Topsolid CAM online Help Index

Lead in and Lead out methods

Approach and retract functions are not available during roughing.  For chained sweep machining and for rework pencil milling, approach and retract moves are performed in specific dialogue boxes.  Therefore, they are not shown here.

Approach and retract moves are necessary on a part’s surface for all machining operations.  Approach and retract dialogue boxes are shown below and can be directly accessed from machining dialogue boxes.  These boxes allow to perfectly define approach and retract modes for the part’s surface, for each machining pass.

Some options can be disabled, depending on the machining operation’s nature.

Perpendicular

Approach and/or retract moves are performed perpendicularly to the machining contour, according to a straight line segment with a length defined by the user.

Tangential

Approach and/or retract moves are tangentially performed to the machining contour, according to an arc with the radius value defined by the user.

Tool axis

Approach and/or retract moves are performed following a direction parallel to the tool axis, according to a straight line segment with the length defined by the user.

Vector

Approach and/or retract moves are performed by following a direction defined by a vector, according to a straight line segment with the coordinates and distance defined by the user.

  Distance

Depending on specific cases, this value defines either the length or the approach and/or retract radius.

  Vector definition

The vector’s unitary coordinates in the operation’s positioning coordinate system. ( 0 0 1 mean so an approach or a retreat in Z).

Topsolid CAM online Help Index