Hints and Tips: Hints and Tips:Flow Line - Part surface
Up to 90 successive milling surfaces and an unlimited number of CHECK surfaces may be picked.
The tool will move from surface to surface where the boundaries of successive surfaces face each other.
Undercut tool motions, which occur if the normal to the surface is in a negative Z direction, may be defined if GOUGE CHECK: OFF is selected. A warning message is displayed.
Surfaces of varying widths may be milled at the same time, however, only the maximum common width will be machined. Use the modal RESET MILLING WIDTH to machine the complete area of all the surfaces.
Circular interpolation will be implemented on a surface of revolution if its axis is parallel to the Z axis, if GOUGE CHECK: OFF is selected, and it is an untrimmed surface.
Movement between tool passes is at the PLUNGE FEED (%) defined in Machine Parameters.
In 4 axis milling, the system ignores tool axis rotation around the fixed axis, including rotation angles caused by the surface geometry, tilting and leading angles.
When using milling a nearly horizontal surface (within +/-0.5 deg), the start of the surface will not be properly machined.
Fast motion gouge checking is not available. However, OPTIMIZATION is available for 3 axis milling in which fast motion gouge checking may be defined against the stock material.
This procedure should not be used on two surfaces with a common edge which are trimmed by an island. The function works only on surfaces which are joined by an unbroken common edge.
SWARF milling is available only in 5 axis.
In SWARF milling, the TILTING ANGLE must be greater than the TAPER ANGLE of the tool.
The start point of each surface determines from which edge milling will begin. For each surface after the first, it should be on the edge facing the previous surface.
The start point determines both where the first tool motion will be and from which edge of the surface the tool will start. The endpoint determines only where the last pass of the tool will be. It does not determine on which boundary of the surface milling will end.