SmartCAM Production Milling Trial: Task ‐ 2 Rough the Pocket
Task 2
Rough the Pocket
SmartCAM should already be in CAM Mode.
If not, switch to CAM Mode by left-clicking the CAM radio button near the top‐left.
First select the process STEP that you will use to generate toolpath once you have set this tool change position.
The program should already be using Step 10, but if not:
Left‐Click on the gray box at the right‐side of the Step: value field.
A list of STEPS is displayed.
Step 10 includes a 12mm diameter End Mill that you will use for these first tasks.
Left‐Click 10:Rgh Mill in the list.
Now set a Clear value in the Insert Property Bar appropriate for the machining processes.
Left‐click within the Clear: input field on the Insert Property Bar and type in a value of 2.
Open the Pocket Process panel by left-clicking on the Wireframe Milling icon on the top toolbar (the Main Toolbar).
Left-click Pocket on the drop-down menu.
You are going to machine the pocket only at this time.
We will then show you how you are able to modify the pocketing process to add avoidance of that island feature.
We do it that way not out of necessity, but because it allows us introduce you to an important SmartCAM concept,
modifying existing toolpath processes, otherwise referred to as regenerable processes.
You will be doing that in the task following this one.
Finish Allowance.
It is a little tight in there for our chosen cutter diameter. Add just a 1mm Wall Allowance as a finishing amount.
Left-click in the Wall Allowance field and type in a value of 1.
Getting to Depth.
If we are not to plunge to depth we must consider how we will get to depth for each Z level pass.
We could have pre-drilled - you can see an option to specify a User Start Point were that the case ‐
but here we will simply apply a Ramp feed move to each depth.
Left-click in the Ramp Angle field and type in a ramp angle value of 10 degrees.
Now select the boundary to pocket.
Left-click within the Boundary field or on the Boundary text to the left of the field.
Left-click on any one of the elements that form the pocket boundary.
The cursor will have changed to a cross-hair cursor.
Left-click on the Go button
A pocket roughing toolpath process is generated.
Verification. Having created Toolpath you can now use Verification to check the quality of your toolpath model. As a reminder, you can get details about Verification by clicking here
View orientation and control is something that you will need to use a lot in any CAM system.
You can switch between Top view of the model by pressing the F9 and Isometric view by pressing F12 on your keyboard.
For additional details on switching views, click here. You can also access the page from our pull-out on the right --->>>.
If you don’t like the Toolpath pattern that has been applied, there are more available in Path Type.
You can also make individual STEPS any color you like.
SmartCAM used default settings for the Width and Depth but you can over-ride those values as well.
The Final Pass Level was taken from the Z Level Property of the Profile Elements.
Every SmartCAM element has properties associated with it which can be changed by you.
Examples are Z Level, Profile Top, Clearance, Offset Side and CAD Layer or CAM Step.
It doesn't look significant in print, but those last two properties mean that you are easily able to change elements
from CAD to CAM and from CAM to CAD: Drawing to Toolpath and Toolpath to Drawing.
Element Properties and the ability to easily change any properties for an individual element or a group of
elements are an important SmartCAM concept and one that is unique to our system.
It would be so very easy in SmartCAM to now add a pre-drilling task prior to the pocketing so that Z axis moves to depth at the start point that was automatically calculated by the pocketing routine can be programmed when using a non end-cutting tool.
We won’t get you to do that, we just wanted to let you know that it can easily be achieved in SmartCAM using our Insert Before / Insert After functionality.
Now let's generate someCNC Code.
You may wish to generate code at any point in the preparation of your toolpath model, so we have included a link to our topic on that pull-left toolbar over there on the right. You can also open it by clicking this link
Congratulations! – you have modeled your first toolpath and created your first CNC code using SmartCAM.
Need a break? CAM engineers like yourself are busy people and we know that there are many demands on your time.
If you want, save your toolpath model so that you can take a break and come back to it later.
Once again, because you may want to remind yourself of it throughout we have also put information about saving your work in a sub-program topic of its own.
We have included a link to it on that pull-left toolbar over there on the right and you can Open it by clicking this link
You have completed Task 2. Next up: Recall and Modify the process to add island avoidance.
