Create Auxiliary Contours: Parameters

Create machining region contours as part of the procedure execution process. This increases machining efficiency by defining the machining region of one procedure by the contours created by another procedure, thus minimizing overlap situations.

Notes:

If the Create Auxiliary Contours parameter is checked, the following additional parameters are displayed:

Output Motions

Calculate and output the procedure’s milling motions.

Illustration

Feature Name

The created contours appear in the Features Tree, and are named according to the procedure that created them. A feature contains all the relevant contours (not just one).

The Feature name is made up as follows:
_NC-CONT_<procedure_short_ID>_<Contour-name>
for example:
_NC-CONT_RM-Pencil_10_TPC
where RM-Pencil_10 = the procedure short ID (in this case Remachine / Cleanup), and TPC = the contour name (in this case Tooltip Pencil Curves).

For more information and examples, see below.

Set Name

The created contours are organized into Sets to enable you to control the contour visibility, the creation process and for clarity.

The Set name is made up as follows:
_NC-CONT_<procedure_short_ID>_<Contour-name>
for example:
_NC-CONT_RM-Pencil_10_TPC
where RM-Pencil_10 = the procedure short ID (in this case Remachine / Cleanup), and TPC = the contour name (in this case Tooltip Pencil Curves).

For more information and examples, see below.

Unmachined Areas (UMA)

Create contours to display the boundary of the unmachined area left by the previous cutter.

These contours may be used:

  • by a Finish procedure with any tool to address the requirement for "any previous" tool.

Illustration

All Machined Areas (AMA)

Create contours to display the boundary of the machined area.

These contours may be used:

  • by a Finish procedure with any tool to address the requirement for "any previous" tool.

  • as an input for Finish Mill By Limit Angle to address the requirement for Slope Control in Cleanup.

Illustration

Vertical Areas (VMA)

Create contours to display the outer boundary of the vertical areas.

These contours may be used:

  • an input for a Finish procedure to generate a manual "all-along".

Illustration

Horizontal Areas (HMA)

Create contours to display the outer boundary of the horizontal areas.

These contours may be used:

  • an input for a Finish procedure to generate a manual "all-along".

Illustration

Ignored Machining Areas (IMA)

Create the top contours of regions that were skipped due to machining constraints.

Illustration

Horizontal Machining Limits (HML)

Create contours to display the outer boundary of the horizontal areas.

These contours may be used:

  • to machine areas between two slope angles (for example, between 45-70 degrees), by using the contours generated by two different Finish Limit Angle procedures.

  • to machine the vertical and horizontal areas with different tools.

Illustration

Outer Machining Limits (OML)

Create contours to display the outer boundary of the horizontal machined areas.
Use as the limit of another Finish procedure (usually Limit Angle).

These contours may be used:

  • to machine the small un-machined areas left on the horizontal areas.

  • to have special treatment for the horizontal areas in Finish by Limit Angle.

Illustration

Tooltip Pencil Curves (TPC)

Create contours that represent the toolpath.

These contours may be used:

  • as the limit for Rough / Finish procedures.

  • as an input for Surface Profile or Curve-MX with Down Step to address the need for Pencil with Down Steps.

  • as an input for multi side step Surface Profile to generate manual Cleanup.

Illustration

Tooltip Pencil Boundaries (TPB)

Create contours that represent the unmachined area left by the tool.

These contours may be used:

  • as the limit for Finish procedures with a different cutter (as for Cleanup).

Illustration

 

Contours Features Tree

An example of the Features Tree showing all the relevant contours. Notice the format of the Feature name: _NC-CONT_<procedure_short_ID>_<Contour-name>.

 

Contour Sets

An example of the Cleanup procedure Sets before creating contours. Notice the format of the Set name: _NC-CONT_<procedure_short_ID>_<Contour-name>.

When the All Machined Areas and Unmachined Areas contours are created by the Cleanup procedure, the following Sets are created and the appropriate contours are displayed:

Using the standard Sets interaction, individual Sets can be displayed for clarity:

Display only the All Machined Areas (AMA) contours

Display only the Unmachined Areas (UMA) contours

 

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