Electrode
Blank 
Mold & Die Tool Tab
Use this command to create a blank for an
electrode. You
can work on your original geometry to create the electrode tip using the
Electrode Feature command. Then
use this command to complete the construction by removing all electrode
geometry entirely from your original part and replace it with an instance
of a component. The
new electrode part can then be brought into a Drawing Sheet and an electrode
table created.
A blank is a rectangular or cylindrical top for the electrode tip. This is what the tool attaches to. Rectangular blanks may have a "mark" to assist with correct orientation. A mark is either a chamfer in one of the four corners or half cylinder notch removed from the middle of the front or back.
Select the electrode feature created using the Electrode Feature command and a datum plane for orienting the blank. You may choose to have the blank centered at the datum origin or at the center of the oriented (tight) bounding stock box, which is the default. A rotation factor may be applied for better fit. Refer to the figure and the Inputs sections below for more information.
Shape - Select the shape for the electrode blank (Rectangular or Cylindrical).
Electrode - Select the electrode feature created using the Electrode Feature command.
Datum - Select a planar face or datum plane for orienting the blank.
Length, Width - Specify the length and width of the blank. These are measured perpendicular to the datum axis.
Diameter - When Shape is set to Cylindrical, specify the diameter of the blank.
Thickness - Specify the thickness of the blank measured along the datum axis.
Info
This tab displays information about the electrode blank.
Component Origin- The current X,Y and Z coordinates of the origin of the blank (refer to the figure above).
Electrode Bounding Box- The Length and Width of the bounding box surrounding the electrode tip (relative to current datum and rotation).
Origin
This tab controls the level and position of the point to be used as the origin for the exported electrode/blank component.
Height- This specifies the height position of the origin for the exported geometry. Top refers to the top of the blank, Bottom refers to the bottom of the blank and Z Min refers to the minimum Z location of the part used to define the electrode feature. This point may lie on or below the electrode feature itself.
Position- This specifies the position of the origin. Select from Back Top, Back Bottom, Front Top, Front Bottom or Center (default). Look at the preview echo to see where the origin positions for each option.
Reverse Z - Use this option for inverting the electrode when it is exported relative to the selected datum.
Properties
This tab allows you to specify additional attributes for the electrode/blank component. They are as follows:
Material
Orbit Type
Orbit Radius
CAM Operation
Supplier
Model ID
Quantity
Mark
This tab controls the type and location of the locating mark.
Position - This defines the location for the mark. Select from No Mark, Back-Top, Back-Middle, Back-Bottom, Front-Top, Front-Middle or Front-Bottom. Look at the preview echo to see where the origin positions for each option.
Other
Options
Rotation - This allows you to rotate the blank about the Z axis of the datum.
Automatically Center Blank - This centers the blank about the Z axis of the datum. Otherwise it is centered about the bounding box of the electrode tip.
Part Name - This allows you to specify a name for the new component that will be created (default = Electrode.1). Automatic name checking and correction is used so you do not need to keep modifying this field for a part with multiple electrodes. (default = Electrode.1, Electrode.2, ...).
