SolidCAM + SolidWorksThe Complete Integrated Manufacturing SolutionSolidCAM 2014 Interactive Training Course: iMachiningiMachining2D&3D|2.5DMilling|HSS|HSM|IndexialMulti-Sided|Simultaneous5-Axis|Turning&Mill-Turn|SolidProbeSolidCAM 2014Interactive Training CourseiMachining 2D & 3D1995-2014 SolidCAMAll Rights Reserved.ContentsvContents1. Introducton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1About this course .....................................................................................................................3Basic Concepts..........................................................................................................................5Process Overview .....................................................................................................................52. CAM-Part Defniton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Exercise #1: CAM-Part Defniton ................................................................................... 91.1 Load the SolidWorks model .............................................................................................101.2 Start SolidCAM and create the CAM-Part ........................................................................101.3 Defne the CAM-Part ........................................................................................................ 131.4 Defne the iMachining Data .............................................................................................191.4.1 Add a new Machine Database fle..........................................................................191.4.2 Add a new Material Database fle ..........................................................................203. iMachining 2D Operatons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Exercise #2: iRough Technology ................................................................................... 322.1 The SolidWorks model with CAM-Part data is open ........................................................ 322.2 Add an iMachining 2D operaton to the CAM-Part... ...................................................... 332.2.1 Defne the Geometry ..............................................................................................342.2.2 Defne the Tool .......................................................................................................432.2.3 Defne the Levels ....................................................................................................452.2.4 Defne the technological parameters .....................................................................472.3 Defne the rough machining of the center pocket .......................................................... 502.4 Defne the rough machining of the pocket ledge ............................................................ 502.5 Simulate the iMachining tool path ..................................................................................512.6 Generate GCode and close the CAM-Part .......................................................................52viExercise #3: Tool Defniton and the Technology Wizard ............................................... 543.1 Load the CAM-Part ........................................................................................................... 543.2 Defne the Tool for the CAM Project ................................................................................553.3 Defne the rough machining of the outside contour ....................................................... 583.3.1 The Technology Wizard ..........................................................................................613.4 Defne the rough machining of the recessed pocket ...................................................... 653.5 Defne the rough machining of the recessed hole .......................................................... 663.6 Defne the rough machining of the ledges ......................................................................66Exercise #4: iRest and iFinish Technologies .................................................................. 674.1 Load the CAM-Part ........................................................................................................... 674.2 Machine the interior pocket... .........................................................................................684.2.1 Defne an iRough (roughing) operaton .................................................................684.2.2 Defne an iRest (rest machining) operaton ...........................................................684.2.3 Defne an iFinish (fnishing) operaton ...................................................................714.3 Machine the elevated foors ............................................................................................754.4 Machine the top of the bosses ........................................................................................754.5 Machine the pocket ledge ...............................................................................................764.6 Machine the holes with a Drilling operaton ...................................................................76Exercise #5: Helical Entry, Pre-Drilling and small tools .................................................. 805.1 Load the CAM-Part ........................................................................................................... 805.2 Machine the main pocket... .............................................................................................815.2.1 Helical Entry ............................................................................................................815.2.2 iRest and iFinish the main pocket ..........................................................................875.3 Use Pre-Drilling Operatons... ...........................................................................................875.3.1 Defne a small pre-drilled hole ...............................................................................875.3.2 Defne a large pre-drilled hole (entry hole) ...........................................................885.4 Machine the top of the mountng block (island) ............................................................. 935.5 Machine the holes ............................................................................................................ 94Contentsvii5.6 iMachining with a small tool ............................................................................................955.6.1 Machine the counterbores.....................................................................................965.6.2 Machine the vent slots ...........................................................................................96Exercise #6: Efects on the Technology Wizard... .......................................................... 976.1 Load the CAM-Part ........................................................................................................... 976.2 Machine the outside shape... ........................................................................................1006.2.1 Machine the original outside shape ....................................................................1006.2.2 Machine the fnal outside shape ..........................................................................1056.3 Machine the ledges ........................................................................................................1096.4 Machine the through hole .............................................................................................1116.5 Machine the triangular pocket ......................................................................................1116.6 Machine the holes ..........................................................................................................1146.7 iMachining Data changes ...............................................................................................1146.7.1 Machine Database ................................................................................................1156.7.2 Material Database ................................................................................................115Exercise #7: Advanced features and controls in iMachining 2D .................................. 1167.1 Load the CAM-Part .........................................................................................................1167.2 Advanced parameters on the Geometry page ..............................................................1177.3 Advanced parameters on the Tool page ........................................................................1197.4 Advanced parameters on the Levels page .....................................................................1227.5 Advanced parameters on the Technology Wizard page ................................................1247.6 Advanced parameters on the Technology page ............................................................1287.7 Remaining parameters... ................................................................................................1344. iMachining 3D Operatons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Exercise #8: Mold core machining .............................................................................. 1448.1 Load the SolidWorks model ...........................................................................................144viiiDocument number: SCiMTCENG1-20148.2 Defne the CAM-Part for iMachining 3D ........................................................................1458.2.1 Defne the typical CAM-Part parameters .............................................................1458.2.2 Defne the advanced CAM-Part parameters ........................................................1458.3 Add an iMachining 3D operaton to the CAM-Part... ....................................................1538.3.1 Add an iMachining 3D operaton and defne the Geometry ...............................1538.3.2 Defne the Tool, Levels and Cutng conditons ....................................................1618.3.3 Defne the technological parameters ...................................................................1658.4 Defne the rest machining with iMachining 3D .............................................................1718.5 Defne the fnish machining with HSM (Part 1) .............................................................1728.5.1 Add an HSM operaton to the CAM-Part... ..........................................................1728.5.2 Defne the Constant Z passes and Link data ........................................................1798.5.3 Defne the Linear passes and Link data ................................................................1878.5.4 Defne an HSM Rest machining operaton ...........................................................1908.6 Defne the fnish machining (Part 2) ..............................................................................1958.6.1 Defne a Pocket Operaton (foor fnishing)..........................................................1958.6.2 Defne a Profle Operaton (outside shape fnishing) ...........................................199Exercise #9: Prismatc part machining ........................................................................ 2009.1 Load the CAM-Part .........................................................................................................2009.2 Pre-drill through hole and defne the rough machining ................................................2019.2.1 Defne a Drilling operaton ...................................................................................2019.2.2 Defne an iMachining 3D operaton .....................................................................2019.3 Defne the rest machining with iMachining 3D .............................................................2029.4 Defne the fnish machining ...........................................................................................2049.4.1 Defne a Profle operaton ....................................................................................2049.4.2 Defne a Pocket Recogniton operaton ................................................................2049.5 Machine the countersinks and holes .............................................................................2089.5.1 Defne a Drilling operaton ...................................................................................2089.5.2 Defne a Drill Recogniton operaton ....................................................................209Introduction1231. IntroductonAbout this courseThegoalofthiscourseistoteachyouhowtouseSolidCAMtomachinevariouspartsusing iMachining 2D and iMachining 3D technologies. This course covers the basic concepts of SolidCAM and is a supplement to the system documentaton and online help. Once you have developed a good foundaton in basic skills, you can refer to the online help for informaton on the less frequently used optons inside SolidCAM.Course designThiscourseisdesignedaroundatask-basedapproachtotrainingandisinteractve.Withvirtual guided exercises, you will learn the commands and optons necessary to complete a machining task using iMachining 2D and iMachining 3D technologies. There are theoretcal explanatons embedded into the exercises with writen references to give an overview of the SolidCAM iMachining capabilites.Using this training bookThis training book is intended to be used in both a classroom environment, under the guidance of an experienced instructor, and as self-study material. The various parts can be launched automatcally by clicking the fle names that are writen in this training book. This training book does not contain step-by-step writen instructons. It contains a number of videos demonstratng the steps that have been implemented to complete each exercise. In a classroom setng, it is recommended to play the videos on a large projecton screen, which will help maintain a synchronized pace for the students. It is suggested to frst watch a video in the order it is presented, then apply and practce the material covered by that video.About the *.zip fleThe *.zip fle contains this interactve training book and copies of various fles that are used throughout thiscourse.TheCourse_Examplesfoldercontainstheflesthatarerequiredforthevirtualguided exercises.Whenextractngthe*.zipfle,itisimportanttoextractthewholefolderandnotjust itscontentstherearebutonsthroughoutthistrainingbookthatlinktofleswithinthefolder. Therefore, it is important to ensure that this interactve training book and Course_Examples folder do not get separated and that they remain in the same project folder. The Completed_CAM-Parts folder inside the Course_Examples folder contains the fnal manufacturing projects for each exercise and can be used for checking the integrity of your fnal projects. The SolidWorks and SolidCAM part fles used for the exercises were prepared with SolidWorks 2014 and SolidCAM 2014.Adobe ReaderIt is recommended to use Adobe Reader when viewing this training book. If you do not already have Adobe Reader, it is a free PDF viewer that can be downloaded from Adobes website via this link htp://get.adobe.com/reader/.Bydefault,AdobeReaderwillallowlaunchingofexternalflesand connectng to URLs, which is essental for the interactve features in this training book to functon properly. If you prefer using a diferent PDF viewer, it is important to ensure that the Trust Manager Preferences allows external commands to be executed by your preferred Reader.4Windows 7The majority of screenshots and videos in this book were made using SolidCAM 2013 integrated with SolidWorks 2013 running on Windows 7. The newly added features for this current year were made usingSolidCAM2014integratedwithSolidWorks2014runningonWindows7.Ifyouarerunning on a diferent version of Windows, you may notce diferences in the appearance of the menus and windows. These diferences do not afect the performance of the sofware.Conventons used in this bookThis book uses the following typographic conventons:BoldThisstyleisusedtoemphasizeSolidCAMoptons, commandsorbasicconcepts.Forexample,you need to defne the Machine Coordinate System. 1.4 Defne the iMachining DataThemouseiconandnumberedboldtextindicate the beginning of the exercise acton.ExplanatonThis style combined with the lamp icon is used for the SolidCAM iMachining functonality explanatons embeddedintothevirtualguidedexercises.The lamp icon is also used to emphasize notes.Thisbookalsousesthefollowinginteractvefeaturesasbutonsforlaunchingpartflesand connectng to URLs:Exercise_1.SLDPRTThis style, used in hyperlink blue, signifes a buton. Forexample,toautomatcallylaunchSolidWorks and load the fle, click Exercise_1.SLDPRT.Thisplaybutonisusedtoplaythevideosthat make up the virtual guided exercises. Your internet browserwillautomatcallylaunchandconnectto 51. IntroductonBasic ConceptsEvery manufacturing project in SolidCAM contains the following data:CAM-PartTheCAM-Partdefnesthegeneraldataoftheworkpiece.Thisincludes themodelname,coordinatesystempositon,tooloptons,CNC-Controller,etc.In iMachining, the CAM-Part also includes the Machine and Material Database defnitons.Geometry By selectng Edges, Curves, Surfaces or Solids, defne what and where you aregoingtomachine.ThisgeometryisassociatedwiththenatveSolidWorksmodel. The geometry in iMachining 2D is defined as a pocket that can be open, closed and/orsemi-closed(containingopenedges).Thepocketscancontaininternalchains treated as islands or used for safe tool entry. In iMachining 3D, the stock and target geometries are defined by Solids.OperatonAnOperatonisasinglemachiningstepinSolidCAM.Technology,Tool parameters and Strategies are defned in the Operaton. In short, Operaton means how youwanttomachine.Inthispartcularcourse,youwilllearnhowtouseSolidCAMs revolutonary iMachining technology to defne how you want to machine.Process OverviewThe major stages of the SolidCAM manufacturing project creaton process are the following:CAM-Part defnitonThis stage includes the defniton of the global parameters of the Manufacturing Project (CAM-Part).YouhavetodefneanumberofCoordinateSystemsthatdescribethe positoning of the part on the CNC-Machine.You have to defne the Stock model and Target model to be used for the rest material calculaton. The Stock model describes the inital state of the workpiece that has to be machined. The Target model describes the state of the workpiece that has to be reached afer the machining. Afer every operaton, SolidCAM calculates how much material was actually removed from the CAM-Part and how much material remains unmachined (rest material). The rest material informaton enables SolidCAM iMachining to automatcally optmize the tool path and avoid air cutng.iMachining Operaton defnitonDuringaniMachiningOperatondefniton,theonlyrequirementsaretoselectthe machining geometry, choose the tool from the Part Tool Table (or defne a new tool) and defne the Milling levels. The optmal Cutng conditons are then automatcally generated by the iMachining Technology Wizard.6CAM-PartDenition28When using iMachining, the CAM-Part defniton process includes the following stages:CAM-Part creaton. At this stage, you have to defne the CAM-Part name and locaton. TherearetwoavailablemodesforcreatngandsavingtheCAM-PartInternaland External.InternalstorestheSolidCAMdatainsidetheoriginalSolidWorksmodelfle. ExternalistypicalforCAM-Partssavedpriorto2013.SolidCAMdefnesthenecessary system fles and a folder to allocate the place to store SolidCAM data.CNC-Controller defniton. Choosing a CNC-Controller is a necessary step. The controller type infuences the Coordinate System defniton and the Geometry defniton.Coordinate System defniton. You have to defne the Coordinate System the origin for all machining operatons of the CAM-Part.Stock model defniton. SolidCAM enables you to defne the stock model that describes the inital state of the workpiece to be machined.Target model defniton. SolidCAM enables you to defne the model of the part in its fnal state afer the machining.iMachiningData.WhenusingiMachining,youhavetodefnethemachineandwork materialparameters.TheTechnologyWizardrequiresthisdatatoautomatcally determine the optmal Cutng conditons for an iMachining operaton.CAM-Part creationCoordinate System definitionStock model definitionCNC-Controller definitionTarget model defintioniMachining DataMachine Database definition Material Database defintion2. CAM-Part Defniton9Exercise #1: CAM-Part DefnitonThisexerciseillustratestheCAM-Partdefnitonprocess in SolidCAM. In this exercise, you have to create the CAM-PartforthemodeldisplayedanddefnetheCoordinate System,theStockmodelandTargetmodelthatare necessary for the part machining. You also have to defne the iMachining Data.IftheMachineandMaterialDatabasesarenotdefned attheCAM-Partdefnitonstage,youhavetodefne theseDatabaseswhenthefrstiMachiningoperatonis added to the CAM-Part. This CAM-Part will also be used in Exercise #2.All subsequent exercises will use an already created CAM-Part with Machine and Material Database defnitons.ThealreadycreatedCAM-PartshavebeensavedusingtheExternalmodeandhave compressed *.prz fle extensions.WhenyoustarttoprogramaCAM-Partusing iMachining,youhavetodecidewhatworkpiece youaregoingtouse.Thisdecisiondeterminesthe numberandthetypeofoperatonsthatareusedto reach the fnal part shape.Inthisexercise,theStockisdefnedbya3DModel sincethereisalreadyasolidbodyrepresentngthe stock material. DuringtheCAM-Partdefnitonprocess, youalsohavetodecideonwhattypeof CNC-Machineyouaregoingtouse(3-,4-or 5-Axis). In this exercise, a 3-Axis CNC-Machine ischosenforthemachining.WithaCNC-Machineofthistype,alltherequiredfaces ofthepartcanbemachinedusingasingle positoning.All subsequent exercises will also use a 3-Axis CNC-Machine.10The following steps have to be implemented to complete the CAM-Part defniton process:1.1 Load the SolidWorks modelActvate the fle Exercise_1.SLDPRT. If SolidWorks is not already opened, SolidWorks and the model will launch automatcally.This model contains two solid bodies: one represents the stock material and the other represents the Target model.1.2 Start SolidCAM and create the CAM-PartThe following video demonstrates the actvaton of SolidCAM and the creaton of a new milling CAM-Part. Also shown is the importance of preparing the CAM setngs for this course as well as using the New Milling Part dialog box. Click the play buton below...SolidCAM is started and the CAM-Part is created.Proceed to the next step: 1.3 Defne the CAM-Part2. CAM-Part Defniton11New Milling Part dialog boxThe New Milling Part dialog box enables you control over the creaton of a new CAM-Part.Create CAM-Part...ExternalWhenyouselectExternaltocreateanewCAM-Part,SolidCAM handles the saving of the CAM Project by building and working in an assembly. A copy of the original SolidWorks model is generated and all CAM data is stored outside the original *.SLDPRT fle.External is typical for CAM-Parts saved prior to 2013 and uses the *.prt or compressed *.prz fle extensions.InternalWhenyouselectInternaltocreateanewCAM-Part,SolidCAM manages the CAM Project with a single SolidWorks model fle, using a Part-only mode. All CAM data is stored inside the original *.SLDPRT fle.CAM-Part/ModelWhenyoucreateanewCAM-Part,youhavetoenteranameforthe CAM-Part and for the model that contains the CAM-Part geometry.CAM-Part nameEnteranamefortheCAM-Part.Youcangiveanynametoidentfy yourmachiningproject.Bydefault,SolidCAMusesthenameofthe designmodel.WhenyouselectInternaltocreateanewCAM-Part, SolidCAM also uses the name of the project type by default.12DirectoryWhenyouselectExternaltocreateanewCAM-Part,specifythe locaton of the CAM-Part. The default directory is the SolidCAM user directory (defned in the SolidCAM Setngs). You can enter the path or use the Browse buton to defne the locaton.TheUseModelfledirectoryoptonenablesyoutoautomatcally createCAM-PartsinthesamefolderwheretheoriginalCADmodel is located.DescriptonWhen you select Internal to create a new CAM-Part, a descripton can be provided to accompany the current CAM-Part.Model nameThisfeldshowsthenameandlocatonoftheSolidWorksdesign modelthatyouareusingfortheCAM-Partdefniton.Thenameis, bydefault,thenameoftheactveSolidWorksdocument.Withthe BrowsebutonyoucanchooseanyotherSolidWorksdocumentto defne the CAM-Part. In this case, the chosen SolidWorks document is loaded into SolidWorks.EverytmeanExternalCAM-Partisopened,SolidCAM automatcallychecksthecorrespondenceofthedates oftheCAM-PartandtheoriginalSolidWorksdesign model. When the date of the original SolidWorks model islaterthanthedateoftheCAM-Partcreaton,this meansthattheSolidWorksoriginalmodelhasbeen updated.YoucanthenreplacetheSolidWorksdesign model on which the CAM-Part is based with the updated SolidWorks design model.Existng CAM-PartsSeveral CAM-Parts can be created and saved within a single SolidWorks model fle. Upon creatng a new CAM-Part using the Internal mode, the current ones will be listed in the table. The table displays the CAM-Part name, CNC Controller and CAM-Part Descripton.EverytmeaSolidWorksmodelflewithseveralCAM-Parts is opened, SolidCAM will prompt you and ask which of the Existng CAM-Parts you would like to open.2. CAM-Part Defniton13UnitsWhen you select External to create a new CAM-Part, you have the opton to work in either Metric or Inch.When you select Internal to create a new CAM-Part, SolidCAM will always use the SolidWorks model units by default, and the ability to select either Metric or Inch is locked.1.3 Defne the CAM-PartThe following video demonstrates how to complete the frst stage of defning the CAM-Part (for SolidCAM). This includes selectng the CNC-Machine Controller (gMilling_Haas_SS_3x)anddefningtheMachineCoordinateSystem,StockmodelandTargetmodel. Click the play buton below...The frst stage of defning the CAM-Part is complete.Proceed to the next step: 1.4 Defne the iMachining DataCoordinate System defnitonTocompletetheCAM-Partdefinition,youneedtodefinethe Machine Coordinate System.The Machine Coordinate System defines the origin for all machining operationsoftheCAM-Part.Itcorrespondswiththebuilt-in controller functions.14You can defne the Coordinate System origin positon and axes orientaton byselectngmodelfaces,vertces,edges,orSolidWorksCoordinate Systems. The geometry for the machining can also be defned directly on the solid model.The Z-direction of the Machine Coordinate System is parallel to the revolution axis of the tool.InSolidCAM,thetoolapproachesfromthe positvedirectonoftheZ-Axis(likeona vertcal CNC-Machine). For3-AxisCNCmillingmachines,eachMachineCoordinateSystem meansseparateclamping.Ifyouneedtomachinethepartfrom diferentsides,useseveralMachineCoordinateSystemswith the Z-Axis oriented normally to the machined sides.XZ YCoordinateSystemZXCoordinateSystemYXZYMachineCoordinate SystemXZYCoordinateSystem2. CAM-Part Defniton15Inthisexercise,itisenoughto defneoneMachineCoordinate SystemwiththeZ-Axisoriented upwards.Suchcoordinatesystemenables youtomachinethepartwitha single clamping.CoordSys dialog boxTheCoordSysdialogboxenablesyoutodefnetheCoordinateSystem locaton and the orientaton of the axes.SolidCAMenablesyoutodefnetheCoordinateSystemusingthe following methods:Select faceThismethodenablesyoutodefneanew Coordinate System by selectng a face. The face canbeplanarorcylindrical/conical.Forplanar faces,SolidCAMdefnestheCoordinateSystem with the Z-Axis normal to that face. For cylindrical orconicalfaces,theZ-AxisoftheCoordinate Systemiscoincidentwiththeaxisofrevoluton of the specifed cylindrical/conical surface.DefneThismethodenablesyoutodefnethe CoordinateSystembyselectngpoints.You havetodefnetheoriginandthedirectonof the X- and Y-Axes.Select Coordinate SystemThismethodenablesyoutochoosetheSolidWorksCoordinateSystem defned in the design model fle as the Machine Coordinate System. The Machine Coordinate System origin and axes orientaton are the same as those of the original SolidWorks Coordinate System.CoordinateSystemXZ Y16Normal to current viewThisoptonenablesyoutodefnetheCoordinateSystemwiththe Z-Axisnormaltothemodelviewyouarefacingonyourscreen.The Machine Coordinate System origin will lie in the origin of the SolidWorks CoordinateSystem,andtheZ-Axiswillbedirectednormallytothe chosen view of the model.by 3 points (associatve)ThisoptonenablesyoutodefnetheCoordinateSystembyselectng any 3 points.CoordSys Data dialog boxTheCoordSysDatadialogboxenablesyoutodefnetheDefaultmachining levels such as the Tool start level, Clearance level, Part Upper level, Part Lower level and Tool Z-level.TheMachineCoordSysnumberdefnesthenumberoftheCoordinate SystemintheCNC-Machine.Thedefaultvalueis1.Ifyouuseanother number,theGCodeflecontainstheG-functonthatpromptsthe machinetousethespecifednumberstoredinthemachinecontroller of your machine.ThePositonfelddefnesthesequentalnumberoftheCoordinate System. For each Machine Coordinate System, several Positon values are defned for diferent positonings; each such Positon value is related to the Machine Coordinate System.XshowstheXvalueofthe Coordinate System.YshowstheYvalueofthe Coordinate System.ZshowstheZvalueofthe Coordinate System.2. CAM-Part Defniton17ThePlaneboxdefnesthedefaultworkplanefortheoperatonsusing thisCoordinateSystem,asitgetsoutputtotheGCodeprogram.Inthe SolidCAM CAM module, you must always work on the XY-plane. However, some CNC-Machines have diferent axes defnitons and require a GCode output with rotated XY-planes.Shif is the distance from the Machine Coordinate System to the locaton ofthePositonintheCoordinateSystemandtheorientatonofthe Machine Coordinate System.Rotaton around is the angle of rotaton around the main axes X, Y and Z.The Front and Rear tabs contain sets of facial machining levels describing the planes parallel to the XY-plane and located along the Z-Axis.The Front tab displays levels for milling from the positve Z-directon.The Rear tab displays levels for milling from the negatve Z-directon. The negatve Z-directon can be used in the case of milling the part from the back side with the same Coordinate System in the main spindle or in the case of using the back spindle.TheRadialtabcontainsasetofmachininglevelsdescribingthevirtual cylinders situated around the Z-Axis.These tabs contain the following parameters:TheToolstartleveldefnestheZ-levelatwhichthetoolstarts machining.The Clearance level is the Z-level to which the tool moves rapidly from one operaton to another (in case the tool does not change).ThePartUpperleveldefnestheheightoftheuppersurfaceofthe part to be milled.The Part Lower level defnes the lower surface level of the part to be milled.Rapid movements areaFeed movements areaPart UpperlevelPart LowerlevelTool startlevelClearancelevel18The Tool Z-level parameter defnes the height to which the tool moves beforetherotatonofthe4/5axestoavoidcollisionbetweenthe tool and the workpiece. This level is related to the Coordinate System positon and you have to check if it is not over the limit switch of the machine.It is highly recommended to send the tool to the reference point or to a point related to the reference point.TheCreateplanarsurfaceatPartLowerleveloptonenablesyouto generate a transparent planar surface at the minimal Z-level of the part, sothatitslowerlevelplaneisvisible.Thisplanarsurfaceprovidesyou thepossibilitytoselectpointsthatdonotlieonthemodelenttes.It issuppressedbydefaultandnotvisibleuntlyouunsuppressitinthe FeatureManager Design tree.Stock and Target model defnitonsTheStock&TargetmodelareaoftheMilling PartDatadialogboxenablesyoutostartthe Stock and Target model defnitons.Stock model defnitonSolidCAMenablesyoutodefnetheStockmodelusingthefollowing modes:BoxinthismodeSolidCAMwill automaticallydeterminethebox surroundingthemodel.Optionally, offsets from the model can be defined to expand the surrounding box.Extrudedboundarythismodeenables youtodefnethe2Dstockgeometryby selectng a chain of geometrical elements (lines, arcs, splines, edges, etc.).3D Model this mode enables you to defne the stock model via 3D model selecton.Cylinderthismodeenablesyoutodefnethestockmodelasa cylinder (or a tube) surrounding the selected solid model.STL fle this mode enables you to defne the stock model based on anSTLflethatexistsonyoursystem.Whenyouchoosethismode, the STL fle secton becomes available. By clicking the Browse buton, you can choose the STL fle for the stock defniton.2. CAM-Part Defniton19Target model defnitonSolidCAM enables you to defne the Target model, which is the fnal shape of the CAM-Part afer the machining. SolidCAM uses the Target model for gouge checking in the SolidVerify simulaton.Bydefault,whenyoucreateanewCAM-Part,stockandtargetmodelsaredefned automatcally.Ifyouhavenotchangedthe defaultsetngs,thesolidbodyishighlighted, andthetargetmodelisalreadychoseninthe Type secton.1.4 Defne the iMachining DataThefollowingvideosdemonstratehowtocompletethesecondstageofdefningthe CAM-Part (for iMachining). In the next two sub-steps, new Machine and Material fles are added to the iDatabase and the iMachining Data is defned.1.4.1 Add a new Machine Database flePart1includesaddinganewMachineDatabasefle(Haas_SS_New),defning themachineparametersandsetngtheMachineDefaultlevel.Clicktheplay buton below...A new Machine fle is added to the iDatabase.201.4.2 Add a new Material Database flePart2includesaddinganewMaterialDatabasefle(Titanium_Ti),fndingthe UltmateTensileStrengthanddefningthematerialparameters.Clicktheplay buton below...A new Material fle is added to the iDatabase, the iMachining Data is defned and the second stage of defning the CAM-Part is complete.iDatabase dialog boxTheiDatabasedialogboxenablesyoutomanageMachineandMaterial Database records in SolidCAM.Outside of creatng a new CAM-Part, click the SolidCAM feld in the SolidWorks main menu and choose iMachining Databasetoaddand/oreditMachineandMaterial Database records.2. CAM-Part Defniton21Machine DatabaseThe butons at the botom lef enable you to manage machine defnitons in the list.The New buton enables you to add new machine defnitons.TheDeletebutonenablesyoutodeleteexistngmachine defnitons from the list.TheSaveAsbutonenablesyoutosavethedefnedmachine defnitons under specifed names in specifed locatons.TheRevertbutonenablesyoutoreturnanyeditedparameters back to their default values.In the General area, there are three required values needed when defning a new Machine Database they are represented by the yellow felds and refect the machine parameters that are constant.SpindleSpeedMaxisthemaximumratedfrequencyatwhichthe spindle can rotate, measured in revolutons per minute (RPM).FeedRateMaxisthemaximumratedvelocityatwhichthecuteris advancedagainsttheworkpiece,measuredinunitsofdistanceper tme (MM/Min (Inch/Min)).Spindle Power Max is the maximum rated output power of the spindle, expressed in Kilowats (Kw (Horsepower (Hp)).22MachiningLevelisthedefaultlevelassignedtothemachine,which refectsthebasicmachinerigidityanditsstateofmaintenance.The assigneddefaultlevelisnottobeinfuencedbythespeed,poweror acceleraton capabilites of the machine.TheMachineDefaultLevelshouldonlyrefectthe machinestendencytodevelopvibratons.Anolder,ill-maintained, non-rigid machine should be assigned a very low default level: between 2 and 4. A brand new, rigidly constructedmachinecouldbeassignedaveryhigh default level: between 6 and 8.When selectng a Machine Database, the assigned MachiningLevelwillbethedefaultlevelforthe CAM Project.Afer selectng the Machine Database, it is possible tochooseadiferentdefaultmachininglevelfor apartcularCAMProjectbyusingthedrop-down under Machining Level in the iMachining Data area of the Milling Part Data dialog boxKeep in mind that you can change the level per operaton using the Machining level slider on the Technology Wizard page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box.2. CAM-Part Defniton23Material DatabaseThe butons at the botom lef enable you to manage material defnitons in the list.The New buton enables you to add new material defnitons.TheDeletebutonenablesyoutodeleteexistngmaterial defnitons from the list.TheSaveAsbutonenablesyoutosavethedefnedmaterial defnitons under specifed names in specifed locatons.The Import material buton enables you to import saved Material Database fles to the list from specifed locatons on your system.The Export material buton enables you to export saved Material Database fles from the list to specifed locatons on your system.TheRevertbutonenablesyoutoreturnanyeditedparameters back to their default values.In the Material Propertes area, there is one required value needed when defning a new Material Database it is represented by the yellow feld.Diferentmaterialsrequirediferentamountsofforcetocutthem. iMachiningusestheUltmateTensileStrength(UTS)asthephysical propertythatdeterminestheforceperunitarearequiredtocutthe material, measured in megapascal (MPa (pounds per square inch (psi)).24TheiMachiningTechnologyWizardistotallydependent onthecorrectUTSvaluetoproduceidealCutng conditons.The best way to fnd the correct UTS ratng of a specifc materialisbyusingwww.matweb.com,orsomesimilar online resource for acquiring material property data.Itisimportanttoknowtheexactspecifcatonofyour stockmaterialsoyoumayfndthecorrectUTSvalue.If there are many entries to choose from, always start with the highest UTS value. This is absolutely safe.It is common that the same materials are ofen made by many diferent manufacturers. Therefore, it should be expected that tolerances can exist between your material and its given UTS value. In turn, such tolerances make the material more or less machinable based on those diferences in its physical propertes.Afer machining your newly supplied material for the frst tme, you may discover that it can be cut faster than the MachininglevelsliderorTurboModepermits.Inmost cases,thismeansthatyourmaterialislesshardthan specifed by your property data resource.The Machinability factor enables you to alter the hardness of a material without changing its given UTS value.MovingthesliderinthepositvedirectoninformsiMachiningthat yourmaterialislesshardthanindicatedbyitsUTSvalueandismore machinablebythespecifedpercentage.Accordingly,theTechnology Wizard will output more aggressive Cutng conditons by default.2. CAM-Part Defniton25The defniton of the CAM-Part is complete. Afer confrming the Milling Part Data dialog box, the SolidCAM Manager is displayed.SolidCAM ManagerTheSolidCAMManagertreeisthemaininterfacefeatureofSolidCAM that displays complete informaton about the CAM-Part.The SolidCAM Manager tree contains the following elements:CAM-Part headerThisheaderdisplaysthenameofthecurrentCAM-Part.Byright-clicking it, you can display the menu to manage your CAM-Parts.TheMachinesubheaderislocatedundertheCAM-Partheader. Double-clickthissubheadertoreviewyourmachineconfguraton and parameters.TheCoordSysManagersubheaderislocatedundertheCAM-Part header. Double-click this subheader to display the CoordSys Manager dialog box that enables you to manage your Coordinate Systems.SolidCAMManagerCAM-Part headeriMachining OperaonsTool headerMachining ProcessheaderGeometries headerOperaons headerFixtures header}26TheStockandTargetsubheadersarelocatedundertheCAM-Part header. Double-click these subheaders to load the Stock model/Target modeldialogboxesthatenableyoutochangethedefnitonofthe Stock/Target models.TheSetngssubheaderisalsolocatedundertheCAM-Partheader. Double-click this subheader to load the Part Setngs dialog box that enables you to edit the setngs defned for the current CAM-Part.Tool headerThisheaderdisplaysthenameofthecurrentToolLibrary.Double-click this header to display the Part Tool Table, which is the list of tools available to use in the current CAM-Part.Machining Process headerThis header displays the name of the current Machining Process table.Geometries headerThisheaderdisplaysallSolidCAMgeometriesthatarenotusedin the operatons, if any.Fixtures headerThisheaderdisplaysavailablefxtures.Byright-clickingit,youcan display the menu to defne and manage your fxtures.Operatons headerThis header displays all SolidCAM operatons defned for the current CAM-Part.iMachiningcannowbeusedtodefnehowyouwanttomachine.Thenextexercisewilluse this CAM-Part.iMachining 2DOperations328SolidCAMiMachiningisanintelligentHighSpeedMachiningstrategy, designedtoproducefastandsafeCNCprogramstomachineyour mechanical parts. iMachining operatons increase productvity and save you programming tme due to the knowledge-based Technology Wizard. With its Morphing Spiral tool paths, proprietary topology analysis algorithms and controlledtoolload,iMachiningprovideshighermaterialremovalrates (MRR), beter tool life and shorter cycle tmes.InSolidCAM,aniMachining2Doperatonisasinglemachiningstep,butasingleoperatoncan perform the machining of several geometries, provided they exist on the same Z-level. For geometries ofdiferentdepths,youcandefneaseparateiMachining2Doperaton.Thefunctonalityofan operaton depends on the specifed Technology (i.e., iRough (roughing), iRest (rest machining) and iFinish(fnishing)).EachTechnologyofersadiferentrangeoftoolpathoptmizatonstrategiesto defnehowyouwanttomachine.EveryiMachiningoperatonfollowsthesameworkfowandis defned by a number of parameters.The frst step of defniton for an iMachining operaton is the Geometry selecton. The Geometry prompts iMachining what and where you want to machine.The Geometry in iMachining 2D is defned as a pocket that can be opened, closed and/or semi-closed (containing open edges). The pocket can contain internal chains treated as islands or used for safe tool entry. The Geometry defniton process consists of chain picking. Geometry chains are defned by selectng the following enttes: edges of models, 2D curves, circles, lines and splines. Each chain is composed of one or more enttes and defnes an open, closed or semi-closed contour.3. iMachining 2D Operatons29Below are some general examples of iMachining 2D Geometry defnitons and the tool pathtechniquesusedonthediferentgeometries.Whendefningseveralchainsina single operaton, note that the chain selecton order is important.Closed pocketThe Geometry is defned as a single closed chainonthepocketcontour.iMachining usesthehelicaldatafromtheoperaton toenterintothepocketfollowedbya morphing spiral to the outer edges.Closed pocket with island(s)The Geometry is defned as several closed chains: the frst chain is the pocket contour andtheremainingone(s)istheinternal chainonislandcontour.iMachininguses thehelicaldatafromtheoperatonto enter into the pocket followed by a moat to separate the island(s) from the remaining material,whereamorphingspiralcan then be formed.Closed pocket with entry geometryLikethepreviousexample,theGeometry is defned as several closed chains: the frst chain is the pocket contour, the second is theinternalentrychainmarkedasopen. Thisopeninternalchainisconsidereda precutareaalreadymachinedpriorto this operaton. The tool plunges inside the open area and a morphing spiral is formed to the outer walls of the pocket.To mark a chain as open, right-click its name in the Chain List secton of the Geometry Edit dialog box and choose Mark chain as open.30Closed pocket with island(s) and entry holeLike the previous examples, the Geometry isdefnedasseveralclosedchains:the frstchainisthepocketcontourandthe remainingonesaretheinternalchains onislandcontoursaswellasentryhole marked as open. The hole was drilled prior to this operaton. The tool feeds down into the hole, both islands are separated and a fnal morphing spiral is formed.Note that if the pocket has a fat botom, the hole should have a fat botom also.AProfleoperatoncanbeusedtoremovethedrillpointfromthe botom of the hole before using iMachining.Open pocketThe Geometry is defned as a single chain onthepocketcontourandismarked asopen.Thetoolapproachesfromthe outsideandstartsmachiningfromthis chain. It clears all the material by collapsing inwardly to the central point of the pocket with a morphing spiral.Open pocket with island(s)The Geometry is defned as several chains: thefrstchainisthepocketcontour (marked as open) and the remaining one(s) is the internal chain on island contour. The toolapproachesfromtheoutsideand collapsesinwardlyontheislandwitha morphing spiral.3. iMachining 2D Operatons31Pocket with open edge(s) and island(s)The Geometry is defned as several chains: the frst chain is the pocket contour (with edges marked as open) and the remaining one(s)aretheinternalchainsonisland contours.Thetoolapproachesand entersthroughoneoftheopenedges.It separates the island(s) when encountered so a morphing spiral tool path can then be formed.To mark an edge as open, right-click the chain name in the Chain List secton of the Geometry Edit dialog box and choose Mark open edges.ToviewtheillustratedCAM-PartwithmanymoregeneralexamplesofiMachining2D Geometry defnitons and the tool path techniques, actvate the fle GEOMETRIES.prz.32Exercise #2: iRough TechnologyInthisexercise,youusethesameCAM-Partdefned inExercise#1.Thepurposeofthisexerciseistogetyou started using iMachining 2D in SolidCAM. Using the default iRough Technology, you have to defne three iMachining 2D operatons to perform the rough machining of the outside contour, center pocket and pocket ledge.DuringthedefnitonprocessofaniMachiningOperaton, youhavetodefnethemachiningGeometry,Tool,milling Levels,aswellasseveraltechnologicalparametersusing the Technology Wizard, Technology and Link pages.The following steps have to be implemented in order to reach the fnal CAM-Part:2.1 The SolidWorks model with CAM-Part data is openIf the Internal CAM-Part created in Exercise #1 is not open, actvate the previously saved fle Exercise_1.SLDPRT. If SolidWorks is not already opened, SolidWorks, SolidCAM and the model with CAM-Part data will launch automatcally.The SolidWorks model with CAM-Part data is loaded.3. iMachining 2D Operatons332.2 Add an iMachining 2D operaton to the CAM-Part...The following video demonstrates how to add an iMachining 2D operaton to the CAM-Part.TheiMachiningOperatondialogboxisdisplayedandtheworkfowinSolidCAM isexplainedindetail.Inthenextfoursub-steps,theroughmachiningoftheoutside contour is defned. Click the play buton below...An iMachining 2D operaton is added to the CAM-PartandtheiMachiningOperaton dialog box is displayed.Proceed to the next sub-step: 2.2.1 Defne the GeometryiMachining Operaton dialog boxEvery iMachining Operaton is defned by a number of parameters:34Geometry this page enables you to defne the machining geometry for the operaton.Toolthispageenablesyoutodefnethetoolanditsrelated parameters for the operaton.Levelsthispageenablesyoutodefnethemillinglevelsforthe operaton.TechnologyWizardthisWizardautomatcallycalculates16sets ofCutngconditonscombinatonsfortheiMachiningtechnology, takingintoaccountthetooldataandmillinglevelsdefnedforthe operaton.Technologythispageenablesyoutodefneseveraltechnological parameters such as ofsets and roughing, rest machining or fnishing data.Link this page enables you to defne the approach and retreat of the tool and linking between tool paths. By default, iMachining calculates the best method to enter and exit the cut for a partcular operaton.2.2.1 Defne the GeometryThe frst step of defniton for an iMachining operaton is the geometry selecton. Themachininggeometryfortheoutsidecontourisdefnedasanopenpocket with island. Click the play buton below...The Geometry is defned.Proceed to the next sub-step: 2.2.2 Defne the Tool3. iMachining 2D Operatons35Geometry Edit dialog boxTo start the Geometry defniton, click the New buton on the Geometry page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box.TheGeometryEditdialogboxenablesyoutoadd and/or edit geometry chains. When this dialog box is displayed, you can select solid model enttes for the Geometry defniton.Chain selecton optonsYoucandefnethegeometrybyselectngedges, sketchsegmentsandpointsonthecontour.The following optons are available:CurveThisoptonenablesyoutocreateachainof existng curves and edges by selectng them one afer the other.Associatvity:SolidCAMkeepstheassociatvitytoanyedgeorsketch entty.Anychangemadetothemodelorsketchautomatcallyupdates the selected geometry.Curve + Close cornersThisoptonenablesyoutoclosethegapsbetweensuccessivechain enttesirrespectveoftheGapminimumandGapmaximumvalues (defned in the Units secton of SolidCAM Setngs) by virtually extending the enttes up to their intersecton.36Splinesandarcsareextendedbylines tangental to the arc/spline at its end point.Associatvity:Whenthemodelusedforthegeometrydefnitonis modifed,SolidCAMenablesyoutosynchronizethegeometrywiththe updatedmodel.Duringthesynchronizaton,SolidCAMdeterminesgap areas created using the Curve + Close Corners opton and regenerates the extension of the chain elements so as to close the gaps.LoopThis opton enables you to select a loop by picking one of the model edges.1.Pickanedgesharedbytwomodelfaces.Twofacesto which this edge belongs are determined, and their loops arehighlighted.Thefrstdeterminedloopisconsidered tobetheprimaryandishighlightedwithyellowcolor. The second loop is considered to be the secondary and is highlighted with blue color.2.Choose one of the loops. Click on any other edge forming theface.Youarepromptedtoacceptthechainthatis now highlighted with yellow color. Accept the chain with theYesbuton.Aclosedgeometrychainisdefnedon this loop, and the secondary loop is rejected.Loop #2Loop #13. iMachining 2D Operatons37Associatvity:SolidCAMkeepstheassociatvitytoanyedgeorsketch entty.Anychangemadetothemodelorsketchautomatcallyupdates the selected geometry.Point to pointThisoptonenablesyoutoconnectspecifedpoints;thepointsare connected by a straight line.Associatvity:SolidCAMdoesnotkeeptheassociatvitytoanyselected point. SolidCAM saves the X-, Y- and Z-coordinates of the selected points. Any change made to the model or sketch does not update the selected geometry.Youcannotselectapointthatisnotlocatedona SolidWorks entty (if you need to select such a point, add aplanarsurfaceunderthemodelandselectthepoints on that surface).ThefollowingrulesapplytothevirtuallineselectonusingthePointto point opton:When you select a virtual line between two edges, the line behaves asaspring.Wheneverthemodelischangedandsynchronized,the geometry is updated with the model.Whenyouselectasequenceofseveralvirtuallines,onlythepoints connectedtomodeledgesorsketchelementsareupdated,butall other points stay fxed at the defned X-, Y- and Z-positons.38Arc by pointsThisoptonenablesyoutocreateachainsegmentonanarcupto a specifc point on the arc.Associatvity:SolidCAMdoesnotkeeptheassociatvitytoanyselected arcs by points. SolidCAM saves the X-, Y- and Z-coordinates of the selected points.Anychangemadetothemodelorsketchdoesnotupdatethe selected geometry.Automatc selecton optonsSolidCAMautomatcallydeterminesthechain enttesandclosesthechaincontour.TheAuto select mode ofers the following optons:Auto-toThechainisselectedbyspecifyingthestart curve, the directon of the chain and the element uptowhichthechainiscreated.SolidCAM enablesyoutochooseanymodeledge,vertex or sketch entty to determine the chain end.When the end item is chosen, SolidCAM determines the chain according to the rules of the chosen selecton mode (Auto-general, Auto-constant Z or Auto-Delta Z). The chain selecton is terminated when the selected end item is reached.First pointSecond pointThird pointStart entySelected chainEnd enty3. iMachining 2D Operatons39Ifthechosenenditemcannotbereachedbythechainfow,thechain defnitonisterminatedwhenthestartchainsegmentisreached.The chain is automatcally closed.The confrmaton message is displayed.The Auto-to opton is useful if you do not want to defne a closed chain, but an open chain up to a certain element.Auto-generalSolidCAMhighlightsalltheentitiesthatareconnectedtothelast chainentity.Youhavetoselecttheentityalongwhichyouwantthe chain to continue.Start enty Selected chainEnd enty40Auto-constant ZThisoptonidentfesonlytheenttesfoundonthesameXY-plane with the previously selected chain entty. You are prompted to identfy thenextchainelementwhentwoenttesonthesameZ-levelare connected to the chain. The system tolerance for this opton can be set in SolidCAM Setngs.Auto-Delta ZWhenyouselectthisopton,youarerequiredtoenterapositveand negatve Z-deviaton into the Delta-Z dialog box. Only enttes in this range are identfed as the next possible entty of the chain.InSolidCAM,theredarrowwouldgenerallyindicate machiningdirectonfortypicalprofleandpockettype operatons.However, no mater the directon of the geometry chain, iMachining will generate Morphing Spiral tool paths that always perform climb cutng.Tool revoluondireconTool movementdireconGeometrydirecon3. iMachining 2D Operatons41Managing chainsAllselectedchainsaredisplayedinthe Chain List area of the Geometry Edit dialog box.Toeditachain,right-clickitsentry andchoosetheappropriatecommand from the menu.Thefollowingcommandsareused throughout this training course:Mark chain as openThis opton enables you to defne a geometry chain as open. When you mark a chain as open, the contour is painted black.Whenanouterchainismarkedasopen,iMachiningisinformedto approachfromtheoutsidecontourandspiralinwardlytosomecentral point or inner contour of an island.When an internal chain is marked as open, iMachining is informed to use thegeometryforsafetoolentryandspiraloutwardlytothewallsofa pocket contour.Note that the chain selecton order is important.2ClosedOpen42Mark open edgesThisoptonenablesyoutodefnepartsofa geometry chain as open or closed.When selected, the Mark Open Edges dialog box is displayed and enables you to pick the open or closed enttes on the already selected geometry chain.Whenyoumarkanedgeasopen,theenttyis painted black.Mark asThis secton ofers you the following selecton modes:Openpickinganenttywiththismodeselectedmarksitas open.Wallpickinganenttywiththismodeselectedmarksitas closed.Toggle with this mode selected, picking a closed edge marks it as open and picking an open edge marks it as closed.SelectThis secton ofers you the following selecton methods:Single entty this method enables you to pick one entty at a tme to mark it as open/closed.From/Toenttesthismethodenablesyoutomarkachain segment as open/closed by picking the start and end enttes.CAD selectonThis buton enables you to perform the selecton using the CAD tools.Open edge1Closed edges3. iMachining 2D Operatons432.2.2 Defne the ToolThe second step of defniton for an iMachining operaton is the tool selecton. An end mill of 12.5 mm (0.5 in) is defned and added to the Part Tool Table. Click the play buton below...The Tool is defned.Proceed to the next sub-step: 2.2.3 Defne the LevelsChoosing tool for operaton dialog boxTostarttheTooldefniton,clicktheSelectbutonontheTool page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box.The Choosing tool for operaton dialog box enables you to manage the tools contained in the Part Tool Table.44ThePartToolTablecontainsalltoolsavailableforusetomachine a specifc CAM-Part. The Part Tool Table is stored within the CAM-Part.End Mill/Bull Nose MillThroughoutthistrainingcourse,thesetooltypesareusedforthe defniton of rough/rest/fnish mills. The tool shapes and basic parameters are shown below:Ball Nose MillCurrently,ballnosemillsaretechnicallynotsupportedwhenusing iMachining.Positoningthroughcusps(lefovermaterial)onfoorcan occur. By default, the selecton of ball nose mills is disabled.OutsideholderCuttingLengthArbor DiameterDiameterTotalLengthShoulderLengthOutsideHolderCutting Length Edge RadiusArbor DiameterDiameterTotal LengthShoulderLengthOutsideHolderCutting LengthEdge RadiusArbor DiameterDiameterTotalLengthShoulderLength3. iMachining 2D Operatons452.2.3 Defne the LevelsThethirdstepofdefnitonforaniMachiningoperatonistheselectonofthe millinglevels.TheUpperlevelandPocketdeptharepickedofthemodelanda Delta depth is defned to perform machining deeper than the part botom edge. Click the play buton below...The Levels are defned.Proceed to the next sub-step: 2.2.4 Defne the technological parametersLevels pageTheLevelspageoftheiMachiningOperatondialogboxenablesyouto specify the Z-levels at which the tool movements are executed.46Positoning levelsThedefaultinputvaluesofthePositoninglevelsparametersarethe CAM-Part values that were specifed in the CoordSys Data dialog box.Start levelThisvalueisequaltotheClearancelevelvalueoftheCoordinate System chosen for the operaton.Clearance levelThis value defnes the Z-level to which the tool retracts when it moves from one cut to another.Safety distanceThisvaluedefnesthedistancetotheUpperlevelatwhichthetool startsmovingattheZfeedratecalculatedforthetool.Movements from the Clearance level to this height are performed in rapid mode.Milling levelsSolidCAM enables you to defne the Milling levels using the solid model data.Upper levelThis parameter defnes the Z-level at which the machining starts.Pocket depthThis parameter defnes the Z-level below which the tool does not mill.When the Milling levels felds are painted red, the values areassociatvetothepickedenttes;andifthemodel changes, these associatve values will also change.DeltaThisparameterdefnestheofsettocontroldepthsevenfarther.In this exercise, the Delta depth value is used to ofset Pocket depth and perform machining deeper than the part botom edge.The directon of the Delta depth measurement is represented by the blue or red arrows next to the input feld text box, with a corresponding positve (+) or negatve (-) symbol.3. iMachining 2D Operatons472.2.4 Defne the technological parametersThe last step of defniton for an iMachining operaton includes the technological parameters. For this operaton, the default selectons on the Technology Wizard, Technology and Link pages are used. Click the play buton below...ThedefnitonofthefrstiMachiningoperatoniscompleteandtherough machining of the outside contour is defned.Proceed to the next step: 2.3 Defne the rough machining of the center pocketTechnology Wizard page48TheTechnologyWizardisanalgorithmforproducingon-the-fyCutng conditons for the current iMachining operaton.Step downBy default, the Wizard uses Automatc to calculate the optmal Step down values.Machining levelBy default, the Wizard sets the aggressiveness according to the Machine Default Level assigned to the CNC-Machine in Exercise #1.Output Cutng DataThissectondisplaystwosetsofdatarelatedtothecurrentCutng conditons(thespinandfeedrateofthetool,thestepoverrange,the material cutng speed, etc.)TheTechnologyWizardiscoveredingreaterdetailin Exercise #3.Technology pageThe Technology page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box enables you to defne the technological parameters for the operaton.Step down and Cutng anglesThesevaluesareautomatcallygeneratedbytheWizardbasedonthe current Cutng conditons.3. iMachining 2D Operatons49OfsetsThe default input value of the Wall / island ofset parameter is 0.24 mm (0.01 in) for iRough.Ofsets are typically removed by a rest machining and/or fnishing operaton. iRest and iFinish are covered later in Exercise #4.Link pageThe Link page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box enables you to defne the parameters of the tool approach and retreat relatve to Helical Entry and repositoning moves.Helical EntryIn some cases, like this partcular geometry where the tool will approach from the outer chain, Helical Entry does not apply. iMachining will enter and exit the cut where it calculates best.Inothercases,likeaclosedpocketgeometry,thetoolwillperforma Helical Entry into the pocket at a default Ramping angle calculated by the Wizard according to the Machining level aggressiveness.Helical Entry is covered in greater detail in Exercise #5.502.3 Defne the rough machining of the center pocketThefollowingvideodemonstratesdefningtheroughmachiningofthecenterpocket. Thegeometryisdefnedasaclosedpocketandanendmillof9.5mm(0.375in)is defnedfortheoperaton.Themillinglevelsarepickedofthemodelandthedefault technological parameters are used. Click the play buton below...The rough machining of the center pocket is defned.2.4 Defne the rough machining of the pocket ledgeThefollowingvideodemonstratesdefningtheroughmachiningofthepocketledge. The geometry is defned as a semi-open pocket and the 9.5 mm (0.375 in) end mill is selected for the operaton. The milling levels are picked of the model and the default technological parameters are used. Click the play buton below...The rough machining of the pocket ledge is defned and the CAM-Part is fully programmed for roughing with iMachining 2D.3. iMachining 2D Operatons512.5 Simulate the iMachining tool pathThefollowingvideodemonstrateshowtoSolidVerifytheCAMProjectbeforeitruns on the CNC-Machine. Completng this step also includes general uses of the SolidCAM Simulaton control panel. Click the play buton below...Using several SolidCAM Simulaton methods, the iMachining tool path is simulated for the entre CAM Project.Proceed to the next step: 2.6 Generate GCode and close the CAM-PartSimulaton control panelTheSolidCAMSimulatoncontrolpanelenablesyoutocheckandviewthe generated Morphing Spiral tool paths afer you have defned and calculated your iMachining operatons.There are two modes of Simulaton used throughout this training course:Host CADThisisthedefaultmodethatenablesyouto display the wireframe tool path directly on the model in the SolidWorks window. Since all the View optons of SolidWorks are actve during thesimulaton,youcanseetheiMachining toolpathfromdiferentperspectvesand zoom in on any certain area of the model.52SolidVerifyThismodeenablesmachiningsimulaton onthesolidmodel.Thesolidstockmodel isusedinthismode.Duringthemachining simulatonprocess,SolidCAMsubtracts thetoolmovements(usingsolidBoolean operatons) from the solid model of the stock. The remaining machined stock is a solid model that can be dynamically zoomed or rotated. It can also be compared to the target model in order to show the rest material.InSolidCAM2013,SolidVerifcatonoftheiMachining tool path is also available in the Host CAD mode.FormoreinformatonregardingtheSimulatoncontrol panel, refer to the SolidCAM Milling Help.2.6 Generate GCode and close the CAM-PartThe following video demonstrates how to generate GCode for the completed CAM-Part for use on a 3-Axis Haas SS. Click the play buton below...GCode is generated and the completed CAM-Part is closed.3. iMachining 2D Operatons53GCodeThis command enables you to generate and display the GCode fle(s) for the CAM-Part. The GCode fle(s) can then be transferred to your CNC-Machine.TheGCodeformatdependsontheControllerselectonintheMillingPart Datadialogbox.Formoreinformatononpost-processorcustomizaton, contact SolidCAM technical support.GenerateThisoptongeneratestheGCodefle(s)foreitheralloperatonsofthe CAM-Part,asingleoperatonorgroupofoperatons.Thegenerated GCode is displayed using the text editor defned in the GCode page of the SolidCAM Setngs dialog box.Ifanychangesaremadeinanoperatonorthepost-processor fles, you have to generate the GCode again.GCode AllThis command is available when you right-click the Operatons header in the SolidCAM Manager.One GCode fle is generated unless you have separated an operaton or group of operatons using Split commands.GCodeGeneratng GCode for a single operaton or group of operatons:1.IntheSolidCAMManager,clickasingleoperatonor group of operatons using the mouse in combinaton with the Shif or Ctrl key. Right-click and choose Generate from the GCode menu.2.TheGCodeFileName dialogboxpromptsyou toenteraFilenamefor the GCode fle.FormoreinformatonregardingGCode,refertothe SolidCAM Milling Help.Congratulatons! You have successfully completed the iMachining exercise.54Exercise #3: Tool Defniton and the Technology WizardAmillingCAM-Partisalreadycreatedforthisexercise. TheCNC-MachineController,CoordinateSystem,Stock modelandTargetmodelaredefned.Themachineand work material defnitons for the iMachining Data are also selected.In this exercise, you have to defne a tool suitable for the CAM Project along with its important parameters related toiMachining.TheTooldefnitonafectstheCutng conditons generated by the Technology Wizard.Using the default iRough Technology, you have to defne several iMachining 2D operatons to perform theroughmachiningoftheCAM-Part.SpecifeddepthsareusedtoillustratehowtheCutng conditons are automatcally calculated based on the tool informaton and milling levels defned for each operaton.The following steps have to be implemented in order to reach the fnal CAM-Part:3.1 Load the CAM-PartActvatetheCAM-PartfleEXERCISE_3.prz.IfSolidWorksisnotalreadyopened, SolidWorks, SolidCAM and the CAM-Part will launch automatcally.The CAM-Part is loaded.3. iMachining 2D Operatons553.2 Defne the Tool for the CAM ProjectThe following video demonstrates how to defne a tool suitable for the CAM Project, and the important parameters relatve to iMachining are explained in detail. All iMachining operatons in this exercise will use the same tool. Click the play buton below...The Tool is defned for the CAM Project.Proceed to the next step: 3.3 Defne the rough machining of the outside contourPart Tool Table dialog boxThe Part Tool Table dialog box enables you to manage the tools contained in the Part Tool Table.There are important tool parameters related to iMachining that exist on the Topology and iData pages of the Part Tool Table dialog box.56Topology pageTherearethreeimportantparametersthatafecttheCutngconditons generated by the Technology Wizard:DiameterThis parameter defnes the cutng diameter of the tool.Cutng lengthThisparameterdefnesthelengthofthecutngpartofthetool.The Wizard uses the Cutng length to calculate if multple steps are needed to achieve the pocket depth.Number of futesThisparameterdefnesthenumberofteethofthetool.Thisvalueis usedwhencalculatngthefeedintheFeedratetypeFZ.IniMachining, inputngthecorrectNumberoffuteswillensurethattheproperchip size is provided to each fute. Changing this value will change the Cutng conditons (usually just the feed).WhenusingiMachining,youmayfndthatmatchinga tool with a specifc machining situaton will give you more desirable Cutng conditons provided by the Wizard.iData pageThispageenablesyou todefnethedefaulttool parametersevenmore specifctoiMachiningthat areusedbytheTechnology Wizard.3. iMachining 2D Operatons57Material DatabaseTheMaterialDatabasedefnitonisautomatcallyselectedusingthe CAM-Part default, which is the work material defned in the iMachining Data area of the Milling Part Data dialog box.Thislistenablesyoutodefneadiferentworkmaterialforeachtool. Selectngadiferentworkmaterialdefnitonistypicallyusedwhen machining diferent materials in one CAM Project (e.g., the CAM-Part and a fxture).Tool MaterialThislistenablesyoutoselectagiventypeofmaterialfromwhichthe toolismade.TheToolMaterialselectonafectstheCutngSpeed adjustments generated by the Wizard. The following optons are available for selecton:Carbide at 100% (default selecton)Cobalt at 60%HSS at 40%Premium Carbide at 150%Ifnecessary,anoverridecheckboxisprovidedtomanuallyseta percentage adjustment.Machining LevelTheDefaultlevelisautomatcallyselectedusingtheCAM-Partdefault, which is the Machine Default Level assigned to the Machine Database fle in the iDatabase dialog box.ThisoptonenablesyoutoassignaDefaultlevelforeachtool.When choosingatoolfromthePartToolTable,theselectedDefaultlevelwill positontheslidertothatlevelontheTechnologyWizardpageofthe iMachining Operaton dialog box.Topology / Helical AngleThis parameter is especially important for calculatng depths based on Axial Contact Points (ACPs).This list enables you to select the Helical Angle of the futes of the tool.HelicalAngle58There are fve typical tool helix angles available for selecton:0 (Straight)30 (Standard)35 (Standard)45 (Medium) (default selecton)60 (High)If necessary, a value can also be entered manually.ChangingtheHelicalAngleparameteronlychangestheACPindicaton on the Technology Wizard page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box.Whencutng,keepinmindthatthehelixanglehasa strongefectontheDownwardsForceonthetool,and should be monitored. If ignored, it can result in the tool being pulled out of its holder.3.3 Defne the rough machining of the outside contourThe following video demonstrates adding an iMachining 2D operaton to the CAM-Part anddefningtheroughmachiningoftheoutsidecontour.TheWizardautomatcally calculatesanACPvalueof2.0basedonthetoolinformatonand30mm(1.2in) totaldepth.AxialContactPoints(ACPs)arealsoexplainedindetail.Clicktheplay buton below...The rough machining of the outside contour is defined.Proceed to the next sub-step: 3.3.1 The Technology Wizard3. iMachining 2D Operatons59Axial Contact Points (ACPs)TheACPvalueiscalculatedanddisplayedbytheTechnologyWizardinthe Step down secton. It refects the number of contact points the tool has with the vertcal wall it is producing, along a vertcal line.According to iMachining theory, the closer the ACP value istoawholenumber,thelesslikelyitisthatvibratons will develop.The Wizard will alert you whether or not the current situaton for stability is good based on the ACP value and the color of the Step down row. The output grid changes color to indicate the current situaton:Green = GoodYellow = Not so good Medium likelihood of vibratonsRed = Bad High likelihood of vibratonsTool cross-seconACPs60There is a 20% tolerance on any ACP over 1.0 and tothenearestwholenumber(e.g.,1.1,1.2,1.8, 1.9, 2.1, 2.2).Currently,theACPindicatonbyitselfhasno efect on the Cutng conditons generated by the Technology Wizard.The ACP indicaton should be used as a guide. Achieving goodACPswillhelpyouavoidvibratons.Changingthe Tool, Step down or reducing the Machining level can help you achieve good ACPs and avoid vibratons.Avoiding vibratons with iMachiningReactonofcutngforceistransmitedtothetoolandfromtheretothe machine.Ifthemachineandset-uparenotrigidenough,vibratonswill develop. If you keep increasing feed and spindle rotaton speed, eventually the reacton becomes vibraton.Sometmes,thevibratonmakesresonancewiththemachinenatural frequency, and the vibraton becomes stronger.Resonance in MillingTheamplitudeofvibratonsincreasesasthedrivingfrequency approachestheresonantfrequencyofthemachine.Thedriving frequencyisthatofthefutesofthetoolenteringthematerial.An endmillwith4futesrotatngat600RPM,entersthematerial2400 tmes a minute, which translates to a driving frequency of 40 (2400/60) oscillatons per second (Hz).65432100.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0AmplitudeFrequency Ratio3. iMachining 2D Operatons61Ifthenaturalfrequencyofthemachineisaround40Hz,theabove milling acton will cause the machine to resonate, and the result will be strong vibratons.Insuchasituatonofresonance,itispossibletoavoid theresonancefrequencyrangebyreducingthe Machininglevel.Increasingthedepthofcutmayalso help.Sometmes,increasingtheMachininglevelisalso an opton.3.3.1 The Technology WizardThefollowingvideodemonstrateshowtousetheTechnologyWizardingreater detail. Click the play buton below...The defniton of the frst iMachining operaton is complete.Proceed to the next step: 3.4 Defne the rough machining of the recessed pocketTechnology WizardTheTechnologyWizardisanalgorithmforproducingon-the-fyCutng conditons for the current iMachining Operaton.62The Technology Wizard page of the iMachining Operaton dialog box is made up of four sectons: Step down, Machining level, Output Cutng Data and the dynamic 3D preview window.Step downTheStepdownsectonconsistsofinputoptonsandtheoutputgrid. There are two radio butons for selectng the way the Wizard calculates the depths:Input optonsAutomatcthisoptonisthedefaultselectonandprovides stepdownsbasedonthetoolinformatonandPocketdepth defned for the operaton.User-defned this opton enables you to manually choose the methodusedforcalculatngStepdown.Whenselected,the User-defneddrop-downmenuappearsandenablesyouto choose one of the following methods:1.No.stepsthetotaldepthisdividedupbythevalue entered in the input feld text box.3. iMachining 2D Operatons632.Step down the value entered in the input feld text box isusedforthedepthofeachStepdownuntlthetotal depth is achieved.Output gridThe output grid has three columns:No. stepsStep downACPRowsarecreatedforeachStepdownvalue that is not the same.Machining level sliderThe Machining level secton consists of a slider that enables you to select from calculated sets of Cutng conditons.Thesliderismadeupof8levelseachlevelprovidesyouwiththe meanstoconvenientlyandintuitvelycontroltheMaterialRemoval Rate(MRR).MovingthesliderupincreasesMRRandmachining aggressiveness.There are many factors in machining that can make one setofCutngconditonsbeterthananother.Someof these factors include fxture stability, cutng tool quality and stability, and/or risks associated with the forces from higher MRR. The Machining level slider provides you with an adjustment for all these factors.64Output Cutng DataThe Output Cutng Data secton displays two sets of data related to the current Cutng conditons.View 1 shows:Spindle speed (rpm)Feed rate (mm/min)Step over (max)Step over (min)View 2 shows:V Cutng speed (m/min)CT (chip thickness)Cutng Angle (max)Cutng Angle (min)TheOutputCutngDatashouldbemonitoredwhileusingthe Machining level slider to choose a set of Cutng conditons.Dynamic 3D preview windowThedynamic3Dpreviewwindowshowsa3Drepresentatonofthe selected Cutng conditons. The 3D view shows:Tool DiameterTool Total lengthTool Cutng lengthStep downStep overAggressivenessIf there are multple steps with diferent depths, the largest Step down from the output grid is used, since it is typically the most aggressive Step down and should be monitored.3. iMachining 2D Operatons65Step over is represented by the red secton in front of the tool. Levels 1 5 contain diferent Step over values, and the remaining levels have a consistent Step over.The aggressiveness is represented by the chips behind the tool. The 3Dchipschangecolor,quanttyandsizetoshowthatmovingupin Machining levels produces more, thicker chips with greater heat.AstheMachininglevelsliderisusedtochooseasetof Cutngconditons,the3Dviewupdates.Italsoshows howthechipsshouldbeevacuatngthecutngarea under good conditons.3.4 Defne the rough machining of the recessed pocketThe following video demonstrates defning the rough machining of the recessed pocket. The Wizard automatcally calculates an ACP value of 0.7 based on the tool informaton and 5 mm (0.2 in) total depth. Click the play buton below...The rough machining of the recessed pocket is defned.663.5 Defne the rough machining of the recessed holeThefollowingvideodemonstratesdefningtheroughmachiningoftherecessedhole. The Wizard automatcally calculates an ACP value of 1.7 based on the tool informaton and 13 mm (0.52 in) total depth. Click the play buton below...The rough machining of the recessed hole is defned.3.6 Defne the rough machining of the ledgesThefollowingvideodemonstratesdefningtheroughmachiningoftheledges.The Wizard automatcally calculates an ACP value of 1.9 based on the tool informaton and 14 mm (0.56 in) total depth. Click the play buton below...The rough machining is defned and the completed CAM-Part is closed.Congratulatons! You have successfully completed the iMachining exercise.3. iMachining 2D Operatons67Exercise #4: iRest and iFinish TechnologiesAmillingCAM-Partisalreadycreatedforthisexercise. TheCNC-MachineController,CoordinateSystem,Stock modelandTargetmodelaredefned.Themachineand work material defnitons for the iMachining Data are also selected.Forthisexercise,twotools(9.5mm(0.375in)and6 mm (0.25 in) end mills) are already defned for the CAM ProjecttoperformtheiRough(roughing),iRest(rest machining) and iFinish (fnishing) operatons.In additon, there are two iMachining 2D operatons already defned to perform the rough and fnish machining of the outside shape. The 9.5 mm (0.375 in) end mill is used for both operatons.With iMachining 2D, it is possible to perform an iFinish operaton directly afer an iRough operaton. In some cases, however, you may have to machine features of a part where the roughing tool will not physically ft prior to fnishing. As a result, an iRest operaton is used to remove any remaining material before using iFinish.The following steps have to be implemented in order to reach the fnal CAM-Part:4.1 Load the CAM-PartActvatetheCAM-PartfleEXERCISE_4.prz.IfSolidWorksisnotalreadyopened, SolidWorks, SolidCAM and the CAM-Part will launch automatcally. Click the play buton below to see an introducton to the exercise...The CAM-Part is loaded.684.2 Machine the interior pocket...Thefollowingvideosdemonstratehowtocompletethemachiningoftheinterior pocket.Inthenextthreesub-steps,themachiningisdefnedwithaniRough,iRest and iFinish operaton.4.2.1 Defne an iRough (roughing) operatonClick the play buton below...The rough machining of the interior pocket is defned.4.2.2 Defne an iRest (rest machining) operatonClick the play buton below...The rest machining of the interior pocket is defned.Proceed to the next sub-step: 4.2.3 Defne an iFinish (fnishing) operaton3. iMachining 2D Operatons69iRest TechnologyThe iRest Technology enables you to defne a rest machining operaton from withintheiMachiningOperatondialogbox.AniRestoperatonisusedto remove material lef by a previous roughing operaton. The iRest Technology calculates what stock has been previously removed using the iRest Data, and then compares it to the target model.iRest DataIn the iRest Data tab on the Technology page, there are three important parameters required for calculatng rest material:iRest parametersPrevious tool diameterPrevious wall ofsetPrevious fllet radiusIfaniRestoperatoniscreatedusingtheSave&Copybuton, thepreviousiRoughoperatonisautomatcallydefnedastheParent operaton and the associated parameters are writen to the felds.TheSave&Copyfunctonalityisusedthroughoutthis training course to quickly create iRest operatons, where most parameters are identcal.70Parent operatonIf the previous roughing operaton is not an iMachining operaton, you havetheoptontochooseUser-defnedfromtheParentoperaton drop-down menu. This opens the felds for editng and enables you to manually enter the iRest parameters.TechnologyIn the Technology tab on the Technology page, the default input value of the Wall / island ofset parameter is 0.12 mm (0.005 in) for iRest.ItisimportanttonotethattheWall/islandofset parameter for rest machining must be greater than 0, but less than the Previous wall ofset.Rest materialIntheTechnologytabontheTechnologypage,thisareaprovides additonal tool path optmizaton strategies for iRest.Corners only this opton limits the machining of rest material to only the corners (and not the walls) of the pocket. It aids in the reducton of cycle tmes.3. iMachining 2D Operatons71When enabled, the Wall / island ofset parameter is inherited from the previous roughing operaton and the input feld text box becomes locked.Note that Corners only will also clear rest material in tght areas unreachable by the previous roughing tool.4.2.3 Defne an iFinish (fnishing) operatonClick the play buton below...The fnish machining of the interior pocket is defned.Proceed to the next step: 4.3 Machine the elevated foors72iFinish TechnologyThe iFinish Technology enables you to defne a fnishing operaton from within the iMachining Operaton dialog box. An iFinish operaton is used to remove materiallefbyapreviousroughingand/orrestmachiningoperaton.The iFinish Technology calculates what stock has been previously removed using the iRest Data, and then compares it to the target model.iRest DataIf an iFinish operaton is created using the Save & Copy buton, the previous iRough or iRest operaton is automatcally defned as the Parent operaton and the associated iRest parameters are writen to the felds.TheSave&Copyfunctonalityisusedthroughoutthis trainingcoursetoquicklycreateiFinishoperatons, where most parameters are identcal.Parent operatonIfthepreviousroughingorrestmachiningoperatonisnotan iMachiningoperaton,youhavetheoptontochooseUser-defned from the Parent operaton drop-down menu. This opens the felds for editng and enables you to manually enter the iRest parameters.3. iMachining 2D Operatons73TechnologyIn the Technology tab on the Technology page, the default input value of the Wall / island ofset parameter is 0 mm (0 in) for iFinish and the input feld text box is locked.Wall fnishIntheTechnologytabontheTechnologypage,thissectonprovides additonal tool path optmizaton strategies for iFinish.Compensatonthisoptonallowsforsmalladjustments ofthefnishpassontheCNC-Machine.IniMachining,the adjustment is only relatve to the pass and not the corners.Spring Pass this opton provides a secondary pass in additon totheprimaryfnishpass.Itaidsinofsetngtooldefecton toensuresthatpartsarefnishedmoreaccuratelyand dimensionally correct.Lead in/out locaton at start of chain this opton enables you todefne the start locaton forthe iFinish toolpath. Thetool leads into the cut at the start of the frst chain entty picked during the Geometry selecton.Start of chainLead in/out74Large compensaton move this opton enables you to defne a large lead in/out for the iFinish tool path. It is benefcial to use thisoptonwhenoldermachinesrequirethecompensaton line to be greater than the tool diameter.Therearetworadiobutonsforselectngwhenthetoolpathis optmized and at what depth:Total depthThis opton performs the selected tool path optmizaton strategy only when the Total depth is reached.Each step downThis opton performs the selected tool path optmizaton strategy at each step down and when the Total depth is reached.Large lead in/out3. iMachining 2D Operatons754.3 Machine the elevated foorsThe following video demonstrates how to perform the machining of the elevated foors using iRough and iFinish. Two chains are defned: one chain is marked as open and the other is marked with open edges. iRough uses an end mill of 9.5 mm (0.375 in) and has a 0.24 mm (0.01 in) allowance on the walls. The iFinish operaton fnishes the walls with an end mill of 6 mm (0.25 in). Click the play buton below...The machining of the elevated foors is defned.4.4 Machine the top of the bossesThefollowingvideodemonstrateshowtoperformthemachiningforthetopofthe bosses using iRough and iFinish. Twelve chains are defned. iRough and iFinish both use anendmillof6mm(0.25in).TheiFinishoperatonfnishesthe0.24mm(0.01in) allowance lef on the walls. Click the play buton below...The machining for the top of the bosses is defned.764.5 Machine the pocket ledgeThefollowingvideodemonstrateshowtoperformthemachiningofthepocketledge usingiRoughandiFinish.Twochainsaredefned.Theinternalchainisconsidereda precut area and is marked as open. iRough and iFinish both use an end mill of 6 mm (0.25 in). The iFinish operaton fnishes the 0.24 mm (0.01 in) allowance lef on the walls. Click the play buton below...The machining of the pocket ledge is defned.4.6 Machine the holes with a Drilling operatonThe following video demonstrates how to perform machining of the holes through the bosses with a Drilling operaton. The drill geometry is automatcally defned by SolidCAM searching the solid model for All circle/arc centers. A drill of 4 mm (0.1575 in) is defned for the operaton to perform drilling of the holes using the standard drilling method G81. Click the play buton below...Themachiningoftheholesisdefned,theiMachiningtoolpathissimulatedforthe entre CAM Project and the completed CAM-Part is closed.3. iMachining 2D Operatons77Drilling OperatonThisoperatontypeenablesyoutoperformdrillingandothercanneddrill cycles. SolidCAM supports the canned drill cycles provided by your partcular CNC-Machine such as threading, peck, ream, boring, etc.Drillingoperatonsareusedthroughoutthistraining course to defne the machining of holes and countersinks.Geometry defnitonTostarttheGeometrydefniton,clicktheNewbutononthe Geometry page of the Drilling Operaton dialog box.TheDrillGeometrySelectondialogboxenables you to select the geometry for drilling directly on the solid model. When this dialog box is displayed, SolidCAMenablesyoutoselectthedrillcenters using the following methods:Pick positonYou can defne drill centers one by one directly on the solid model.3 Points on circumferenceUsually, all curves and arcs of imported models are converted into splines by the exportng CAD system.Duetothenatureofsplinecurvesor surfaceboundaries,youcannotpickacenter positon like you could on a circle or an arc. SolidCAM calculates the centerpositonofanarcdefnedbythreepointspositonedonthe spline edges. This facilitates selectng drill centers on spline surfaces.78Mult-positonsYou can select the model face. SolidCAM automatcally recognizes all arcs/circles located on the selected face and selects the center points as drill positons.All circle/arc centersSolidCAMsearchesthesolidmodelforarcsandcirclesandaddsall center points as drill positons to the geometry.Tool defnitonThe tool is defned similarly to an iMachining operaton, but Drilling Tools are used instead of Milling Tools.Levels defnitonThemillinglevelsaredefnedsimilarlytoaniMachiningoperaton. However,youhavetousetheDepthtypeoptoninordertoperform drilling down to the specifed diameter of the tool.Depth TypeThis opton enables you to deepen the drilled hole in order to obtain a given diameter at the specifed drill depth.Cuter tp the drill tp reaches the defned drill depth.Fulldiameterthedrillreachesthedefneddrilldepthwith the full diameter.DrilldepthCuer p Full diameter Diameter valueDrilldepthDrilldepthDiametervalue3. iMachining 2D Operatons79Diameter value the drill reaches the defned drill depth with the drill cone diameter specifed in the input feld box.TheDiametervaluecanvaryfrom0allthewayuptothe drilling tool diameter. A value greater than that is automatcally decreased to the drill tool diameter.Technology pageThe Technology page of the Drilling Operaton dialog box enables you to defne the technological parameters of drilling.SortngThis area enables you to defne the sequence of the drill positons and manage its directon.Drill cycleThe drill cycle panel is displayed by clicking the Drillcycletypebuton.Thispanel enablesyoutoselectoneofthecanneddrill cyclessupportedbythepost-processorofthe current CNC-Controller.For more informaton regarding this operaton type, refer to the SolidCAM Milling Help.Congratulatons! You have successfully completed the iMachining exercise.80Exercise #5: Helical Entry, Pre-Drilling and small toolsFor this exercise, a milling CAM-Part is already created and the iMachining Data is defned.Two milling tools and two drilling tools are also defned. Inadditon,therearetwoiMachining2Doperatons defned to perform the rough and fnish machining of the outside shape. An end mill of 9.5 mm (0.375 in) is used for both operatons.Later,twomoretools(adrillandanendmill)are defned to perform additonal machining operatons.When using iMachining, you have to be aware that the Technology Wizard automatcally calculates thehelicalcutngconditonsbasedonmaterialhardnessandaggressivenessoftheMachining level slider; and in this exercise, the slider is used to illustrate its efect on Helical Entry. Also in this exercise, two examples of Pre-Drilling techniques are used: the frst defnes a small pre-drilled hole used to reduce stress on the tool during helical entry and the second defnes a large pre-drilled holeusedforsafetoolentry.TheexerciseconcludeswithhowwelliMachiningperformseven when using small tools.The following steps have to be implemented in order to reach the fnal CAM-Part:5.1 Load the CAM-PartActvatetheCAM-PartfleEXERCISE_5.prz.IfSolidWorksisnotalreadyopened, SolidWorks, SolidCAM and the CAM-Part will launch automatcally. Click the play buton below to see an introducton to the exercise...The CAM-Part is loaded.3. iMachining 2D Operatons815.2 Machine the main pocket...The following video demonstrates defning an iRough operaton for roughing the main pocket. The geometry is defned as a closed pocket with island. Two chains are defned: thefrstisthepocketcontourandthesecondistheinternalchainonislandcontour. An end mill of 9.5 mm (0.375 in) is used. The tool performs the Helical Entry into the pocket followed by the pocket roughing tool path. A 0.24 mm (0.01 in) allowance is lef on the walls. Click the play buton below...The rough machining of the main pocket is defned.5.2.1 Helical EntryThe following video demonstrates how to defne the parameters of Helical Entry in greater detail. Click the play buton below...The rough machining of the main pocket is redefned and the tool performs a safe helical entry using the Classic helical cutng conditons.Proceed to the next sub-step: 5.2.2 iRest and iFinish the main pocket82Helical EntryIniMachining,iftheGeometryisdefnedasaclosed pocket, the tool enters the material in a spiral movement according to the parameters defned in the Helical Entry area on the Link page.Ramping angleThisparameterdefnestheaggressivenessofthedescentangleby whichthetoolentersthematerial.Bydefault,theTechnologyWizard automatcally calculates the helical cutng conditons based on material hardness and aggressiveness of the Machining level slider.When using more aggressive Ramping angle values, it is importanttonotethatcoolingcanbecomeaconcern. Larger values will generate more heat and proper cooling should be applied when necessary.Ramping angle atMachining level 1Ramping angle atMachining level 83. iMachining 2D Operatons83An override check box is provided so the Ramping angle value can be set manually, in the instance you want the tool to perform a helical entry at anaggressivenessthatisnotrelatvetothepositonoftheMachining level slider.Classic helical cutng conditonsThisoptonautomatcallysetsthe Rampingangleparameterto2.5 degreesfortheoperaton,whichis absolutely safe.IfyouwanttousetheClassichelicalcutngconditons, the Ramping angle override check box must be disabled in the Helical Entry area.There are thre