategy.
From the Transitions tab change the Pass Extension
value so that the toolpath will be extended beyond
the boundary.
To see an alternative result, try using the Tangential option. Go back to the Transitions This strategy builds on a set of existing
tab change the Pass Extension value so that the toolpath will be extended further. Parallel Plane passes. It creates a new set
of passes at right angles to the original
set. The new passes can be used to
machine gaps left in the original passes,
The toolpath now extends e.g. where the surfaces and the passes
beyond the machined piece
were approximately parallel.
but this time the extension is
tangent to the surfaces.
Open the file cross-raster.wkf
Start the Operation Manager and begin by adding a Parallel Plane toolpath.
Click OK to calculate the toolpath with the new extension
Machining > Operation Manager
Parameters.
From the lower split panel in the Operations manager double click on the Boundary
List item nested under the Parallel Plane strategy.
Now pick the boundary from the screen as shown in the image below.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
The profile should now be added as a Cut Boundary under the Boundary list item.
First let’s create a standard Parallel Plane toolpath on the part. Go to the Machining What do the options mean ?
tab and adjust the parameters as shown.
Please try changing the options to see the results!
Here we will use a Step Over of 1mm and a Stroke angle of 45 degrees, select OK to
calculate the basic passes.
The regular Parallel Plane passes are
Zoom into the corner of the part and take calculated, and then the Cross
note that the passes a quite sparsely Machining passes are added at the
spaced as the toolpath becomes almost end of the strategy.
parallel with the machined surfaces.
Let’s edit the toolpath to apply some cross machining passes and see how they can
help this situation.
Semi & Finishing In this example, use a 30mm diameter End Mill type cutter. Enter the cutter
parameters as shown in the dialogue below. Note: - If you are unsure how to access
Planar Face Machining the cutter parameters please refer to the Roughing tutorial or the Tool Libraries guide.
When you select Horizontal Area Passes, VISI Machining will find all the flat areas of
the geometry and put passes at the z-level of each area. Horizontal Area Passes act
only upon completely flat areas – if a surface has even a small gradient, it will not be
detected. However, you can use Axially Offset Passes with Horizontal Area Passes.
Axially Offset Passes machine the same passes a number of times, offset along the
tool axis.
Start the Operation Manager and begin by adding a Planar Face Machining
toolpath.
Machining > Operation Manager
Pick the New Operation “Planar Face Machining” and select ‘OK’
Now select ALL the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar Here are the parameters for the Planar Face machining toolpath set in the Machining
values to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining tab.
purposes, the chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Planar Face
Machining strategy in the operation manager.
Double click here to access Stock Oversize: - We have set a value of zero here so the flat areas are finished to
the parameters for this component size.
strategy. Step over range: -This is the range of the size of spaces between the passes, defined
by the minimum and maximum value you set here. VISI Machining will pick the largest
value possible within that range that does not leave unwanted upstands between
the passes. You can lower the min and max range value to have narrower passes.
Auto Rebuild: - With this switched checked and when the ‘OK’ button is clicked the
Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown on the next page and select
toolpaths will be calculated straight away.
‘OK’ to calculate a basic toolpath.
The result of the Planar Face Machining should be similar to the image shown below. Open the file 2Leadingcurves.wkf
In fact there are not so many parameters that will influence this type of path so no
further parameter changes will be discussed.
Start the Operation Manager and begin by adding a Parallel Plane toolpath.
Machining > Operation Manager
2 Leading Curve passes are passes that "flow" across the surface and are virtually
parallel to each other, rather like raster passes, but the shape and direction of the
passes are controlled by the boundaries around them.
Each pass echoes the shape of the preceding one but also takes on some
characteristics of the following pass, and so the paths "morph" or gradually change
shape from one side of the boundary to the other.
This machining strategy is most effective on areas that include shallow surfaces as the
passes are spaced along the xy-plane (stepover), and not the z-plane (stepdown).
In this example, Select ‘T3 – 6mm Ball Nose’ from the available cutters list as shown Using the ‘Block Control’ icon to pick the 2 Leading curves needed for the machining.
below.
NOTE :
Select the 2 curves starting with the curve on top of the radius and then the curve
around the bottom of angled walls.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy. Pick this curve second
NOTE :
The order in which you pick the curves is important, as this will determine the
machining direction.
The status of the curve is also very important when using this strategy. If the start and
end points do not coincide on both curves and the curves do not travel in the same
direction, then the toolpath will not give the required result. Some of the common
problems will be described later.
Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the 2 Leading Curve Some Useful Tips to consider before calculating a 2 Leading Curve toolpath.
Machining strategy in the operation manager.
Some common problems encountered with this strategy are shown below. All
problems are due to the condition of the curve. I.e. Start points and direction.
Both curves OK
Start points OK, Curves in
same direction
Perpendicular flag active
Both curves OK
Start points OK, Curves in
different direction
Perpendicular flag active
Many of the parameters on this dialogue are common to some of the strategies
already used. Here we will explain parameters unique to this strategy.
Both curves OK Both curves OK
Start points OK, Curves in Start points are different,
different direction Curves in different
Perpendicular flag in-active direction
Both curves OK
Start points are different,
Both curves OK
Curves in different
Start points are different,
direction
Curves in same direction
Perpendicular flag in-active
Once all the options are set to obtain the correct result, select ‘OK’ to calculate the
toolpath.
Display the toolpath and see the results. Use the Display and Clear Toolpath icons to
show the toolpath. The result will be as shown below.
Both curves OK
Start points are different,
Curves in same direction
Perpendicular flag active
Investigating the options We are now going to use the segments to synchronise the toolpath
Go to the Machining tab and activate the option Perpendicular mode. Expand the option in the ‘Drive curve’ option from within the operations manager
and double click on ‘Synchronisation Lines’
Perpendicular Mode
With this option flagged the system will calculate the machining perpendicular to the
2 drive curves. The difference can be seen in
the image opposite.
If we look at the toolpath from the plan view, Now select the 8 segments. It does not matter what order these lines are selected.
you will see that the toolpath looks OK.
However it is possible to improve the quality of
the toolpath using ‘Synchronisation Lines’.
Currently the toolpath between the upper and
lower curves is moving diagonally to & from the points along the curve. This is shown
below
Gradual
diagonal
movement
Display the toolpath and see the results. Use the Display and Clear Toolpath icons to
show the toolpath.
Pick the New Operation “3D Step Over”
From the lower split panel in the Operations manager double click on the Boundary
List item nested under the Parallel Plane strategy.
Now pick the boundary from the screen as shown in the image below.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
The profile should now be added as a Cut Boundary under the Boundary list item.
Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown below and select ‘OK’ to
calculate a basic toolpath. Later other options will be changed to see the
differences.
As you can see from the result, the toolpath maintains a constant 0.5 mm step over
regardless of the contours on the machined piece. Also note that the shape of the
toolpath follows the rectangular boundary shape.
Continuing with the toolpath already created it is possible to edit the parameters and
change the direction of the toolpath in several ways.
To see this effect more clearly change the Machining Strategy from Zig-Zag to Uni
Directional.
Go to the Machining tab and change the setting, then re-calculate toolpath.
Cutter Direction,
Animate the cutter motion using Anti Clockwise Try calculating the remaining cutter direction / step over combinations from the
Toolpath Simulated Display Approach / Retract tab.
Click on the Approach / Retract tab and now adjust the following options, check the
invert direction box, now recalculate the toolpath.
Cutter Direction,
Anti-Clockwise
Cutter Direction,
Clockwise Step over direction outside
to inside.
Options to change the shape of the toolpath. Notice that the toolpath now follows
the definition of the Drive boundary
Using Drive Boundaries shape. Even though we still have
the rectangular boundary selected
Using the Operation manager it is possible to add a Drive boundary(s) to influence as a cutting boundary, it is ignored
the shape of the toolpath but also place restrictions on the toolpath. Let’s see how because the Drive is inside of the
this works. Cutting boundary (limit boundary).
Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown below and click ‘OK’ to create
a toolpath.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
Significant Parameters For this Strategy Take a look at the calculated toolpath. It looks a bit messy as some of the passes are
creeping over the edge of the part.
Stepover
Editing the Options
The stepover is the spacing between the passes along the circumference of the
circle. The maximum radius you set on this dialogue page defines the circle. The To make the toolpath significantly tidier
stepover is calculated from the blue line in the diagram - passes are evenly spaced the end radius value can be adjusted
by the amount that you set in the stepover field. so that the toolpath is limited from
falling over the edge of the part.
Centre
Open up the operation parameters
You must specify the xy-position of the centre-point of your circle. and go to the Machining tab.
The Radial passes will start or end at this centre-point. To help you to
work out the coordinates, you can zoom in, and look at the position Focus on the “Geometrical Definition”
of your cursor from the xy information fields on the status bar and area of the form.
use the geometry picker to define the centre point.
Angle
Click the Maximum radius
The minimum and maximum angles act as limits to your passes. They control the button to enable picking
angle span of the operation, that is, how much of a complete circle will be from the screen.
machined.
Each radial pass starts at the centre point and ends at the circumference of your
circle, unless changed in the radii field (below). Looking down your cutter axis (z-
view), a line with an angle of 0 is parallel to the x-axis, and a line with an angle of 90 Use the Quadrant point icon to pick the point on the model that defines the
degrees is parallel to the y-axis. An angle of 360 degrees is a full revolution around the maximum radius.
circle, and the line is parallel with the x-axis. Any angle of a value in between 0 and
360 degrees will be a rotation pivoting anticlockwise from the centre point
The minimum angle is the first radial pass to be created, and the maximum is the last
radial pass to be created. A range of 0 to 360 will give the full circle, a range of 0 to
180 will give half of a circle, and so on Pick a Quadrant Point on
this edge.
The Maximum radius should
measure 54 as shown below.
0° min, 90° max: 80° min, 200° max:
The toolpath should look like the one in Semi & Finishing
the image shown here.
Spiral
If you display the toolpath simulation you
can see that the tool starts in the centre This machining strategy is most effective on areas that include shallow curved
of the job and the tool moves in an anti surfaces and circular areas as the passes are
clock wise direction. spaced along the xy-plane (stepover), and not
the z-plane (stepdown).
Open the machining parameters again
and go to the Approach/Retract tab. Open the file spiral1.wkf
Specify a Plunge area co-ordinates as shown below, this will enable the toolpath to
start from outside of the cavity. Pick the New Operation “Spiral”
Toolpath now
moves clockwise
and starts from the
outside.
In this example, Select ‘T3 – 6mm Ball Nose’ from the available cutters list as shown Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Spiral strategy in
below in the default library. the operation manager.
Enter the parameters on the Machining tab as shown below and click ‘OK’ to create
a toolpath.
Notice that the dialog box is very similar to the one used in creating radial passes. Fill
in the parameters as shown and click OK.
Now select the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar values
to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining purposes, the
chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
We should now have a toolpath that machines to the exact outer edge of the part
The result should look like this image: as shown below.
In this example, use a 1mm diameter Ball Nose type cutter. Enter the cutter
parameters as shown in the dialogue below. Note: - If you are unsure how to access
the cutter parameters please refer to the Roughing tutorial or the Tool Libraries guide.
Now select ALL of the model from the screen area. Check that you are using similar
values to those shown below for the triangulation of the model for machining
purposes, the chordal tolerance is set at 0.05 for a finishing type of cutting Strategy.
Also here the Machining Strategy is Unidirectional meaning the cut will always be in
one direction only.
Here is the result of the edited Contour Projection strategy showing the multiple levels,
vertical entry and exit, plus the rapid moves at the safety distance.
Select ‘T3 – 6mm Ball Nose tool’ Let’s edit the parameters for this toolpath by double clicking on the Tracing 3D
strategy in the operation manager.
Select the middle of the top part of the profile as the start and end point of the
machining
The engraving option will allow the user to enter the depth of cut ‘Step Down’ and the
number of cuts above and below the selected profile, ‘Levels on Surface’ and ‘Levels
under Surface’
The toolpath should look like the one in the image below. Double click here to access
the parameters for this
strategy.
Open the operations manager and select “New Operation – ISO Machining The first area to look at is the Pattern drop down box accessed from the Surface paths
tab. The “Pattern” options determine the toolpath shape and are as follows:-
Parallel cuts
Select “OK” and then Select the “T3 – 6mm Ballnose” and select “OK”
Select “OK” once more and then expand the tree in the operations manager and
calculate the toolpath by highlighting in the tree and then selecting the
“Toolpathbatch build” icon
Double click the operation parameters to change the settings for the second option
and toolpath pattern.
Change the pattern type to “Cuts along curve” and we must now select the “Edit Select “OK” on the main interface and then rebuild the toolpath, the result will be as
curves - Lead” icon and pick the profile at the top of the part. shown in the image.
To overcome lift-offs
along the cut or in
between the slices then
the linking options need
to be changed.
Similar to gaps along cut you differ between small and large links. This difference size
is calculated as a percentage of the user given maximum step over value.E.g. if this
value is set to 150% and the maximum step over value is 0.1mm the gap threshold is
Some Information about the linking and lifting options 0.15mm. That means, all step over moves from one tool path slice to the next slice are
checked against this 0.15 mm and determined whether the gap is smaller or larger
GAPS ALONG CUTS than this value. If you don’t want the gap size depending on the maximum step over
just activate "as value" and set your value.
If gaps along a tool path are detected, then you have different choices how the tool
should pass the gap and pursue machining. Depending on the size of the gap it is
possible to set two different options on whether it is a big or a small gap. The value in
the field "Small Gap Size in % of tool diameter" sets the threshold for small and large
gaps along a tool path segment. The value is defined as the percentage of tool
diameter. All gaps along tool path segment, which are smaller than this threshold
value, are considered as small gaps and the action defined for small gaps is
executed. All other gaps that are larger than this value are larger gaps and the
action defined for large gaps is performed.
E.g. if tool diameter is 20mm and the gap size is set to 10%, then the threshold is 10% of
20mm, which is 2mm. All gaps which are smaller than 2mm are considered as small
gaps. All gaps greater than 2mm are considered large gaps. If you don’t want the
gap size depending on the tool diameter just activate "as value" and set a value.
Toolpath Pattern – Morph Between 2 Curves For this operation we will also add more surfaces to machine.
Click the “Drive surface” icon and from the dialogue box select the “New” icon to
The third and final toolpath pattern and the one where will add the collision control is add additional surfaces.
“Morph between 2 curves” Double click the operation parameters to change the
settings for the third option and toolpath pattern.
Change the pattern type to “Morph between 2 curves” and we must now select the
“Edit curves – First and Second” icons and pick the profiles at the top and bottom of
the part.
NOTE
Although the toolpath looks fine there is no collision checking applied at present and Up to 4 sets of surfaces can be defined for gouge checking but we will use only 1.
this MUST be done to stop any gouging on the part. From the picture below, a section Activate the option for set 1 and pick the surface selection icon.
view of the above toolpath shows the collision when no checking is applied.
Any number of surfaces can be selected for gouge checking from only 1 additional
surface to all the surfaces that make up the part model or from additional models if
needed.
From the left menu, select the operations manager icon, and from the Operations Manager
select NEW OPERATION,
Click “OK” and recalculate the toolpath. The result will now have the collision
detection applied and will not gouge the part as shown in the image.
Scroll down the list of strategies and select STEEP & SHALLOW, then select OK. The toolpath will now be listed in the operations manager……..
Double click the operation, and the toolpath dialog box will appear.
Adaptive parameters
Corner management
Unidirectional
Zig-Zag
Downward
Upward
You will notice the toolpath machines all areas using both a steep and a shallow strategy.
Unlike the traditional strategies, this one will machine the part in a synchronous matter.
In this training documentation it is assumed that the user is familiar with the basic navigation
of Visi and only parameters relative to the machining strategy will be explained in detail.
Once you have created the first toolpath, you will notice that the dialog boxes remain
consistent for all toolpaths, which considerably reduces the learning process.
Rest Machining
RestMachining Rest Material
Corner Rest Machining
Pencil Milling
Theoretical Rest Areas
Rest Material COMBI
Rest Material contours
Rest Machining
Rest Material
From the left menu, select the operations manager icon, and from the Operations Manager
select NEW OPERATION,
Once the local library appears, select a 4mm ballnose then select OK.
(NOTE: If a 4mm ballnose tool does not exist, one must be created)
Scroll down the list of strategies and select REST MATERIAL, then select OK.
The Rest material toolpath will now be listed in the operations manager….
The left/right
distance is the
amount the system offsets the initial pencil pass that is
created at the surface intersections. In this example it will
offset the original pass 1mm on either side.
A steep/shallow angle can be enabled in order to avoid vertical or near vertical areas by
checking the angular control box and applying the minimum/maximum angles. In this
example we will set a minimum of 0 deg and a maximum of 89 degrees.
The default computation method is set to the Quick method, which is what we are using in
this example, but if required, if you can change this to the Rest area method which will use a
reference cutter size: When the toolpath calculation is completed, you can visually see the result by either clicking
the box beside the toolpath or by selecting the toolpath display icon.
OR
The approach can be toggled to work from outside in, or , inside out. In this example the
toolpath will run from outside in.
Once these parameters have been set, select OK. Select the toolpath, right click with the
mouse and select Toolpath batch build:
Select a 6mm ballnose tool, then click OK.
Rest Machining
Corner Rest Machining
From the left menu, select the operations manager icon, and from the operations manager
select NEW OPERATION….. Scroll down the list of strategies and select Corner Rest
Machining, then select OK.
This will control the precision when searching for Setting 90° will machine all the rest material areas along the corner (image 3).
areas to be machined. If you reduce this value the Setting 0° will machine all the rest material areas will be machined across the corner (image 4).
system will begin to find many more areas due to Setting 45° will machines areas between 0 and 45° along the corner, while areas between 45 and 90° will be
machined across the corner (image 5).
the triangle variations, however this value is
dependant on the piece been machined.
R tool = R blend
The Steep machining strategy can be toggled,
Image A but the Shallow machining strategy only supports
climb milling at this time. In this example, it will be
set to climb.
Angular:
The system looks at the pencil passes from
Once the parameters have been inputted, select OK. Select the toolpath, right click with the
any directions (3D point of view) and
mouse, and select Toolpath Batch build.
connects the passes with angle deviation
less than the value set in Max Angle
deviation.
No Sorting:
The system follows exactly the pencil passes.
For any part of the pencil pass there will be a When the calculation is completed, you can animate the result by selecting the Toolpath
group of Rest machining passes. The risk in Simulate icon.
this case is that uncut material could be left in
the corners or were more part of the pencil
passes converge at one point.
Constant Z
From the left menu, select the operations manager
icon, and from the operations manager select NEW
OPERATION….. Scroll down the list of strategies
and select Pencil Machining, then select OK.
3d Stepover
From the local library select a 4mm ballnose tool, then click OK.
Select the geometry to be machined, then confirm the selection. Toggling this parameter will limit the toolpath
from 0 to 45 degrees. For this example use
these values.
The Upward milling strategy will force the tool to always machine
Double click on the toolpath in the operation manager…….. in an upward direction, and conversely, when Downward is
selected, the tool machines in a downward motion.
Once the parameters have been inputted, select OK. Select the toolpath, right click with the
mouse, and select Toolpath Batch build.
Once the calculation is complete, you can animate the toolpath to view the result. Inside the operations manager, there is an icon which will
access the Geometrical tools in Visi……..
Once the “Theoretical rest boundaries” are selected, click OK. The Local library will then The system will then prompt to use boundaries…….In this example we will create
open and will require that a reference tool be selected. In this example, a 4mm ballnose boundaries on the entire part, so press RHM
tool will be used……….
Once all the parameters have been imputed, the system will begin calculating the
boundaries……..
These boundaries can now be used as containment when creating the different toolpath
strategies that are available…..
When the calculation is finished, a message will appear indicating the number of
boundaries that we created……
Select a 6mm ballnose tool, then click OK.
Rest Machining
Rest Material COMBI
From the left menu, select the operations manager icon, and from the operations manager
select NEW OPERATION….. Scroll down the list of strategies and select Rest Material
COMBI, then select OK.
Double click on the operation……..the Rest material Combi dialog page will appear……
can be changed………
Define the reference tool. This can be a
Ballnose or Toroidal type. In this example,
we will use a 10 mm ballnose.
Once the parameters have been inputted, select OK. Select the toolpath, right click with the
mouse, and select Toolpath Batch build. Constant Z strategy
3d stepover strategy
If we RHM on the toolpath and turn off the transition and rapid motions, we can see the
different strategies used to machine the part.
The Geometrical tool dialog box appears, and unlike before, the Rest material contours
Rest Machining option is now visible (this is because we selected an operation prior to selecting the icon).
Rest Material Contours
From the left menu, select the operations manager icon. In the operation manager, there is a
parallel plane toolpath we will use as the reference operation. Click on the toolpath, then Minimum thickness
select the Geometrical tools icon……..
It is the smallest amount of material to be found.
If the reference operation left parts of the job
with less than this amount of material, those
parts of the job would not be included in the
Rest material profiles. The min material depth
should be greater than the "scallop height" left
by the reference operation.
Contour type
3D profile: the rest area profile will be made in 3
dimensions.
2D profile: the rest area profile will be made on the
current work plane.
Once the parameters have been set, select OK. The system will calculate the rest areas and
a message will pop-up and display how many profiles (rest boundaries), were created.
If we look at the part we can see the boundaries………
You can zoom into areas were the boundaries were created.
The following guide will show you how and where these can be used with hands on
examples. Familiarity with VISI Machining is assumed so every single step will not be
documented.
Rest Machining
Rest Material Contours
3DCAMGeometrical
Theoretical Rest Boundaries
Shallow Area boundaries
Silhouette Boundaries
Cutter Contact Areas
Tools
Fillet Surfaces
The Geometrical tools can be accessed from the Operation Manager icon bar. The The results should be the same as below.
following is guide for each option available.
Make sure the Radial Strategy is selected from the operation manager before selecting
the geometric tools icon.
The outer profile in this case is not needed and can be deleted. The rest of the profiles
can be used individually or nested.
The ‘Rest Material Profile Manager’ option will then appear.
These profiles can then be used as machining or limiting boundaries if required.
Enter ‘0.1 into the minimum thickness and 2D Profile’ into the Contour type.
Minimum Thickness - This value relates to the minimum thickness of the scallops that the
system will use when generating the rest material profiles. The system is using an
imaginary reference toolpath on the component and generating the rest material
profiles from the cusp height (Minimum Thickness) used on the toolpath.
In practice the smaller the value the more rest material areas will be identified and
more profiles generated.
Contour Type - This option relates to how the profiles will be generated. After the rest
material profiles have been generated the profiles will be created either projected
onto the component and therefore 3D profiles, or the profiles can be projected onto
the active workplane and therefore 2D profiles.
Select ‘OK’
Theoretical Rest Boundaries Resolution This is the granularity of the calculation. The smaller the value, the finer the
detail of the boundaries made, but the slower the
This option allows the creation of 3D profiles from rest areas left by an imaginary tool. calculation time.
This gives good results when used for machining operations at semi-finishing or finishing
Minimum diameter: The diameter is the span of
stages of a job. You can then use these boundaries to limit another set of toolpaths
the boundary, the distance between two points
made with a cutter of an equal or smaller size.
on either side. Boundaries that have a diameter
smaller than this value are discarded
User interface
This option is available in the following situations when the: Offset: The Shallow Area boundaries are offset
outwards along the surface by this amount after
x Focus is on the project item
they have been made. Sometimes it may be
x Focus is on the tool item advantageous to put in a small offset value; you
x Focus is on the operation item can prevent jagged boundary edges where an
area of a surface is at an angle similar to the
Contact Angle
Step 1:
Define your tool - the smaller, secondary one with which to machine inside the rest Include corner areas: If switched on, the system
areas and create the boundaries. If previously the focus was on an already used tool, will include in the areas detection also the areas
the system will use this tool. were more the one edge meet together.
See example:
Step 2:
Holder clearance: Defines the safety distance between the holder and the model
Select the model geometry on which you want to find the rest material areas (using geometry.
the same dialog box used for the geometry definition for 3D machining operations).
This new option allows you to make profiles around the shallow (flat) areas of the
selected model. The system produces 3D profiles
User interface
This option is available in the following situations when the:
x Focus is on the project item
x Focus is on the tool item
x Focus is on the operation item
Step 1:
Define your tool - the tool that you will use to machine inside the Shallow area
boundaries. If the focus was on a previously used tool, the system will use this tool.
Step 2:
Select the model geometry on which you want to find the Shallow area (using the
same dialog box used for the geometry definition for 3D machining operations).
Step 3:
Select profiles as a boundary limitation for the Shallow areas boundaries.
Step 4:
The system will display the following dialogue box:
Stock oversize: The distance between the surface and the cutter (and the boundary) If
you set the distance to be zero, the boundary will be based on calculating the
movement of the cutter along the surface itself. If a positive number, it will be above
the surface, if a negative number, it will be below the surface.
Use vertical oversize: If selected, this parameter allows you to specify an additional
oversize value only on the vertical faces.
Angle Max and Angle Min allows you to Set the contact angle range of your tool by
setting the minimum and maximum contact angle. Boundaries will be drawn around
areas where the angle is within that range. For Shallow Area boundaries, the range
should typically be between 0 and 30 degrees, but where surfaces are very close to the Step 5:
minimum or maximum angle, you may get an undesirably jagged edge so you may
want to alter the range slightly. Alternatively, you can sometimes get rid of jagged After computing, the system will display the following dialogue box and will create the
edges by giving the boundary a small offset Shallow area boundaries on the working layer as shown.
Max Z level: This is the highest positions of the tool along the z-axis
Try it out
Min Z level: This is the lowest positions of the tool along the z-axis
Open the file shallow_areas.wkf
Contact Areas Only: This option should be selected (ticked) to limit your boundary to
the surface, with no major material clearance. If you want to create boundaries that Use a 6mm Ball Nose Tool to define the shallow area boundaries. Set the Advanced
include non-contact areas, then the option should not be selected (box not ticked). Parameters as shown.
Shallow area boundaries created.
Resolution: This is the granularity of the calculation. The smaller the value, the finer the
detail of the boundaries made, but the slower the calculation.
Minimum diameter: The diameter is the span of the boundary, the distance between
two points on either side. Boundaries that have a diameter smaller than this value are
discarded
Offset: The Shallow Area boundaries are offset outwards along the surface by this
amount after they have been made. Sometimes it may be advantageous to put in a
small offset value; you can prevent jagged boundary edges where an area of a
surface is at an angle similar to the Contact Angle
Holder clearance: Defines the safety distance between the holder and the model
geometry.
This new option allows you to create a profile that has as shape the perimeter that you
see when you looking at the selected model from the Z axis.
User interface
This option is available in the following situations when the:
x Focus is on the project item
x Focus is on the tool item
x Focus is on the operation item
Step 1:
Select the model geometry on which you want to find the Silhouette area (using the
same dialog box used for the geometry definition for 3D machining operations). Top view
Step 3:
Select profiles as boundary limitation for the Silhouette areas boundaries.
Step 4:
The system will display the following dialogue box:
Try it out
Resolution: This is the granularity of the calculation. The smaller the value, the finer the
detail of the boundaries made, but the slower the calculation.
Use the reference material as a guideline for this exercise.
Open the file littleman.wkf and create the boundary from the STL mesh file.
Please note that using a bigger value it is possible get a more smoother silhouette
boundary
Step 5:
After computing, the system will display the following dialogue box and will create the
Silhouette boundaries on the working layer as shown.
Step 4:
Cutter Contact Areas The system will display the following dialogue box:
This option allows you to make profiles around areas where the cutter is in contact with
the selected model. The system produces 3D profiles.
Please note that the Cutter Contact Area does not work on vertical or near-
vertical surfaces. The steepest angle you should use for best results is 80 degrees.
The following example shows how it is possible to set a clearance distance from the
faces which you don’t want to touch (and mark) with the tool.
User interface Use vertical oversize: If selected, this parameter allows you to specify an additional
The option is available in the following situations, when : oversize value only on the vertical faces.
Focus on project item
Focus on tool item Constraint: Most machining operations or 3D boundary creation constrains or limits the
Focus on operation item tool centre to the edge of the boundary or surface; it can move no further than this. But
when creating a boundary with Cutter Contact Areas, you can constrain or limit the
Step 1: tool contact point to the boundary instead, in effect the machinable area is offset by
Define your tool - the tool you will use to machine inside the Cutter contact areas the radius of the cutter.
boundaries. If previously the focus was on an already used tool, the system will use this Centre Point: The point where the cutter contacts the surfaces is always within the
tool. boundary
Step 2:
Select the model geometry on which you want to find the Cutter contact area (using
the same dialog box used for the geometry definition for 3D machining operations).
Step 3:
Select profiles as boundary limitation for the Cutter contact areas.
Holder clearance: Defines the safety distance between the holder and the model
geometry.
Try it out
Use the reference material as a guideline for this exercise.
Max Z level: This is the highest positions of the tool along the z-axis
Min Z level: This is the lowest positions of the tool along the z-axis
Contact Areas Only: This option should be selected (ticked) to limit your boundary to
the surface, with no major material clearance. If you want to create boundaries that
include non-contact areas, then the option should not be selected (box not ticked).
Resolution: This is the granularity of the calculation. The smaller the value, the finer the Should create 39 cutter contact boundaries.
detail of the boundaries made, but the slower the calculation.
Minimum diameter: The diameter is the span of the boundary, the distance between
two points on either side. Boundaries that have a diameter smaller than this value are
discarded
Step 3:
Fillet Surfaces Select profiles as boundary limitation for the Fillet surface. In our case we can click the
Right Mouse Button to continue.
This option allows you to create fillet surfaces (mesh format) on all the edges of the
selected model. Step 4:
Selecting mesh fillets entities in your model geometry definition, allows you to reduce The system will display the following dialogue box:
sharp changes in cutter direction and machine more quickly. By adding curves to the
internal corners, the cutter does not have to dramatically change direction while
rotating, and this helps to prevent damage to tooling and the machined piece thus
allowing for faster feedrates.
Tolerance: The tolerance to which the new fillet surfaces will be triangulated. A lower
value will give more accurate results, but will increase the calculation time.
User interface
The option is available in the following situations: Resolution: This is the "granularity" of the calculation. Using a smaller value will give the
x Focus on project item finer detail but will increase the calculation time.
x Focus on tool item
Number of facets: This is the number of flat faces (triangles) across the radially curved
x Focus on operation item
section of the fillet.
Step 1:
Define your tool – the system will use his shape to Bitangency angle: This is the minimum angle required between the two contact point
generate the fillet geometry. It is possible to select End of the tools to find edges. If the contact points have an angle less than the “Bitangency
mill, Ball nose, Bull nose (also tapered) and eventually a tool holder. Select the tool as angle”, the fillet surface will not be generated.
shown below.
Max Z level: This is the highest positions of the tool along the z-axis
Min Z level: This is the lowest positions of the tool along the z-axis
Holder clearance: Defines the safety distance between the holder and the model
Step 2: geometry.
Select the model geometry on which you want to create Fillets (using the same dialog
box used for the geometry definition for 3D machining operations).
Please note that “Holder clearance” is automatically switched on if has been
selected tool + tool holder.
Step 5:
After computing, the system will display the following dialogue box and will create the
Fillet surfaces on the working layer as shown.
Try it out
Use a 10mm Ball Nose Tool to define the fillet surfaces and the settings shown.