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Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
How to use the multi-axis options that are available for 3D Contour to help minimize the number of setups required to finish the part.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
4 min.
Tutorial resources
These downloadable resources will be used to complete this tutorial:
Transcript
00:03
When machining complex parts, the Manufacturing Extension has a variety of multi-axis toolpath strategies
00:10
to help you produce reliable toolpaths and effectively utilize the 5-axis capabilities of your machine.
00:16
This will minimize the number of setups needed to complete the manufacturing process,
00:21
reduce cycle times, maintain a high-quality surface finish, and achieve positional accuracy.
00:28
One available strategy is the 3D Contour toolpath,
00:31
with multi-axis tilting settings to optimize the toolpath for the geometry of the part.
00:37
You can access the Contour dialog on the Manufacture workspace toolbar by clicking Milling > 3D > Contour.
00:46
To better understand the 3D Contour strategy, switch to the Design workspace to review a scenario that can benefit from this toolpath.
00:55
Looking at the pocket in the bottom right, from the draft analysis,
00:59
you can see that there are tapered walls and straight walls, with radii in the corner.
01:04
Machining the straight walls with traditional straight flute tools and 3-axis toolpaths
01:09
will result in rubbing and a substandard surface finish.
01:13
To demonstrate this, a simulation is run—in this case, from a section view of 3D Contour – 3-Axis.
01:21
Observe that as the bottom of the tool cuts the wall, the side of the tool rubs and continues to cut the wall as it moves down the part.
01:31
This means that the tool cuts the upper portion of the wall more than the lower portion, resulting in an inconsistent surface finish.
01:39
You can define a 3D Contour toolpath to resolve this issue.
01:43
In the Browser, right-click your setup—in this case, 3D Contour – 3-axis—and select Edit.
01:51
In the Contour dialog, Tool tab, select the Shaft & Holder checkbox, and then select the appropriate settings.
01:60
In this case, the Shaft and Holder Mode is set to Trimmed, the Shaft Clearance to 1 mm, and the Holder Clearance to 3 mm.
02:10
Next, on the Multi-Axis tab, click the Machining Type drop-down and select 5-axis.
02:16
In the Tool Axis group, set the Primary Mode to Vertical and the Tool Axis Reference to Tool orientation Z axis.
02:24
Then, click OK.
02:27
When the toolpath is simulated, initially, you do not see any tilting, because the flute is still in contact with the wall.
02:36
However, if the view is changed and the simulation restarted,
02:41
you see that as the tool gets further down the wall, the axis tilts away, so that the shaft avoids the model.
02:47
This is based on the shaft and holder clearance options set previously.
02:52
Now, simulate the toolpath with the machine.
02:57
Here, switch to the Simulation view, then right-click the setup and select Simulate with Machine.
03:03
Notice the large jerks and movements in the corners, indicating the need for further toolpath optimization.
03:11
Here, after changing the Primary Mode to From Point,
03:15
the simulation shows a smooth motion that will translate into a consistent surface finish and an accurate part.
03:21
As you have seen, the 3D Contour toolpath with multi-axis tilting
03:26
helps to efficiently and accurately machine complex parts with a 5-axis configuration.
Video transcript
00:03
When machining complex parts, the Manufacturing Extension has a variety of multi-axis toolpath strategies
00:10
to help you produce reliable toolpaths and effectively utilize the 5-axis capabilities of your machine.
00:16
This will minimize the number of setups needed to complete the manufacturing process,
00:21
reduce cycle times, maintain a high-quality surface finish, and achieve positional accuracy.
00:28
One available strategy is the 3D Contour toolpath,
00:31
with multi-axis tilting settings to optimize the toolpath for the geometry of the part.
00:37
You can access the Contour dialog on the Manufacture workspace toolbar by clicking Milling > 3D > Contour.
00:46
To better understand the 3D Contour strategy, switch to the Design workspace to review a scenario that can benefit from this toolpath.
00:55
Looking at the pocket in the bottom right, from the draft analysis,
00:59
you can see that there are tapered walls and straight walls, with radii in the corner.
01:04
Machining the straight walls with traditional straight flute tools and 3-axis toolpaths
01:09
will result in rubbing and a substandard surface finish.
01:13
To demonstrate this, a simulation is run—in this case, from a section view of 3D Contour – 3-Axis.
01:21
Observe that as the bottom of the tool cuts the wall, the side of the tool rubs and continues to cut the wall as it moves down the part.
01:31
This means that the tool cuts the upper portion of the wall more than the lower portion, resulting in an inconsistent surface finish.
01:39
You can define a 3D Contour toolpath to resolve this issue.
01:43
In the Browser, right-click your setup—in this case, 3D Contour – 3-axis—and select Edit.
01:51
In the Contour dialog, Tool tab, select the Shaft & Holder checkbox, and then select the appropriate settings.
01:60
In this case, the Shaft and Holder Mode is set to Trimmed, the Shaft Clearance to 1 mm, and the Holder Clearance to 3 mm.
02:10
Next, on the Multi-Axis tab, click the Machining Type drop-down and select 5-axis.
02:16
In the Tool Axis group, set the Primary Mode to Vertical and the Tool Axis Reference to Tool orientation Z axis.
02:24
Then, click OK.
02:27
When the toolpath is simulated, initially, you do not see any tilting, because the flute is still in contact with the wall.
02:36
However, if the view is changed and the simulation restarted,
02:41
you see that as the tool gets further down the wall, the axis tilts away, so that the shaft avoids the model.
02:47
This is based on the shaft and holder clearance options set previously.
02:52
Now, simulate the toolpath with the machine.
02:57
Here, switch to the Simulation view, then right-click the setup and select Simulate with Machine.
03:03
Notice the large jerks and movements in the corners, indicating the need for further toolpath optimization.
03:11
Here, after changing the Primary Mode to From Point,
03:15
the simulation shows a smooth motion that will translate into a consistent surface finish and an accurate part.
03:21
As you have seen, the 3D Contour toolpath with multi-axis tilting
03:26
helps to efficiently and accurately machine complex parts with a 5-axis configuration.
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