5 Axis

5-Axis
GibbsCAM 2009
February 2009, v1.1
Proprietary Notice
This document contains propriety information of Gibbs and Associates and is to be used only pursuant to and
in conjunction with the license granted to the licensee with respect to the accompanying Gibbs and Associates
licensed software. Except as expressly permitted in the license, no part of this document may be reproduced,
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expressed written permission from Gibbs and Associates or a duly authorized representative thereof.
It is strongly advised that users carefully review the license in order to understand the rights and obligations
related to this licensed software and the accompanying documentation.
Use of the computer software and the user documentation has been provided pursuant to a Gibbs and
Associates licensing agreement.
©2007-2009 Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron company. All rights reserved. The Gibbs logo,
GibbsCAM, GibbsCAM logo, CAM von Gibbs, Virtual Gibbs, Gibbs SFP, SolidSurfacer, MTM and
"Powerfully Simple. Simply Powerful." are either trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of Gibbs
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logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners. Contains Autodesk® RealDWG by Autodesk, Inc., Copyright © 1998-2006 Autodesk,
Inc. All rights reserved.
Gibbs and Associates

323 Science Drive
Moorpark, CA 93021
Modif ied: March 12, 2009 7:57 pm

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION TO 5-AXIS 1
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
About 5-Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
What is 5-Axis? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Using 5-Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Part Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Save A Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Creating Toolpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
What is 5-Axis Machining? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About Surface Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Single Surface 5-Axis Flow Line Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Characteristics and Restrictions of Multi Surface Flow line Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Real Multi-Surface Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Types of Machines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Types of Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Machining Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mold and Die Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Machining Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Plastics Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Cylinder head machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Impeller machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Machining of Turbine Blades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Machining of Excenter valves and Mill/Turn machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5-AXIS INTERFACE 17
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CAM Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The 5-Axis Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Options tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Surface Paths tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Tool Axis Control tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Gouge Check tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Link tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Roughing tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Utility tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
OPTIONS TAB 21
About the Options tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Common Machining Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Rotary Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Restore Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Type of Machining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
SURFACE PATHS TAB 35

About this tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
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Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Parallel cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Parallel Cut Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Perpendicular to curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Morph between two curves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Parallel to Multiple curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Project curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Morph between two surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Parallel to surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Advanced button for Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Edit Curves / Edit Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Drive Surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Drive surface clearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Check Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Drive Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Full, avoid cuts at exact edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Full, start and end at exact surface edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Determined by number of cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Type Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Limit cuts by one or two points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Margins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Area Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Chamfer Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Extend/Trim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Angle Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2D Containment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sorting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Flip Step over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Cutting Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
One way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Zig Zag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Spiral. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Cut order. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Direction for one way machining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
How Climb/Conventional Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
How CWise/CCWise Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Start point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Machine by Lanes or Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Surface Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cut tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Max. segment distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Surface edge handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Stepover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
TOOL AXIS CONTROL TAB 81

Output Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Maximum angle step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Tool Axis will... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
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Not be tilted and stays normal to surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Be tilted relative to cutting direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Side tilt definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Advanced Options for Tilting Relative to Cutting Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Tilted with the angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Tilted with fixed angle to axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Rotated around axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Tilted through point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Tilted through curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Closest point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Angle from curve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Angle from spindle, main direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
From start to end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Automatic curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
From start to end for each contour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Tilted through lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Use Tilt Through. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Tilted from point away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Tilted from curve away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Curve Tilt Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Tilting Relative to Impeller Machining Layer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Run tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
About Run Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Tool Area Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
GOUGE CHECK TAB 137

About Gouge Checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Strategies and Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Retracting tool along tool axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Advanced options for retracting tool along tool axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Moving tool away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Retracting the tool in X,Y or Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Retract tool along surface normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Retract tool away from origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Retract tool to cut center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Retract tool in user defined direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Tilting tool away with max angle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Leaving out gouging points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Stop toolpath calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Optional Gouge Checking Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Clearances for tool parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
LINK TAB 155

About Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
First Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
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Last Exit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Gaps Along Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
The Gap Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Links Between Slice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
The Links Between Slice Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Links Between Passes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
The Links Between Passes Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Clearance area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Clearance Area Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Default Lead-In/Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Lead-In/Out Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
Lead-In/Out Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
ROUGHING TAB 187

About the Roughing Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Stock Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Stock Definition Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Multi Passes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Plunge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Morph Pocket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Depth Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Area Roughing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Transform/Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Sorting options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
UTILITY TAB 207

About the Utility tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Set Y Axis Machine Limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Smooth Surface Normals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Calc Based on Tool Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
Feed Rate Advance Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Feed Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
First Cut Feed Rate Scale Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
Axial Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
Damp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
TUTORIALS 213
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
About the Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
Tutorial 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Part Set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Surface Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Tool axis control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Gouge check. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Advanced Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
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Table of Contents
Tutorial 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Model Surface Machining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Multiple Surface toolpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Gap handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Use different collision avoidance strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Holder collision check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234
Tutorial 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Z constant toolpath on a turbine blade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Finishing toolpath. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Limit Finishing toolpath to work with non-undercutting machines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
One Way Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Gouge checking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Morph toolpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
QUICK TUTORIALS 241

4-Axis Machining Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
5-Axis Engraving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Camshaft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Vacuum Formed Part Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Electrode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Pencil Trace with Tilt Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
GLOSSARY 259
INDEX 263
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vi
INTRODUCTION TO 5-AXIS
Introduction to 5-Axis
CHAPTER 1 : Introduction to 5-Axis

GETTING STARTED
WELCOME
Greetings and welcome to the GibbsCAM 5-Axis manual. Congratulations on your purchase. This document
covers the description and use of the 5-Axis product. Before using the manual or the product we highly
recommend that you read the GibbsCAM Getting Started Guide and become familiar with the GibbsCAM Mill
product and working with solids at a minimum. The 5-Axis product requires 2.5D Solids or SolidSurfacer, and
a 4-axis/5-axis post processor.
ABOUT 5-AXIS
What is 5-Axis?
The 5-Axis module is used to easily create almost any type of 5-axis toolpath. 5-Axis lets you intelligently tilt
the tool axis with numerous tilting strategies. 5-Axis has support of all basic tool types such as flat, ball and
bull nose and conical endmills. Additionally it supports undercutting tools like lollipop and slot milling tools.
5-Axis provides gouge checking for each tool including the cutting length, the shaft, the shank and the holder.
All gouge checking is done against the drive surfaces and any additional check surfaces. 5-Axis helps you set
the right retract strategy for your situation.
5-Axis supports 3, 4 and 5-axis machining. 5-Axis lets you set limits for the machining area and control tool
angles.
USING 5-AXIS
Part Setup
To use 5-Axis you must have a Mill, Mill Turn, or MTM MDD selected. Since the GibbsCAM 5-Axis module can
generate 3-axis toolpath, as well as 4- and 5-axis toolpath it does not require the MDD to have rotary axes,
although most of the functionality in the 5-Axis module is designed for machines with one or two rotary axes.
Save A Copy
Saving parts with 5-Axis operations into previous versions of GibbsCAM will preserve the toolpath. This
means that rendering and posting will function as expected, but process parameters will be different. As a
result, clicking Redo will result in an altered toolpath.
Creating Toolpath
5-Axis adds another operation type, like roughing, contouring and surfacing, and is a very powerful one. To
create a 5-Axis operation you apply a tool to a process tile, like any other operation. The 5-Axis process tile is
found on the CAM palette.
3
WHAT IS 5-AXIS MACHINING?

ABOUT SURFACE MACHINING
To be successful with 5-Axis machining you need to have an understanding of surfaces and how toolpath can
be created from the surfaces. We will start with a discussion about Single Surface 5-Axis Flow Line Machining,
expand the discussion to Characteristics and Restrictions of Multi Surface Flow line Machining and f inally
Real Multi-Surface Machining.
Single Surface 5-Axis Flow Line Machining

CAD surfaces are generally built on interpolation points. CAD/CAM systems usually def ine the surface XYZ
points as a 2-parameter representation. These parameters are referred to as U and V.
1. Parameter U
2. Parameter V
3. Interpolation Point
4. Surface Point (U, V)
Each surface point’s X, Y and Z coordinate can be calculated from a unique pair of U and V. Each surface point
is associated with a surface normal that is always perpendicular to the surface at that point.
1. Surface Normal
4
In 3-axis machining this surface normal points to the cutter center of a ball end mill. The cutter axis always
comes from one direction and it is usually aligned with Z. In some rare cases the cutter is aligned with the Y
axis.
1. Surface normal dependent

cutter orientation in Z for 3-
axis machining using cutter
center.
In 5-axis machining the surface normal may not only determine the cutter center but the cutter orientation as
well. There are other ways to control the tool axis to achieve a 5-axis machining toolpath, but this will be
discussed later.
1. Surface normal dependent

cutter orientation for 5-axis
machining using cutter center.
5
A flow line 5-axis toolpath follows only the U-direction and V-direction of the surface. In the following f igure a
5-axis flow line toolpath is shown which is calculated mainly in the U-direction. As soon as the surface edge is
reached the tool steps in V and then continues movement in the reversed U-direction to achieve a Zig Zag
(bidirectional) toolpath. The tool axis direction is changed at every single point of the toolpath according to
the local surface normal. This kind of machining is called a single-surface 5-axis flow line toolpath, typically
found in many CAM systems.
1. Parameter U
2. Parameter V
3. Tool movement in U
direction
4. Tool movement in V
direction
On a real machine the machine has to move its axis to rotate the tool to the required direction as shown
below.
Now let’s expand this concept to multiple surfaces in the section Characteristics and Restrictions of Multi
Surface Flow line Machining.
6
Characteristics and Restrictions of Multi Surface Flow line Machining

Multi surface flow line machining requires all surfaces to have the same U- and V- parameter direction. The
f igure below shows a sample set of 3 surfaces, which have the same u- and v- direction and the resulting Multi
Surface Flow line toolpath.
1. Parameter U1
2. Parameter V1
3. Parameter U2
4. Parameter V2
5. Parameter U3
6. Parameter V3
7
If surface number 2 does not have the same U- and V-direction, as in the sample shown below, a calculation of
the toolpath based on the flow line of the surfaces is no longer reasonable.
1. Parameter U1
2. Parameter V1
3. Parameter U2
4. Parameter V2
5. Parameter U3
6. Parameter V3
Real Multi-Surface Machining shows us how this is handled.
8
Real Multi-Surface Machining

When surfaces do not have the same U- and V-direction a more sophisticated approach needs to be applied to
solve the machining task. GibbsCAM 5-Axis has been developed to generate a smooth toolpath even on these
arbitrarily orientated surfaces. The 5-Axis option provides a full suite of toolpath creation strategies to control
the toolpath using drive and check surfaces, one or more curves, axis directions, line vectors, and other
parameters independent of the U and V direction of the underlying surfaces.
1. Parameter U1
2. Parameter V1
3. Parameter U2
4. Parameter V2
5. Parameter U3
6. Parameter V3
This is only one issue addressed by GibbsCAM 5-Axis that is necessary to generate an eff icient 5-axis toolpath.
There are a number of issues, such as surfaces or edge curves, collision avoidance, and post processor output
that have been addressed by the product to enable GibbsCAM users to be productive on 5 axis machining.
9
TYPES OF MACHINES
The 5-Axis module will generate effective and eff icient toolpaths for almost any type of part requiring 3, 4,
and/or 5-axis tool motion, with special attention given to full 5-axis machining. In this context, 5-axis refers to
machining with 3 linear axes and 2 rotary axes. The rotary axes can rotate either the tool or the part, or in
some cases, both the tool and the part. There are a wide variety of machine tools of various sizes, shapes, and
conf igurations that have 5-Axis capability, including horizontal and vertical milling machines, mill/turn
machines, and multi-tasking machines (MTM machines). The GibbsCAM 5-Axis product is an effective tool
for driving all of these types of machines.
TYPES OF MACHINING
Machining Strategies
There are many signif icant advantages of 5-Axis machining, and with the GibbsCAM 5-Axis module, these
benef its can be realized by developing eff icient 5-Axis toolpaths for your 4 and 5 axis machine tools.
Improved cycle times and a better surface finish

In very large surfaces with large radiuses of curvature (such as Car Body Forming Dies) machining times may
be reduced by 20 to 30 percent. This is because of the enormous advantage of having the toolpath calculations
done on the smooth mathematically correct surfaces. The machine runs more smoothly and therefore the
resulting surface f inish is better than those systems that calculate on triangles or comparable entities.
When machining steep regions in cores of injection molds, GibbsCAM 5-Axis creates 5-axis swarf toolpaths on
convex surfaces that use the outer diameter of the cutter at maximum cutting speed. This has tremendous
advantages that again reduce time and improve surface f inish.
Improved surface finish and improved life span of tooling

When machining regions with small surfaces and higher radiuses of curvature ball end mills have to be used.
In some systems, the tool axis can only be kept normal to the surface, where the tool to surface contact point
is at the bottom center of the tool, which is not the best part of the tool to cut with. With GibbsCAM 5-Axis
the cutter can be tilted to the surface at an optimized angle to achieve a constant chip load and high feedrate
at the contact point.
3 axis vs. 5 axis

In 3 axis machining of deep cavities with small radii at the bottom, very long cutters are required which
increase delivery time and also result in vibrations or deflections when machining. This can be overcome with
5 axis machining using standard tools and tilting the cutter and holder away from steep walls when necessary
to avoid collisions.
Collision avoidance
Even small movements of the cutter on the surface of the work piece can result in very large movements in all
axes of the 5-axis machine. This is amplif ied via the tool, holder and spindle as a mathematically complex 3D
Swarf body. Because of this, every surface inside of the piece is at risk of a collision.
GibbsCAM 5-Axis prevents these collisions by calculating all tool and holder collisions with the part and any
f ixtures. The user is provided with many options for avoiding the collisions and creating smooth and effective
tool motion.
The simplest, but least effective of the collision avoidance strategies is the retraction of the cutter along the
tool axis until there is no further collision; this is sometimes referred to as “comp- movement”. This strategy is
only useful in some limited cases. An example of this is that of using drive surfaces to machine to comp-
surfaces. The geometry of the toolpath is determined by the drive surfaces and the tool is retracted to the
10
comp surfaces. This strategy is often used in the machining of tire moulds and door seals in the automotive
industry.
In many cases, a more eff icient way to avoid collision is to tilt the tool. This applies especially for holder
collisions. As the holder has a considerably larger diameter than the tool combined with a long distance to the
tool tip, even tilting a small angle can avoid the collision. Powerful algorithms in the 5-Axis module keep tool
and axis movements smooth to avoid problems on the work piece surface due to excessive axis motions.
Another method to avoid collisions is to push the tool out of the work piece in a given direction. A good
application for this collision avoidance strategy is the shaft of a turbine blade.
Axis Limits
As an additional option to the automatic collision avoidance the rotational axis can be restricted in different
planes to user-def ined angle limits. An overtravel of the spindle is suppressed by locking the axis within the
limit angles. This option saves calculation time, because f ixtures may generally be excluded from automatic
collision calculations.
Post processors and machine tool simulation

When used together with the GibbsCAM Machine Simulation, the 5-Axis module provides a very powerful
tool for visualizing and optimizing 5-Axis toolpaths. GibbsCAM Machine Sim provides a virtual simulation of
the whole machine tool, showing the motion of all rotational and linear axis. Even the work piece is shown in
detail, with material removal, and can be placed on the rotational table at a user-def ined position. The
objective has been to provide a valuable tool to determine the optimum part-setup and toolpath strategies to
avoid unnecessary try-outs on the real machine.
Reliable Post Processors for most 5 Axis machines are available. Additional post processors are continually
under development due to new customer requirements. Both custom GibbsCAM posts and ProAXYZ drivers
can be developed to match customer machine control specif ications.
Mold and Die Industry

Machining of the core
In steep sections of the mold swarf machining on steep surface areas
provides great advantages. The contact geometry between cutter and
work piece is a line, therefore a smooth surface f inish can be achieved
with less cuts and less time. Small radii and sharp inside corners are
marked as remaining stock for subsequent machining. Mold parting
surfaces can be def ined as check surfaces to be left unmachined by
retracting the tool.
In shallow areas machining time is reduced using a large Bull Nose cutter
with a small lag angle. The advantage is again the smaller number of
steps to reduce machining time with an improved surface f inish.
11
Machining of the cavity

With deep cavities especially the advantages of 5-Axis are very evident.
The powerful algorithms to automatically tilt the tool and holder away
from the work piece in case of collision provide the ability to cut deeper
molds with small radii with standard tools, without surface-f inish
spoiling vibrations. Providing this strategy, GibbsCAM 5-Axis enables
milling of mould sections which formerly had been done by Sinker type
EDM, thus dramatically shortening the mold making time.
Machining Cutting Tools

When machining metal cutting tools, it is necessary to mill the flutes in
5-axis simultaneous mode. In many cases it is necessary to machine in
several depth cuts as well as from the side, depending on the tool type.
Shorter machining time is key because it is a very cost-sensitive business.
The reduced machining time required can only be achieved with a very
smooth toolpath, which is provided in the GibbsCAM 5-Axis module.
Conical tools
For f inishing toolpaths on cutting tools the utilization of conical tools is a very good
practice. Collision control, even on sharp corners between cuts, is an essential
prerequisite.
Plastics Industry
Trimming of plastic parts
After production, vacuum-formed or f ibre-reinforced plastic parts have to be
trimmed, drilled, tapped, grooved etc. from all sides. The GibbsCAM 5-Axis
provides maximum control of the tool direction because with these types of
parts both rotary axes are on the tool and possible collisions still need to be
avoided. Furthermore automatic collision detection between work piece/
f ixture versus tool and/or using calculated tool positions is a valuable feature.
12
Pattern making and woodcutting

Making patterns, especially patterns of very large parts using 5 Axis
machining provides dramatically reduced machining time compared with 3
Axis machining. A large Flat End Mill is oriented perpendicular to the
surface thus machining the maximum possible surface area. Another
important feature of GibbsCAM 5-Axis allows the user to def ine a Stock
Surface Model for roughing the CAD model to avoid unnecessary air moves.
Trimming of furniture parts

In the Furniture Industry router machines are often used for 5 Axis
machining. These machines typically have their rotational axis in the
spindle. With these kinds of milling machines, collisions of aggregate and
work piece can produce costly damage. GibbsCAM 5-Axis, cut part
rendering, and Machine Simulation can avoid that and optimize
programming time by just trying different set-ups of the part and different
starting angles in the verif ication.
Cylinder head machining

Toolpath strategies
One of the most complex tasks in building prototype motors for the
automotive industry is the optimization of porting of the cylinder head
which in turn determine the fuel consumption, power and torque. With
its powerful cutting strategies, GibbsCAM 5-Axis provides solutions to
decrease machining time.
Collision control
Collision control is available in the 5-Axis module. Multiple strategies for
avoiding collisions are available, and multiple sets of gouge protected
surfaces, each with their own parameter settings can be used at the same
time.
Spiral cutting
Using the spiral cut option without stepover provides improved surface quality.
This option removes surface marks created by the standard stepover
approaches.
13
Impeller machining
Rouging of impellers
Machining of impellers is one of the most complex tasks of milling. Some of
the reasons are that the very small available space for the tool to offset the
necessary angular motion of the rotational axis has to be combined with
highest requirements of surface quality. Further requirements due to
economics, is a reduced machining time with very smooth toolpaths on a
Multisurface-Model. These models, which can have very thin ribs, tend to be
destroyed by vibrations.
Best results are achieved with depth cuts based on the stock def inition of the
upper and lower surface of the impeller ribs using conical cutters. Another
important feature of GibbsCAM 5-Axis is the ability to dynamically adjust the
feedrate based on surface radius of curvature.
Finishing of impeller blades

The critical requirements of f inishing the blades of the impeller are
accuracy and smooth axis movements, because anything else will result in
surface marks and/or surface cut-off. To achieve this kind of toolpath
GibbsCAM 5-Axis provides the ability to assign tool orientation to user-
def ined tool axis vectors.
Achievements
GibbsCAM 5-Axis provides all of the necessary tools for successful 5-Axis
Impeller machining. Shortest cycle time is paired with an optimum
surface f inish which can only be possible by calculating directly on
surface representation and taking the 5-axis collision control between
points into account for collision detection.
Machining of Turbine Blades
Roughing of turbine blades

Turbine blades have always been a classical task for 5 axis machining. It
combines the easy and collision free handling and programming of tilted
tool plane roughing toolpaths using large end mills, with complex 5-Axis
simultaneous toolpaths.
14
Finishing of turbine blades

There are two strategies to f inish turbine blades.
The f irst strategy is to f inish with a ball end mill and to tilt the tool to the rotational
axis, with a def ined angle, to optimise cutting conditions on the blade surface and
avoid holder collisions. As a further strategy, the spiral toolpath is selected to
improve surface quality by avoiding marks otherwise left by tool stepover.
The second strategy uses a bull nose end mill. Using a large cutter diameter
and utilizing the 5-Axis module's ability to detect collisions between the
cutter and the work piece and to avoid it by tilting the tool, machining time
is improved compared with strategy #1. A spiral toolpath can also be used in
this case.
Machining of Excenter valves and Mill/Turn machining
Excenter Shafts
GibbsCAM 5-Axis offers a variety of functions for machining of Eccentric Shafts.
Camshafts and connecting rod journals can be milled with simultaneous 4-Axis
with collision check. The stock may be def ined as well as a cutter shift into the
cutting direction for rough machining.
Mill Turn
Another application for the 5-Axis module is extrusion and injection molding
screws for plastics and rubber processing. It is good practice to use conical tools
for this kind of application. Multi-Passes for roughing and f inishing toolpaths may
be def ined which are closely oriented at the complicated screw shape to avoid
unnecessary air moves.
15
16
5-AXIS INTERFACE
5-Axis Interface
CHAPTER 2 : 5-Axis Interface

OVERVIEW
CAM PALETTE
The 5-Axis product adds a tile and a menu to the Processes palette. The menu lets you def ine drive and check
surfaces. Simply choose the type of selection you wish to make and when you click one or more faces in the
workspace those faces will be designated such. The types of selections are color-coded for easy identif ication.
1. The 5-Axis process tile

2. The 5-Axis control menu
3. Available controls
Figure 1: Items unique to the 5-Axis interface.
THE 5-AXIS DIALOG BOX

Once a tool has been placed on a 5-Axis process tile the 5-Axis Parameters dialog box opens. This dialog box
has 7 tabs that help you def ine and control 5-axis toolpath. The tabs are the Options tab, the Surface Paths tab,
the Tool Axis Control tab, the Gouge Check tab, the Link tab, the Roughing tab, and the Utility tab. The 5-Axis
Parameters dialog box uses graphics to help you visualize the options you are setting. The contents of the 5-
Axis Parameters dialog are very dynamic, that is to say that changing an option can change numerous things
within the tab including graphics and other options that are appropriate for your choices.
19
5-Axis Interface
Options tab
The Options tab is the f irst tab and contains controls for the most basic of toolpath functions. Here you set
common machining data such as feeds and speeds. Additionally, you can choose the type of interface to use,
either the General interface which provides access to all of the system’s options and parameters, or one of the
specialized interfaces aimed at specif ic types of machining. More information can be found in the “Options
Tab” section beginging on page 21.
Surface Paths tab

The Surface Paths tab has controls that let you set the pattern options, cut area options, cut sorting options
and surface quality options. On this tab you also select your drive surfaces and supporting edge/curve
geometry where applicable. You can also set an additional start point. More information can be found in the
“Surface Paths tab” section beginging on page 35.
Tool Axis Control tab

The Tool Axis Control tab has controls that let you def ine the tool orientation. On this tab you can also set
machining limit angles and def ine the contact point between tool and surface. More information can be found
in the “Tool Axis Control tab” section beginging on page 81.
Gouge Check tab

The Gouge Check tab has options for def ining how to prevent the tool from gouging selected drive and check
surfaces. More information can be found in the “Gouge Check tab” section beginging on page 137.
Link tab
Surfaces def ining the work piece may have gaps and holes. In such cases you can def ine the desired behavior of
the toolpath. For example, small gaps can be ignored and milled without retracting or when big gaps are
detected the tool can retract back to the rapid plane and skip the gap. Options such as this are set on the Link
tab. More information can be found in the “Link tab” section beginging on page 155.
Roughing tab
The Roughing tab has controls that let you def ine stock as well as the control the multi passes option, the
depth of cuts setting, any pocketing options and how plunging is performed. Any moves the tool makes in the
air, i.e. movements that do not remove material, can be trimmed using the stock def inition on this tab. More
information can be found in the “Roughing tab” section beginging on page 187.
Utility tab
The Utility tab has controls for special functions like optimizing the feed rates within the toolpath, creating
toolpath with smoothed surface normals, or adding an axial shift to the resultant toolpath. More information
can be found in the “Utility tab” section beginging on page 207.
20
OPTIONS TAB
Options Tab
CHAPTER 3 : Options Tab

ABOUT THE OPTIONS TAB
The Options tab contains the very basic information that is common to all machining (see “Common
Machining Controls”) which includes things like feeds and speeds, coolant control and patterns. This tab also
lets you set rotary duplication (see “Rotary Controls”) and has a button to reset all of the 5-Axis parameters (see
“Restore Defaults”). Additionally, the Options tab lets you change the 5-Axis system from a very general
interface where you have many choices for creating your toolpath to a very specif ic interface that is specialized
towards a specif ic type of machining, see “Type of Machining” on page 24 for a description of this.
COMMON MACHINING CONTROLS

Material: Clicking this button lets you modify the contents of the material database.
Speed RPM: Clicking this button will load a suggested speed based on the part material and the tool. You may
also manually enter a value in the text box.
Entry Feed: Clicking this button will load a suggested speed for the tool when approaching the part based on
the part material and the tool. You may also manually enter a value in the text box.
Contour Feed: Clicking this button will load a suggested speed for the tool when cutting the part based on the
part material and the tool. You may also manually enter a value in the text box.
Exit Feed: Clicking this button will load a suggested speed for the tool when leaving the part based on the part
material and the tool. You may also manually enter a value in the text box.
23
Options Tab
Rapid Retract: Activating this option will cause the tool to rapid when pulling off of the part to move between
slices or passes.
Coolant: Select whether to use coolant for this operation. By default the only option is Flood. Additional
options require a custom post processor and MDD.
Pattern: You may def ine a pattern from a workgroup. With 5-Axis Pattern operations the tool just moves over
in XY. All approaches and retracts are handled on the Link tab. The Clearance area and other settings affect the
moves between pattern instances just as they affect the moves before and after the original cutting. See the Mill
manual for more information on Patterns.
ROTARY CONTROLS
The Rotary Duplicate control lets you duplicate the toolpath around the rotary axis (e.g. A, B, or C depending
on your machine setup). This is an operation rotary position or rotary repeat. This functionality is fully
described in the Mill manual if you need more detailed information, Simply put you can def ine a 3, 4 or 5-axis
toolpath complete with a “First Entry” and “Last Exit” as def ined on the Link tab, and then duplicate that
around a part at an angle. An example of this use would be def ining an operation that f inishes the base of a
turbine. Rather than creating the same operation numerous times you can simply enter that you want to
repeat this same toolpath one or more times. For example, repeat 9 times at 36 degrees increments. Note that
the G-code output for repeated operations using the Rotary Duplicate option will always be in longhand (no
subroutine) format for 5-Axis operations.
The moves between iterations is assumed to be “clear” and has no gouge protection. This move between
iterations is dependent on MDD settings, especially for rotary head machines. For rotary table machines it is
assumed that the tool is clear in Z. This is a bit more complex than a 4-axis rotary duplicate as there is a
second rotary axis moving to the start point of the next iteration.
As an example let’s look at a BC rotary table machine, using rotary repeats around C. Unlike 4-axis rotations,
the machine is also moving B to position the tool at the next start point. The Z clearance value needed to stay
clear of the part may be surprising. When using this Rotary Duplicate function please be aware of your MDD
settings for clearance moves and the operation’s Last Exit Z move position for the connect move to the
repeated operation.
RESTORE DEFAULTS
Clicking this button resets the values of all f ields to their initial system-supplied default values. This can be
useful when you have modif ied a number of parameter values and you aren't sure which parameter is affecting
the toolpath calculations.
TYPE OF MACHINING
The 5-Axis Parameters dialog box is typically in a generic interface appropriate to all types of machining. This
is the case when the pull-down menu reads “General”. In addition to this you can change the interface to be
focused on a specif ic type of machining including “Projection”, “Swarf Milling”, “Cavity Tilt Curve”, “Cylinder
Head”, “Electrode Machining 4+1 Axis”, “Impeller Floor Surface”, “Impeller Roughing”, “Impeller Blade Swarf
Finishing” and “Turbo Shaft Finishing 4+1 Axis”. Each of these items will change the interface to have only one
or two tabs. This will help you focus on the controls that are relevant to that kind of machining. Each of these
items will set defaults within the system that are geared towards the specif ic type of machining, even for
parameters that are not displayed in the dialog for the specif ic type of machining. It is recommended that you
click the Restore Defaults button when changing between the machining types.
24
Options Tab
You may also use these specialized interfaces to help you set the defaults aimed at a type of machining and
then switch over to the General interface. This may help you learn what parameter settings are important for a
particular type of machining.
General: When General is active the 5-Axis Parameters dialog box has seven available tabs for def ining 3, 4 and
5-axis machining. See the section for the specif ic tab for a description of its contents.
Projection: This interface is specialized towards projecting geometry onto a solid for machining. This
machining option requires you to select drive surfaces and projection geometry. All of the controls for this
machining are found in the general interface. The gouge check uses the tool shaft, front end of the holder and
back end of the holder. The tool tip is not checked for gouges.
25
Options Tab
Swarf Milling: This interface is specialized towards swarf milling or cutting with the side of the tool. This
interface lets you choose the walls to be machined, a bottom edge of the wall, floor faces and check surfaces.
The gouge check uses the entire tool def inition to check against gouges. Unlike the other focused machining
types, Swarf milling gives you full control over the items in the Link tab. See “About Links” on page 157..
26
Options Tab
Cavity Tilt Curve: This interface is specialized towards machining cavities. This interface lets you choose the
surfaces to be machined and a tilt curve.
27
Options Tab
Cylinder Head: This interface is specialized towards port machining using a point through which the tool tilts.
This interface lets you choose the tilt point, the drive surfaces, a curve to follow and check surfaces. The gouge
check uses the entire tool def inition to check against gouges.
28
Options Tab
Electrode Machining 4+1 Axis: This interface is specialized towards machining electrodes. This interface lets
you choose the drive surfaces and check surfaces. The gouge check uses the tool shaft and the front and back
ends of the holder to check for gouges against the drive surfaces. The tip and shaft are checked against check
surfaces.
29
Options Tab
Impeller Floor Surface: This interface is specialized towards f inishing the floors of an impeller. This interface
lets you choose left and right blade walls, a tilt curve to follow, the floor surfaces and optionally you may
choose to machine around the impeller blades or only between the blades using the Advanced controls. The
gouge check uses the entire tool def inition to check against gouges.
30
Options Tab
Impeller Roughing: This interface is specialized towards roughing out impellers. This interface lets you choose
left and right blade walls, the floor surfaces, check surfaces, and optionally you may choose to machine around
the impeller blades or only between the blades using the Advanced controls. The gouge check uses the tool tip
and shaft to check for gouges against the drive surfaces. The entire tool (tip, shaft, front and back ends of the
holder) is checked against check surfaces.
31
Options Tab
Impeller Blade Swarf Finishing: This interface is specialized towards f inishing the walls of impellers. This
interface lets you choose the floor surfaces, drive surfaces, check surfaces and optionally you may choose to
machine around the impeller blades or only one side of the blades using the Advanced controls. The gouge
check uses the tool shaft and the front and back ends of the holder to check against gouges. This option does
not check the tool tip for gouges.
32
Options Tab
Turbo Shaft Finishing 4+1 Axis: This interface is specialized towards f inishing the shaft of a turbine blade. The
interface lets you choose the edges between which to machine and the drive surfaces that are to be machined.
Additionally you can select a tilt curve to follow. The gouge check uses the tool shaft and the front and back
ends of the holder to check for gouges against the drive surfaces. The tip and shaft are checked against check
surfaces.
33
Options Tab
34
SURFACE PATHS TAB
Surface Paths tab
CHAPTER 4 : Surface Paths tab

ABOUT THIS TAB
This tab lets you set the pattern options, cut area options, cut sorting options and surface quality options. On
this tab you also select your drive surfaces and other toolpath control surfaces or curves, and you can set an
additional start point.
37
Surface Paths tab
PATTERN
The f irst thing to do is determine what type of cut you are going to use. In this
section you can set up the machining strategy for your drive surface. The Pattern
menu lets you choose the type of cut. The options include “Parallel cuts”,
“Perpendicular to curve”, “Morph between two curves”, “Parallel to Multiple
curves”, “Project curves”, “Morph between two surfaces” and “Parallel to surface”.
In addition to the type of cut you must select the faces to be cut, known as the
“Drive Surfaces”, and any offset value using the Drive surface clearance. All of the
pattern types except “Parallel cuts” require the selection of one or more surfaces or curves.
PARALLEL CUTS
The Parallel cuts option will create toolpaths that are parallel to each other. The direction of the cuts is def ined
by the two angles. The angles in XY and in Z determine the direction of the parallel cuts of the toolpath. The
distance between two neighboring cuts is the “Stepover”. Once your parameters are set, def ine the area to be
machined using the “Drive Surfaces” options. See the section “Parallel Cut Examples” for samples of how the
Machining angle settings are use.
Imagine slicing an apple: You can slice it with a knife parallel from the top down or from the left side to
the right side. The pictures in the dialog symbolize how to set the desired cutting direction using the
angles.
Select machining angles: This button opens a dialog that allows you to choose one of the coordinate systems in
the part f ile to set the machining angles. Selecting a CS and clicking OK will automatically f ill in the
“Machining angle in X, Y” and “Machining angle in Z” f ields.
Machining angle in X, Y: This is the angle of the toolpath, referenced to the XY plane. An angle of 0 degrees will
produce toolpath that is parallel to the Y axis where an angle of 90 degrees will produce toolpath that is
parallel to the X axis. Any value between -360 and 360 is valid.
Machining angle in Z: This item controls the toolpath pattern relative to the Z axis. An angle of 90 degrees is the
default for parallel machining, which results in parallel passes that are orthogonal to a virtual line rotated 90
38
Surface Paths tab
degrees from the Z axis. An angle of 0 degrees is the default for Constant Z, which results in Z slices that are
orthogonal to the Z axis (a virtual line rotated 0 degrees from the Z axis).
Constant Z: Clicking this button will disable the Machining angle in X, Y parameter and create cuts parallel to
Z.
Parallel: Clicking this button will enable both the Machining angle in X, Y and Machining angle in Z
parameters.
Drive surfaces: See “Drive Surfaces” on page 48.
Drive surfaces clearance: See “Drive surface clearance” on page 49.
Parallel Cut Examples

Cuts parallel to the Y axis: Setting the machining angle in Z to 90° and the angle in XY to 0 results in toolpath
parallel to Y axis with a constant X stepover.
Figure 2: Cuts Parallel to the Y Axis
The f ile Pattern - Parallel Cuts.vnc and shows an example of this toolpath.
Cuts parallel to the X axis: Setting the Machining angle in Z as well as the Machining angle in X, Y to 90 degrees
creates toolpath parallel to X axis with a constant Y stepover.
Figure 3: Cuts Parallel to the X Axis
The f ile Pattern - Parallel Cuts.vnc and shows an example of this toolpath.
39
Surface Paths tab
Cuts parallel to the Z axis: To get Z constant cuts enter a Machining angle in Z of 0 degrees or click the Constant
Z button. Now the Machining angle in X, Y blanks out because you are no longer working in that plane. In this
example Machining angle in Z and Machining angle in X, Y are set to 0 degrees to create circular toolpath with
a constant Z distance.
Figure 4: Cuts Parallel to the X Axis
PERPENDICULAR TO CURVE
With this pattern the generated toolpath is orthogonal to a leading curve. This means that when your selected
curve is not a straight line the cuts are not parallel to each other. Click the Lead button to select the Drive
Curves (geometry or edge of a solid) to be used as the guide. See “Drive Curves” on page 49 for more
information on curve selection. You will also need to select one or more faces to def ine the machining area by
clicking on the Drive Surfaces button (see “Drive Surfaces” on page 48). The distance between two neighboring
cuts (at the crossing point of curve and toolpath) is the Stepover.
• The curve does not need to be located exactly on or above the surface. It can be placed anywhere
in your part.
• If the selected curve bends too much then the toolpath can intersect itself. The quality of this
Pattern type is only as good as the curve/surface selections.
40
Surface Paths tab
Example: In this example you can see the leading curve

and the generated toolpath. It is important that the
toolpath at the edge of the drive surface don’t cross each
other. In this example the cuts come very close to each
other but do not touch.
See the f ile Pattern - Cuts Along Curve.vnc for this

example.
MORPH BETWEEN TWO CURVES

This option will create a morphed toolpath between two
leading curves. Morphed means that the generated
toolpath is approximated between the tilt curves and
evenly spread over the surface. This option is very suitable
to machine steep areas for mold making. To use this option you need to select one or more faces to be
machined and the two curves to morph between. Click the First and Second curve buttons to pick the curves
from your geometry (see “Drive Curves” on page 49). You may manually select the faces to be machined or you
may use the Drive Surfaces button to select and save the faces.
The more accurate the guide curves are to the real surface edges the better this function works. So the best
result would be an exact curve on the edge of the drive surface. The number of the cuts is not clearly def ined
since you have a morphed toolpath and the distances between the cuts at the end of the faces are very
different. If you want a certain amount of cuts set the Area “Type” to be “Determined by number of cuts”.
When you set the cutting area to Full, start and end at
exact surface edge you can set margins to the curves.
41
Surface Paths tab
Example: In this example you see a cut out

of a wing. The black and green lines on the
edge of the sides are the f irst and second
selected curves, respectively. As you can see
the angle between these curves as well as
the shape are totally different. The
generated toolpath is approximated
between the tilt curves and evenly spread at
the thin and thick radius side. From this
you can see the difference and advantage of
this function over a parallel toolpath.
The example can be seen in the f ile

Pattern - Morph Between Two Curves.vnc.
PARALLEL TO MULTIPLE CURVES

Parallel to curve option will align the cut direction along a leading curve. The leading curve does not need to
be located exactly on or above the surface, it can be placed anywhere in your part. The neighboring cuts are
parallel to each other. To use this option you need to select one or more faces (see “Drive Surfaces” on page 48)
and a drive curve, selected using the Edge Curves button (see “Drive Curves” on page 49).
Example: The following images are examples of operations using the Parallel to a curve machining strategy. The
example can be seen in the f ile Pattern - Parallel To Curve.vnc.
42
Surface Paths tab
PROJECT CURVES
Project curves generates a single toolpath along a curve and is a good choice for engraving. You will need to
choose one or more faces (see “Drive Surfaces” on page 48) and projected geometry to act as a guide curve,
which is selected with the Projection button (see “Drive Curves” on page 49). Ideally, the curve to be machined
is located directly on the drive surface.
Max Projection Distance: This is the maximum amount the precess will attempt to project from the selected
curves. If a letter “T” is centered one inch above a sphere and the max distance equals one, then only the
vertical part of the “T” will be projected as the horizontal cross of the “T” needs to be projected more than one
inch to reach the surface.
Example: Here you can see generated toolpath along a curve. To

see this example open the f ile Pattern - Project Curve.vnc.
MORPH BETWEEN TWO SURFACES

This option will create a morphed toolpath on a drive surface. The
drive surface is enclosed by two check surfaces. Morphed means
that the generated toolpath is approximated between the check
surfaces and evenly spread over the drive surface. Machining the
floor of an impeller between two blades is a common use for this
pattern type. To set up this process choose Morph between 2
surfaces from the drop down menu, then pick the f irst and the
second check surface (the two surfaces surrounding the drive
43
Surface Paths tab
surface) by clicking the First and Second buttons (see “Check Surfaces” on page 49). The Advanced button for
Patterns lets you control the toolpath’s behavior between the check surfaces.
• The drive surface edge and the check surface edge must be coincident.
• To ensure the check surface is not violated due to tool tilting it is important to
activate gouge checking.
A big advantage to Morph between 2 surfaces is the possibility to compensate the tool to the drive surface and
the check surface in the left and right corners of the work piece. This is the concept of “margins”. When you
work with margins the tool must be a ball endmill and “Calc Based on Tool Center” (found on the Utility tab)
must be enabled. Also when you work with margins the value should be your tool radius or bigger. A smaller
value would destroy the faces. See the section “To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality -
Maximum Stepover.vnc.” on page 79 for more information.
Example of Morph Between Two Surfaces: This example shows an impeller section. The tool diameter is 10 mm,
so the start margin is 5 mm. As you can see the distances between the drive surface and the check surface to
the sphere center of the tool is 5 mm. This is also essential for the end surface.
To see this example open the f ile Pattern - Morph Between Two Surfaces.vnc.
PARALLEL TO SURFACE
Using the Parallel to surface option means that the cuts on your drive surface will be generated on a drive
surface (see “Drive Surfaces” on page 48) parallel to a check surface (see “Check Surfaces” on page 49). This
option is particularly useful when your drive surface encounters an uneven check surface. The distance
between two neighboring cuts is the “Stepover”. With this strategy you can def ine a margin to get the tool to
be as close to both the check and drive surfaces as possible without gouging. Additionally, there are items that
44
Surface Paths tab
give you additional control over the surfaces to be cut which are accessed by clicking the Advanced button. See
“Advanced button for Patterns” on page 46 for more information.
• The drive surface edge and the check surface edge must be coincident.
• To ensure the check surface is not violated due to tool tilting it is important to
activate gouge checking.
If you are working with margins (see “To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality - Maximum
Stepover.vnc.” for more information) the Area Type has to be set to Full, start and end at exact surface edge
because the distance between the margin and f irst cut depends on the exact position of the surface edge. Then
select the Advanced button to open the Margins window. The start margin belongs to the f irst surface and the
end margin to the second surface. The values should be the radius of your tool. If you are using a ball endmill
and would like to have double tangency (pencil tracing), you have to switch on “Calc Based on Tool Center” in
the “Utility tab”. If the calculation is not based on the tool center the wrong toolpath will be generated.
45
Surface Paths tab
Example: Here you can see the tool running on the drive surface parallel to the wavy check surface. All cuts are
parallel, doesn’t matter how far they are away from the check surface.
1. Check Surface
This shows how the margins option works. With a margin like the tool radius the tool exactly is located in the
edge.
1. Tool center point

2. Margin
To see this example open the f ile Pattern - Parallel To Surface.vnc.
ADVANCED BUTTON FOR PATTERNS

Clicking this button opens the Advanced options of surface paths pattern dialog box.
Generate toolpath only at front side: The effect of this item depends upon the Pattern being used.
Morph between two surfaces: When you activate this option when using a “Morph between two surfaces”
pattern then toolpath will be generated only between the two surfaces on the side the surface normal
points from. The default toolpath is all around the blades, even on the backsides. When this option is
active the toolpath is only created between the f irst and second surface. What happens is that the two
46
Surface Paths tab
enclosing surfaces will be virtually extended until they reach the end of the drive surface. The red surfaces
are the real surfaces. The yellow ones are the virtual extended surfaces.
Generate toolpath only at front side disabled Generate toolpath only at front side enabled
The First surface toolpath tangent angle and Second surface toolpath tangent angle items limit the
toolpath generation. Imagine that you tilt the virtual extended surfaces with an angle. You can set it for the
f irst and for the second surface. A positive angle value lets the path tilt inside, a negative angle tilts the
path outward.
Figure 5: Examples of Surface toolpath tangent angle limits.
Parallel to surface: When this item is activated toolpath will be generated parallel to the selected surface on
the side the surface normal points from. The following image shows the toolpath with this option
deactivated. The normal is on the right side. What happens is that the surfaces are virtually extended to
47
Surface Paths tab
the end of the drive surface. In this image the red surface is the real surface, the yellow ones are virtually
extended.
An example of the default toolpath and with Generate toolpath only at front side active.
The Single edge toolpath tangent angle option limits the toolpath generation. This tilts the virtual
extended surfaces with an angle.
EDIT CURVES / EDIT SURFACES

The “Perpendicular to curve”, “Morph between two curves”, “Parallel to Multiple curves”, “Project curves”,
“Morph between two surfaces” and “Parallel to surface” patterns all require the selection of one or more curves
or surfaces to fully def ine the process. The buttons in the Edit Curves or Edit Surfaces area open a dialog box
that lets you choose the required element from the workspace. See “Drive Surfaces” on page 48 or “Drive
Curves” on page 49 for more information.
DRIVE SURFACES
A drive surface is the body, face or group of faces you want to machine. You may machine solids or sheets but
if you are selecting sheets please be sure the correct side of the sheet is pointing out.
Every pattern type requires you to choose the faces to be machined. Clicking this button lets you select the face
or faces to work on. When clicked, the 5-Axis Parameters dialog box disappears and the Select Drive Surfaces
dialog box opens. The drive surfaces can also be selected directly by ensuring that the “part” icon in the CAM
palette is depressed, and selecting the body or surfaces, see “CAM Palette” on page 19.
48
Surface Paths tab
Select Drive Surfaces: This dialog shows which faces will be used as drive surfaces for the current process.
Surfaces are added by selection in the workspace.
DRIVE SURFACE CLEARANCE

Drive surface clearance is a virtual offset to the drive surface. The parameter enables you to specify the amount
of material or stock allowance to remain on drive surface after the completion of the toolpath. All values are
relative to the surface. The tool will not come closer to the surfaces by less than this value for positive offset
values, and will not enter into the surface by more than the absolute value of the offset for negative offset
values. For example, with a drive surface offset of 0.3 the tool will not come closer than 0.3mm + tolerance.
This can also be seen as a remaining stock value on the surfaces.
1. Drive Surface
2. Drive Surface Clearance
3. Tolerance
The offset is 3 dimensional and expands the faces in every direction. Because this function only affects the tool
tip, the tool shaft, arbor or holder does not necessarily stay away from the drive surfaces by the offset value
when swarf cutting. To get an offset for the tool parts you have to use the options found in “Clearances for tool
parts”.
CHECK SURFACES
A check surface is a face used to contain toolpath or set an area the tool may not enter or cut. Check surfaces
are also used to control the shape of the toolpath in that the tool can follow the check surface’s topology. The
tool behavior when it encounters a check surface depends on the Pattern being used, the selected Gouge
Check strategy and the Link settings.
DRIVE CURVES
A drive curve is geometry or the edge of a solid that is being used to control the toolpath. Depending upon the
Pattern type selected, the exact name of the guide curve may be different, such as Lead, First Curve and Second
49
Surface Paths tab
Curve or Edge. When selecting an edge or curve you will be presented with a dialog similar to one of the
following. These dialogs show which elements are going to be used in the operation.
50
Surface Paths tab
AREA
After choosing the toolpath pattern to make you must set options for controlling the area to be machined. First
you choose how the area will be machined using the entries in the “Type” menu. Secondly you can set various
options for controlling the toolpath including how to deal with sharp corners (the Chamfer Corners option),
controlling the ends of the toolpath (the Extend/Trim option), controlling the machining area by surface
normals (the Angle Range option) and controlling the machining area by 2D shapes (the 2D Containment
option).
TYPE
Generally the cutting area type lets you def ine the area on the drive surface
to be milled. There are four options possible including Full, avoid cuts at
exact edges, Full, start and end at exact surface edges, Determined by
number of cuts and Limit cuts by one or two points. The different options
have advantages for different machining strategies. Choose your strategy from the drop down menu.
Full, avoid cuts at exact edges

Here the toolpath will be generated on the entire drive surface, avoiding the surface edges. Because the idea
here is to avoid cutting at the exact surface edges, the distance the tool cuts from the edges is always less than
one half the step distance. This distance from the edge cannot be modif ied directly, but will change as the step
distance is modif ied.
This option is useful in cases where the boundary of the drive surfaces is not smooth, meaning that the edge of
the surface is wavy or there are small gaps. If the surface edge is too wavy and the gaps are too big and the half
of the step over size is not enough to compensate, the system recognizes a “Gaps Along Cut” instead. They are
handled on the Link tab page.
When you are swarf milling it might happen that the tool doesn't reach the edge at the end of the surface.
That's because the remaining cuts after the f irst have exactly the maximum step over distance and your surface
usually ends somewhere between one cut. To get these parts milled you can set an axial shift. It's an infeed to
the tool position in axial direction. Please note that this axial shift will be set to every cut then. The “Axial
Shift” value is entered on the Utility tab.
51
Surface Paths tab
Example: In this picture you can see that the tool doesn't start at the
exact edge of the surface. So the wavy upper edge has no influence on
the toolpath.
To see this example open the f ile Cutting Area - Type.vnc.
Full, start and end at exact surface edges

With this option the toolpath will be generated on the whole surface
and exactly to the surface edge or to the nearest possible position.
Additionally, you can set a start and/or an end margin by clicking on
the Advanced button. The margins must be positive. The start margin
belongs to the f irst curve/surface and the end margin belongs to the
second curve. See “To see this example open the f ile Surface
Quality - Maximum Stepover.vnc.” section beginging on page 79 for more information.
The number of cuts depends on the “Stepover” size. Since the f irst and last cut is exactly on the edge and the
distances between the cuts is equal, the number of cuts will be calculated with length of surface/maximum
step over. So the actual maximum step over value is smaller than the value you set before.
Please be aware that this option is very sensitive to situations where either the edge of the surface is
wavy or there are small gaps in the surface. These situations can cause undesirable retracts by the
tool. This can be alleviated by using the “Gaps Along Cut” option or by setting the cutting area to Full,
avoid cuts at exact edges.
Example: In this picture you can see that the tool starts at the exact
edge of the surface. Since the f irst cut starts at the upper end of the
wavy surface, you can see that this is not the best strategy. A better use
here might be Full, avoid cuts at exact edges or setting a margin.
Therefore at the end of the surface the last cut is at the exact edge.
To see this example open the f ile Cutting Area - Type.vncc.

Changing the Gaps Along Cut option lets you see how the different
clearance options will affect your toolpath.
Determined by number of cuts

This option allows the user to set a def ined number of cuts. The f irst
cut is at the exact edge, but can be shifted with a margin which can be
added by clicking on the Advanced button. The margins must be
positive. The start margin belongs to the f irst curve/surface while the end margin belongs to the second curve.
See “To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality - Maximum Stepover.vnc.” section beginging on
page 79 for more information. This option is only available with toolpath pattern Parallel to Multiple curves,
Parallel to surface or Morph between two curves.
In the case of Parallel to Multiple curves and Parallel to surface you often only need one single cut to f inish the
whole contour, so more than one cut is not necessary. In the case of Morph between two surfaces and Morph
between two curves, the number of cuts is not clearly def ined since you have a morphed toolpath and the
distances between the cuts at the end of the faces are very different. Also it's a way to test the toolpath without
generating a lot of cuts which is faster.
When selecting this option, the Maximum step over parameter is hidden since it is a result of the machined
area and the number of cuts.
52
Surface Paths tab
Example: In this picture you see a typical application for Determined

by number of cuts. You only have one single cut but you can mill the
f inal contour.
TYPE OPTIONS
Several of the Area Types have additional controls. This includes the
Set Points button which opens the “Limit cuts by one or two points”
dialog box and “Margins” controls.
Limit cuts by one or two points

This option allows you to limit the machining between two points, enabling you to work on only a certain area
of the part’s surfaces. To select the points that will contain the toolpath you must click the Advanced button.
Within this dialog you can explicitly def ine the coordinates that limit the toolpath or you may choose the
points by clicking on the ellipsis (“…”) button. This will open a dialog to let you select a point and the system
will f ill in the coordinates for you. If the coordinates for the two points are identical the toolpath will make one
pass through that point only. Pressing one of the arrow buttons (“--->” and “<---”) copies the coordinate from
one side to the other.
You can only limit the toolpath if the points are besides the cuts along the toolpath.
Example: In this picture you see the machining only is in the

center area of the surface, between the two points. The sample
part also shows this option using through a point technique.
Margins
The f irst cut starts at the edges of the drive faces in cases where you have set the Area “Type” to either “Full,
start and end at exact surface edges” or “Determined by number of cuts”. The toolpath on the surface edge now
has a def ined position. With this position it is possible to def ine a certain margin from the surface edge for the
53
Surface Paths tab
f irst cut and the last cut. In the Advanced parameters for the margins you can set an additional Start and End
margin to overcome surface edge inaccuracies.
Additional margin to overcome surface edge inaccuracies: Toolpath strategies that use edge curves and surfaces
sometimes encounter diff iculties since CAD systems deliver the drive surfaces and the edge geometry (curves
or surfaces) only within some accuracy. If the user would like to start the toolpath exactly at 0 distance from
the edge geometry this is problematic since the geometry can never be exactly aligned. For this reason an edge
tolerance is used. The toolpath generated will be at the distance of surface edge curve tolerance plus the
margin value entered by the user. E.g. to get a toolpath at 5mm distance, the user can keep the surface edge
tolerance at 0.03 and enter a margin of 4.97mm.
Add internal tool radius: For a pencil trace machining it is necessary to have at least the tool radius margin to
the leading curve or surface. By activating this option the tool radius will be added on top to the margin and
the additional margin.
Availability and Examples: Following are the combinations of Patterns and Area types that let you set margin
values as well as examples of how they may be used.
Morph between two curves: Start and End margins are available when the area type is set to “Full, start and
end at exact surface edges” or “Determined by number of cuts”.
An example could be a turbine blade with two floor faces. Although you are using Morph between two
curves to limit the toolpath to the blade, you still have to be concerned about the floor faces, which will be
gouged if you just follow the bottom edges of the turbine blade. By setting a margin equal to the tool radius
the tool will maintain that distance from floor faces and will not gouge. So always use at least the tool
radius as margin to get the proper calculation of the tool center from the wall to floor. Please note that the
start margin belongs to the f irst curve and the end margin to the second curve.
Parallel to curve: A Start margin value is available when the area type is set to “Full, start and end at exact
surface edges” or “Determined by number of cuts”.
An example could be electrode machining. The electrode has floor faces you don't want to gouge. When
you set a margin of the tool radius, the tool always maintains a certain distance from the floor faces, so you
would set the tool radius or greater as the margin value.
Another example is when you are swarf cutting and the wall surfaces don't come to the bottom edge curve
along the entire perimeter, or if there are holes modeled in the wall. To avoid having gaps, you can set a
start margin, then set an axial shift value that is the inverse of the shift to put the path back in the proper
location.
54
Surface Paths tab
Morph between two surfaces: Start and End margins are available when the area type is set to “Full, start
and end at exact surface edges”. The distance between the margin and the f irst cut depends on the exact
position of the surface edge. You can see in the picture below why this is so important. In this impeller
example you have an inlaying edge. The toolpath has to f it in that edge to avoid a gouge. When you set a
margin of the tool radius, the tool always maintains a certain distance from the floor face and blade face, so
always use at least the tool radius as margin. Please note that the start margin belongs to the f irst surface
and the end margin to the second surface.
1. Sphere Center
2. Start Margin
Parallel to surface: A Start margin value is available when the area type is set to “Full, start and end at exact
surface edges” or “Determined by number of cuts”.
An example could be two crossing faces where the drive face plunges through a check face. You don't want
the tool to gouge so the machining must stop before the drive face plunges into the check face. When you
set a margin of the tool radius, the tool has a certain distance from floor faces and it won't gouge. So always
use at least the tool radius as margin.
Parallel cuts: This pattern type doesn’t allow margins but it is possible to set the Advanced parameter to
overcome surface edge inaccuracies.
AREA OPTIONS
Chamfer Corners
This option can be set to f ind small radius areas and sharp inner edges in the surface of a model. Inside corners
cause toolpath to “f ish tail” or “dove tail”. Using this option will help you eliminate this unwanted motion from
the toolpath. This option can also be considered to be a f illet generator. The surface model is rounded
(f illeted) in the direction of the toolpath slices with a radius to avoid small radii and inner sharp corners. The
applied radius is the main tool radius plus the current stock value. The f illet generation is independent of tool
type and shape. In most cases this option is used with a ball cutter, lollipop cutter or a conical cutter with ball
tip. If swarf machining (side cutting) is applied then cylindrical or torus cutters can be used with this option.
55
Surface Paths tab
Clicking the Chamfer Corners button lets you apply an additional value, which must be positive, to the radius
move in the toolpath. This makes the corner move value the tool radius plus the stock to leave plus the
additional radius.
Figure 6: Examples of toolpath in a sharp corner (1), the same toolpath with Chamfer
Corners option active (2) and with an additional radius added to the corner (3).
At this time the additional radius value actually is a line, not a curve. This function is
! in development. The line will be replaced with a real radius in future versions.
Example: Here you can see an example of a part with unwanted “f ish tails” and the same toolpath with
“Chamfer Corners” applied. To see this example open the f ile Cutting Area - Round Corners.vnc.
Extend/Trim
With this option you can extend or trim the toolpath. The toolpath will be trimmed and/or extended
tangentially to its orientation. When “extending” the tool moves past the end(s) of the surface. When
“trimming” the tool does not reach the end(s) of the surface. In the case of round or curved surfaces the tool
also leaves the surface tangentially but continues on straight. This function is useful if you don't want the tool
to step over to the next cut while contacting the drive surface. When you enter a percentage of tool diameter
distance greater than 50 percent, the tool tip extends past the surface and doesn't contact it at all during the
step over to the next slice. The values you enter may be positive or negative numbers. The Extend/Trim gaps
56
Surface Paths tab
option allows the extend/trim settings to be applied to any gaps in the drive surfaces encountered along the
toolpath in addition to the surface edges.
This function is similar to the Entry and Exit macros. The advantage of this function
over the macros is this function provides better control with enclosed contours.
Example: In this picture you see that at the start the toolpath is extended and at the end its trimmed. To see
this example open the f ile Cutting Area - Extend Trim.vnc.
Angle Range
The def inition of shallow and steep areas for a mold is obvious. For 5-axis machining on parts with undercuts
and complex topology, the def inition of shallow and steep areas is more abstract than the def inition used for
57
Surface Paths tab
mold-making and 3-axis machining. This function lets you def ine the areas to be machined above the surface
normal angles.
A distinction is drawn by the steep areas and shallow areas. The shallow and steep areas are def ined by a view
direction and two angles describing an angle interval. Then you have the ability to machine everything inside
this angle interval or outside of this interval.
• The start angle must be smaller than the end angle, e.g. the start angle is 10° and the end angle is
20°.
• If the stepover is bigger than the area you have def ined between the start and end angle then no
toolpath will be generated.
• “Shallow” and “steep” calculation is based purely on surface contact points. In other words, some
portions of the surface geometry are virtually trimmed in order to split the part into shallow or
steep regions.
To set up this process you must f irst choose the view direction from
which steep and shallow will be def ined. You may choose between X, Y, Z
and a user def ined direction. For example, choosing the Z axis will align
the angles about the Z axis. If you choose the User Defined Axis option a
button labelled “Select Axis” will be available. Clicking this button opens
the View direction window. This lets you def ine a vector.
58
Surface Paths tab
Secondly you must set the start and end slope angles. The start angle has to be smaller than the end angle. A
good way to set up the angles correctly is analyzing what the surface normals are.
The last thing to do is to select which area shall be machined. The area between the angles is the “steep” area,
everything else is “shallow”.
Machining the “steep” angles Machining the “shallow” angles
2D Containment
This function lets you use a 2D shape to act as a machining boundary. You must select the containment curves
(see “Drive Curves” on page 49) and an axis from which to project the curve. In typical 3-axis machining
containment boundaries are often used to def ine or limit the area where the tool should be cutting the
material. There is a slightly different def inition of containment boundaries for 3 to 5-axis machining. You can
def ine 2d containment boundaries (multiple closed curves and nested shapes are allowed) and the drive
surfaces are “virtually” trimmed by the given containment boundaries. Since the calculation is based on
surface contact points it is not guaranteed that the tool is actually “contained” within the given boundary. The
projection axis direction is used to project the given 2d or 3d containment curves to the part and the part is
“virtually” trimmed by the given curves.
How it works: To use a 2D Containment you need one or more closed shapes. The shapes may be nested.
59
Surface Paths tab
The contour may lay above the drive surface or directly on the drive surface.
When the contour is not on the surface it will be projected to the drive surface. The projection axis is very
important and the surfaces to be cut must be in that plane in some way. If they are not the contour will project
improperly or not at all.
When you generate the operation the toolpath is trimmed at the contour but the pattern is the same.
60
Surface Paths tab
What happens if the contour is not entirely surrounded by the surface but only a part of the two overlap?
In this case, only that part of the contour that is above the surface will be projected. The toolpath only reaches
the edge of the surface.
Example: In this picture you see that the toolpath is

trimmed by the contour in Z projection direction. To see
this example open the f ile Cutting Area - 2D
Containment.vnc.
61
Surface Paths tab
SORTING
FLIP STEP OVER
The Flip step over option changes the direction of the toolpath’s cut sequence. This can change machining
direction from the outside to the inside or from the left to the right.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Sorting - Flip Stepover.vnc.
Here the machining begins at the top of the By activating the “Flip Step over” option the
work piece. machining begins at the edge
CUTTING METHOD
With the cutting method you def ine how to connect to the next cut. The machining can be “One way”, “Zig
Zag” or “Spiral”.
One way
With closed geometries the tool moves always around the part in the same direction.
With geometry that is not completely closed it is recommend to set the option “Enforce Cutting Direction”.
Then the surface will be machined like a closed contour.
With open geometry the tool moves to the end of the drive surface, retracts with the “Links Between Slice”
settings and begins at the start of the drive surface again.
Zig Zag
With closed geometries with every cut, the tool moves around the surface until the start point is reached. Then
it steps over with the “Links Between Slice” settings and continues machining in opposite direction.
With open geometry the tool starts at one end of the surface, steps over with the “Links Between Slice” settings
at the end of the surface and continues machining in opposite direction.
When used in combination with the tool axis orientation “Be tilted relative to cutting direction” and a side tilt
angle (see “Side tilt def inition” on page 87) then the tool has a constant orientation along its way. That means
that the tool always keeps its absolute orientation.
Sometimes you need the tool to flip it's orientation with every new cut. That means that the orientation of the
tool is relative to the cutting direction. For this activate “Allow flipping side direction”.
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Surface Paths tab
Example: To see this example open the f ile Sorting - One Way - Zig_Zag.vnc.
When you simulate the operation “one

When you simulate the operation When you simulate the operation
way” with enforce cutting direction, you
“one way” you see the tool “zigzag” you see the tool moving
see the tool moving around the part
moving around the part always in around the part always changing
always in one direction. Also the gap will
the same direction. the direction with every new cut.
be assumed as a closed contour.
Spiral
This option will generate spiral cuts on your surface. This option can be used with all patterns and the spiral
shape is projected back to the original surfaces. This helps to assure the requested surface tolerances. The f irst
and last cut is parallel to the surface edge shape.
A parallel cut A parallel cut with the Spiral method.
Advanced options for spiral machining

In this window you can set the toolpath behavior at the start and end of the spiral. You can close the spiral with
a complete contour at the top (“First contour”) and/or bottom (“Last contour”) of the spiral. Additionally you
may set the spiral mode to either Full Spiral (which is the default mode) or to Blending Spiral which requires a
Blend Distance. The Blending spiral will create a spiral only along the distance specif ied.
CUT ORDER
The cut order def ines the sequence of the cuts. There are three possible options.
Standard: Standard sets a default cut order, Usually from one side to the other.
From Center Away: The machining begins in the center of the surface and progresses outwards.
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Surface Paths tab
From outside to center: the machining begins from the outside of the surface and progresses inwards.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Sorting - Cut Order.vnc.
Here you see cut order from center away. The first Here you see cut order from outside to center.
cut is in the middle. The following cuts are The first cut is at the edge. The following cuts are
alternating besides outward. alternating besides inward.
DIRECTION FOR ONE WAY MACHINING

This option lets you def ine the moving direction of the tool on the part depending on the rotation direction of
your spindle, using Climb or Conventional (see “How Climb/Conventional Works” on page 65) or def ine the
moving direction of the tool on the part independent from the rotation direction of your spindle using
Clockwise or Counterclockwise (see “How CWise/CCWise Works” on page 68). Direction for One Way
Machining is only available with the “One way” or “Spiral” cutting methods.
• When Conventional is selected the tool movement is opposite to the spindle rotation. Conventional
milling is preferred for the milling of castings or forgings with very rough surfaces.
• When Climb is selected the tool movement and the spindle rotation have the same direction. Climb
milling is preferred when milling heat treated alloys. It causes chipping in milling hot rolled materials due
to hardened layer on the surface.
• When CWise is selected the tool movement has a clockwise direction.
• When CCWise is selected the tool movement has counter clockwise direction.
The clockwise and counter clockwise options are not for the spindle rotation. These options are used
to determine whether the tool should move around a closed surface in clockwise or counter clockwise
direction.
Enforce cutting direction (assume closed contours): This item is available when you’re cutting either clockwise or
counterclockwise. See “Enforce Cutting Direction” on page 70 for more information.
64
Surface Paths tab
Example: To see this example open the f ile Sorting - Direction For One Way Machining.vnc.
Clockwise machining direction around the

Counter clockwise machining around the part
part
How Climb/Conventional Works

When using Climb or Conventional it is best to choose the “Be tilted relative to cutting direction” axis control
option. Other axis control options let the tool change between climb and conventional cutting as needed
where “Be tilted relative to cutting direction” does not. By setting this option the operation can only use one of
two calculation routines based on only one factor, the value of the side tilt angle of the cutting direction.
In cases where the side tilt angle is bigger than 45°

In this case the machining will be recognized as swarf machining and the def inition of climb or conventional is
very easy. The spindle typically (except in a very few cases) turns clockwise. The tool movement is opposite to
the spindle rotation. So you can say that if the tool is milling on the right side (relative to the moving direction
65
Surface Paths tab
of the tool) it always is conventional. When climb milling is set, the tool movement and the spindle rotation
have the same direction. The tool always machines on the left side.
The tool moves counter clockwise while the spindle

The the tool and the spindle are turning clockwise.
is turning clockwise. To the model, the tool is on
To the model, the tool is on the left side.
the right side.
In cases where the side tilt angle is smaller than 45°...

This situation is a little more complicated than with swarf milling. In this case you don't have a swarf face and
you don't work with the side of the tool. You can't def ine whether you are positioned right or left of the
contour. Imagine that you are working on a flat face, machining simple parallel cuts. You don't know where to
align the tool because there are no side faces stating where the material is. Despite this, the function works.
How is that? Let’s look at the flat face again, where the paths are parallel to each other.
At f irst the only information we have about any direction is the direction of the cut sequence because the
machining must start from one side.
66
Surface Paths tab
With this information you know where your material is. With this you also know in which direction you have
to move the tool to get climb or conventional cutting. The images below show how real machining would look.
You can see that the side the material is on depends on the cut sequence. Since the spindle always rotates
clockwise (for conventional cutting as shown in the picture), the tool has to move from the left to the right.
67
Surface Paths tab
How CWise/CCWise Works

The Cwise option gives the tool movement a clockwise direction and Ccwise gives the tool movement a
counter clockwise direction. Despite this seemingly straightforward def inition, there are restrictions you have
to consider because the direction can't be clearly def ined for every pattern strategy. Most important here is
that for all strategies you have to have a closed toolpath. That means that a cut has to end where it started.
For open toolpath (non-closed faces that have a gap) you can force the toolpath to be closed. That means that
you force the tool to move above the gap in the face. The link motion between two slices is def ined in “Links
Between Slice”.
In the below left image you see a normal closed path on a contour. The picture on the right shows an open
contour toolpath with an enforced cutting direction.
Determining “Cwise” and “Ccwise” based on the machining Pattern

Parallel cuts: Here the direction is def ined about the view direction onto the f irst cut. With this function you
def ine two angles which span a plane. The cuts are parallel to this plane. Perpendicular to the plane is the
direction from which the cuts start. This def ines the cutting direction. With the Parallel cuts pattern Cwise
and Ccwise always work as def ined.
Let’s look at some examples. In the pictures below the black arrows show the view direction (def ined by the
cut plane) and the toolpath start direction, which are the orange arrows.
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Surface Paths tab
Cuts along curve: Here the direction is def ined with the curve and the
cut planes. The chaining of the curve is important here. The chaining
controls which side the toolpath starts on and where it goes to. This
def ines the view direction. If you start the chain from the other side,
the machining would begin from the other side. With the Cuts along
curve pattern Cwise and Ccwise always work as def ined. In the picture
the black point is the start of the chaining of the curve.
Morph between two curves: With this pattern type the direction can't
be clearly def ined. Setting the direction to clockwise or
counterclockwise doesn't always work as expected. There are two
reasons for this.
• The direction depends of the chaining of the curves. If the area to

be machined has two curves the system doesn't decide which curve def ines the direction because both
curves are equally important in the calculation toolpath calculation.
• Which curve is the f irst and which is the second is not clearly def ined. You can def ine the cut start by
selecting which curve is the f irst and which the last, but this has no influence on the cut direction.
Parallel to curve: With this pattern the direction is def ined by the curve and the cut sequence direction. The
chaining of the curve is important here. The chaining determines on which side the toolpath starts and where
it goes to.
If in your closed contour the curve points clock wise, setting clockwise lets the tool run clockwise. If the
chaining is counterclockwise and you set the direction to be clockwise the machining will be counterclockwise
and if you choose to cut counter clockwise the machining will still be clockwise.
In the following pictures the cut sequence is top down (the orange arrow) and the view direction of the f irst
cut is from the top. In the f irst picture the curve (the red arrow) shows a clockwise chaining. In the second
picture the curve shows a counterclockwise chaining direction. When setting the direction parameter to
“Cwise” the machining in the f irst picture will be clockwise and in the second picture it will be
counterclockwise.
Figure 7: The chaining direction determines clockwise or counterclockwise movement for

the “Parallel to curve” machining pattern.
Project curve: For this pattern the direction is def ined only by the curve chaining direction. So if in your closed
contour the curve points clockwise, setting clockwise lets the tool run clockwise. If the chaining is
69
Surface Paths tab
counterclockwise and you set to clockwise the machining would be counterclockwise. If you set here the
direction to counterclockwise the machining would be counterclockwise.
Morph between two surfaces: For this pattern the direction can't be clearly def ined. Setting the direction to
cwise or ccwise doesn't always work in this case.
Parallel to surface: For this pattern the direction can't be clearly def ined. Setting the direction to cwise or
ccwise doesn't always work in this case.
Enforce Cutting Direction

Enabling the Enforce Cutting Direction (assume closed contours) option will force the toolpath to consider
open contours (a shape with a gap) as closed. The tool will continue across the gap and a change of direction
will not occur.
START POINT
Using the Start Point option you can def ine a start position for the f irst toolpath slice. Selecting a start point
does not change the machining order even if the selected point is closer to the last lane than to the f irst one. It
is only set for the f irst contact point on the f irst calculated toolpath slice. If the order of the toolpath slices
need to be changed the Cut order option should be used.
If you have selected “One way” in your cutting direction and “Enforce
! Cutting Direction” is also active, the new start point may not work.
Set point by: The start point may be set in one of two ways, either by a position or a Surface normal direction.
Position: This can be a point picked from your geometry or a point set with f ixed values. The position
values are absolute X, Y and Z coordinates. If the start point is not on the drive surfaces, then the closest
surface point to your selected start point is used as the start position.
Surface normal direction: The start point will be def ined by a vector. That point of the toolpath which has
its surface normal direction closest to the vector def ines the new start point.
Start point will be applied in subsequent cuts as following: There are three methods by which the start point will
can be applied.
70
Surface Paths tab
Shift by value: This option def ines the start position for subsequent toolpath slices. The start position will
be incremented along the path by this value for each slice. This will help eliminate witness marks. Shifting
does not work on open contours.
Rotate by [deg]: This option also def ines the start position for subsequent toolpath slices, but the shift
distance is def ined as an incremental angular amount. The angle values are relative to the previous cut.
This will help eliminate witness marks. For example, when machining a cylinder the start point can be
rotated 3 degrees for each toolpath slice in order to shift the mark on the part generated due to tool step
over from one slice to the next one. Rotate does not work on open contours or flat surfaces.
Minimize surface normal change: This option is used for blades or turbine blades machining. In these cases
it is desirable to have the start point at the small radius of the wing. Unfortunately the toolpath’s start
points move and leave the edge position. To avoid this the start points can be forced to always be at a
position with the same surface normal direction, thus the start points will always stay at the edge.
With this option the system will attempt to minimize any changes in the tool’s angle of approach by
f inding a surface normal that is as close to the start position as can be found on the part. For example,
multiple slices on a cylinder would all use the same surface normal. On a part with a flowing surface the
surface normals can be very different at each slice. Minimizing the angle of approach can be very useful if
there are f ixtures or clamps on the part.
How it works: Following are different scenarios with combinations of cutting methods, and surfaces with open
or closed contours to help you understand how this works.
Scenario #1: This scenario shows an open surface contour with parallel cuts.
The default start point is def ined by the toolpath pattern. The picture shows that the Cutting Method is set
to “Zig Zag” and the machining starts at position #3 by default.
71
Surface Paths tab
If a new start point is set at position #5 then the machining will start from the initial start point - position
#3. The new start point cannot change the order of the cuts. So the machining won't start from the middle.
If a new start point is set at position #1, 2 or 4 the starting point for the machining will be at position #. 2.
The machining direction swaps and starts from the opposite side. Again, a new start point doesn't change
the cut order, just the start position on the initial surface edge.
Scenario #2: This scenario shows the same surface but this time the Cutting Method is set to “One way”. In
this case it doesn't matter which start point is picked, the start point is always at position #3.
Scenario #3: This scenario shows a closed surface contour with parallel constant Z cuts. The cuts are closed
contours, meaning that the cuts end where they started.
The Cutting Method is set to “One way”. The standard start point is at position #1
72
Surface Paths tab
The new start point is set to position 2. Accordingly the start point moves to position #2
If the new start point is set to position #3 then machining would start at position #2. The reason is the
same as before: when the start point is changed only the start position on the initial start edge will change,
not the cut order.
Scenario #4: This scenario shows a closed contour with constant Z cuts in one way. The “Shift by value” is
set to 1 mm. In this case the start point is shifted by 1 mm at every complete rotation.
The shifting is done along the toolpath. In the picture below the red arrows are the shift and the yellow
dots are the start points.
Scenario #5: This scenario shows a closed contour with constant Z cuts in one way. The “Rotate by [deg]” is
set to 5 degrees. In this case, the start points for subsequent slices are shifted by 5 degrees.
73
Surface Paths tab
Each new start point position will be calculated based on the surface normal direction. This means that in
the area where the surface radius is very large, the start points are more spread out (positions #1, 2 & 3). In
the area where the surface radius becomes smaller, the rate of surface normal change is larger which results
in start positions that are much closer to each other.
If the radius of the surface is inf inite, that means the surface is flat. A rotational start point won’t work in
this case.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Sorting - Start Point.vnc.
This is a toolpath start position with a

Toolpath start position with new
Default toolpath start position new start point and a 20 degrees
start point
rotation angle.
MACHINE BY LANES OR REGIONS

The usual toolpath that is generated has a topology of multiple contours (lanes) on the drive surfaces. This
machining area mode tells the system to follow the machining by “Lanes” or by “Regions”. Machining by lanes
is the default behavior. When toolpath is generated on many areas it may be desirable to break the toolpath
into regions.
Take an example of a wavy shape that is parallel to the machining plane. The operation is set to use parallel
cuts using the “lanes” default behavior. During machining the tool retracts because of the gaps and because
74
Surface Paths tab
you are working on two separated drive faces. Generally the machining will be continued over all faces assumed
as one big face.
When you sort the cuts by regions the system divides the drive faces into individual regions and machines
them successively. This is not limited to only between the separate faces, but even on the faces where you f ind
gaps the machining will be separated into regions. So in this example, the cuts are organized into regions
exactly where there were link jumps. In the end you get many regions to machine.
75
Surface Paths tab
SURFACE QUALITY
Surface Quality uses three basic parameters to control the toolpath’s approximation of the cut surface. Cut
tolerance is the basic tolerance for the toolpath’s accuracy. Max. segment distance is used to ensure that the
system creates an extremely close approximation on flat surfaces by ensuring that no section of the toolpath
will be more than the value entered. Stepover def ines the space between cuts. Surface edge handling lets you
make an open path into a virtual closed path. The Advanced button gives you several controls for handling
how the toolpath is generated based on the surface quality.
CUT TOLERANCE
The Cut tolerance is the tolerance for the accuracy of the toolpath. This value is the chordal deviation of the
toolpath against the surfaces to be machined. In other words, the toolpath can have a maximum error to the
surfaces in the range of plus or minus cut tolerance.
A small cut tolerance gives you more path points on the drive surface. So the generated toolpath is more
precise to the surface contour. The result of the machining is a very good surface quality but it takes much
more time to calculate.
To get even more path points you can set a Max. segment distance or a Stepover value.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality - Cut Tolerance.vnc.
A big cut tolerance generates fewer points on the toolpath.

After machining the surface is rougher. Therefore the Small cut tolerance
calculation time much faster.
MAX. SEGMENT DISTANCE

Depending on the “Cut tolerance” setting you will have many or relatively few points on the surface. This is
especially true on round surfaces where you have more points because the toolpath always changes direction.
To get more points on flat surfaces you can use the Max. Segment Distance option. Although the Cut
tolerance is the same you get more points on straight or flat surfaces because the distance is a maximum user
given distance to each other. For example, if this option is activated and the distance is set to 0.5mm, then at
least every 0.5mm a new toolpath position is calculated on the surface. This value must be greater than 0.
76
Surface Paths tab
Depending on the Cut tolerance and “Maximum angle step” values, there may be some toolpath segments that
are less than this value.
If this Max Segment Distance is deactivated, then the toolpath positions will be influenced only by the cut
tolerance and Maximum angle step.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality - Cut Tolerance.vnc.
Result without distance Result with distance.
SURFACE EDGE HANDLING

This lets you create single longer surfaces where there may otherwise be gaps. Surface paths are created on
individual surfaces and are then merged together to longer surface paths. The decision about how to merge the
paths is based on a merge distance. If all surface paths on a toolpath slice are merged the system checks to
determine if a closed surface path can be built by connecting the start to the end. The same merge distance
value is used for deciding this. So all surface paths that are within this value will be merged together.
Maintain outside sharp edges: With this option enabled the system can maintain a sharp edge at the outside of
two intersecting surfaces. This is achieved by extending the toolpath with a loop that leaves and enters the
faces tangentially.
Sharp edges detection angle: Whether a loop is created or not depends upon this angle threshold. A value
between 0 and 360 degrees is valid.
Radius for loops: This value specif ies the size of the loop.
77
Surface Paths tab
ADVANCED
The Advanced button opens the Advanced options for Surface Quality dialog box.
Chaining Tolerance: The Chaining tolerance is an internal value for toolpath generation and should be set to 1 to
10 times the cut tolerance. If you have untrimmed simple surfaces, then this value can be set to 100 times of the
cut tolerance and would increase the calculation speed drastically.
Slow and safe path creation: When toolpath is being generated surfaces are analyzed using a grid. When the
toolpath topology becomes very complex (being parallel to the curve or very large surfaces) it can become
inaccurate. Activating this option will apply a f iner grid (based on the Stepover tolerance) to the surface. This
results in slower but more accurate results for surface contact points.
Adaptive cuts: Adaptive cuts can be used to provide a constant step over when using a “Morph between two
curves”, “Morph between two surfaces”, “Parallel to Multiple curves” or “Parallel to surface” cut type. Due to
the way the morphing algorithm works the step over is not always constant. This is especially true with steep
surfaces like 'U' shaped parts or molds. With the Adaptive cuts activated the calculation time is longer but the
stover is exact now.
Adaptive cuts off Adaptive cuts on
78
Surface Paths tab
STEPOVER
The Stepover is the distance between two neighboring parallel cuts. The distance for the stepover can be
def ined as a side step value (Maximum stepover) or as a cusp height (Ridge height). The stepovers can
actually be smaller or bigger than your set value depending on the pattern option used. This is especially true
with “Morph between two curves” and “Morph between two surfaces” where the step over varies. The Ridge
height option only works with ball endmills. This parameter is measured differently with each pattern used.
• With “Parallel cuts” this is the distance between the parallel planes.
• In the case of “Perpendicular to curve” this is the distance along the curve perpendicular to which cutting
planes are used.
• In “Morph between two curves” and “Morph between two surfaces” the lanes are distributed so that the
maximal distance (along the drive surface) between the curves or surfaces is the user def ined value.
• In the case of “Parallel to Multiple curves” and “Parallel to surface” this is the 3D distance between two
consecutive lanes.
• In the case of “Project curves” only one cut is performed so this parameter is not available.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality - Maximum Stepover.vnc.
Small step over Big step over
79
Surface Paths tab
80
TOOL AXIS CONTROL TAB
CHAPTER 5 : Tool Axis Control tab

OUTPUT FORMAT
This menu lets you control how many axes the tool will be able to move in.
3-Axis Output 4-Axis Output 5-Axis Output
3-Axis: The tool axis direction must be def ined by the user as a 3D vector, commonly referred to as I, J, K. For
example, to machine with the tool axis normal to CS1 (the XY plane) the I, J, K is 0, 0, 1.This parameter def ines
the 3-axis cutting direction (tool plane direction). By utilizing this parameter, toolpaths can be generated
where the tool comes from the top view, the side view, the front view or any other user def ined direction. The
toolpath generated is formatted as 5-axis moves, but its tool axis orientation is always parallel to this vector.
The I, J, K values def ine a vector in the part coordinate system or CS1. This vector def ines the direction of the
spindle. For example, the value 0,0,1 implies that the spindle is parallel to the top view. Basically the vector can
be understood as a vector starting from the tool tip and pointing to the spindle, parallel to the spindle axis of
rotation.
To use this option choose the output format 3-Axis from the pull down menu and then click the ellipsis button
( ) to access the Tool plane direction parameter window. Once this window is open you can select the Top
view or a custom vector.
83
Clicking the “Select tool plane” button lets you choose a tool plane direction from any coordinate system
def ined in your part.
4-Axis: In some cases it may be desirable to have the f ifth axis locked to a particular f ixed angle. Valid values
are from -90 to +90 degrees. In the case of regular 4-axis machines the machine tool is built such that the tool
axis direction (the spindle direction) is perpendicular to the rotary axis. In such cases, the default value of 0
must be used.
Sometimes, the 4-axis machines have a head mounted at a f ixed tilt angle, like a 45 degree head. In this case
the spindle direction is 45 degrees tilted to the rotary axis vector. Then the locked axis value must be set to 45
degrees. A value of +45 means that the vector from tool tip towards the spindle and the rotary axis vector (e.g.
X axis vector which is (1, 0, 0)) have a +45 degree angle to each other.
Another usage of this parameter is in combination with a 5-axis

machine. In order to reduce rotary axis motion it might be
desirable to use a 5-axis machine, but limit toolpath output to 4-
axis with a f ixed 5th angle. This means that one of the rotary axes
will be f ixed for the whole toolpath.
To use this option choose the output format 4-Axis from the pull
down menu and then click the Rotary axis button to enter the
parameter window. Here you can set which axis rotates and you
can lock the tool angle for the 5th axis.
Once the axes are def ined you may set the Maximum angle step,
Tool Axis will..., Side tilt definition, Run tool, and Limits
parameters.
5-Axis: The default setting for the Output format is 5-axis and all
of the tool axis tilting and limiting parameters can be used in a 5-
axis toolpath. These include the Maximum angle step, Tool Axis
will..., Side tilt definition, Run tool, and Limits parameters.
84
MAXIMUM ANGLE STEP

The Maximum angle step value sets the maximum allowed angle change between two adjacent toolpath
positions. The calculation engine outputs 5-axis toolpath that contains the tool tip position and the tool axis
vector. The tool axis vectors are not allowed to have an angle change more than the value specif ied here. Any
number of degrees greater than 0 is a valid entry.
• Be careful when setting the gouge check strategy to “Tilting tool away with max angle” as you may still
get collisions with the tool despite checking against all of the tool parts as the tool will tilt away with the
maximum angle step. This is because the tool is checked for collision only at each tool position, not
between positions. Let's say you have set the default to 3°. If there is another collision within the 3° the
gouge check might not recognize this. To fix this, use a smaller value here.
• Depending on the “Cut tolerance” and “Max. segment distance” values, there can be some toolpath
positions where the angle step is less than this value.
• Decreasing the Maximum angle step generates more points, increasing the value generates fewer
points.
Example: To see this example open the f ile Maximum Angle Step.vnc.
With a small angle step you get more points on the surface. With a bigger angle step you get less points.
85
TOOL AXIS WILL...

Here you can set up the tool axis tilting strategies
for your tool axis and how it relates to the surface
normal. These options include “Not be tilted and
stays normal to surface”, “Be tilted relative to
cutting direction”, “Tilted with the angle”, “Tilted
with f ixed angle to axis”, “Rotated around axis”,
“Tilted through point”, “Tilted through curve”,
“Tilted through lines”, “Tilted from point away”,
“Tilted from curve away” and “Tilting Relative to
Impeller Machining Layer”. Each option is
described in detail in the following sections.
NOT BE TILTED AND STAYS NORMAL TO SURFACE

Using this option, the surface normal and the tool axis vector are the same. If you use this option but need to
keep angle limits you can set parameters to do so. See “Limits” on page 132 for more information.
Example: Here you can see that the tool is normal to the surface at every position. To see this example open the
f ile Tilting Strategies.vnc.
BE TILTED RELATIVE TO CUTTING DIRECTION

With this strategy you can give a lead angle to the cutting direction as well as tilt angle to the side of the
cutting direction. All angles are in degrees.
Lead angle to cutting direction: This angle def ines the lead/lag angle of the tool axis from the surface normal in
the direction of the toolpath slice. Positive angles tilt the tool forward in motion direction, i.e. “lead” angle,
negative angle back against motion direction, i.e. “lag” angle.
• The lead angle is relative to the cutting direction.
• In case of “Zig Zag” machining the tool orientation flips with every new cut.
• In case of “One way” machining the tool orientation doesn't change.
Tilt angle at the side of cutting direction: This angle def ines the side tilt value of the tool axis from the surface
normal direction based on the toolpath direction. Positive angles tilt to the left side (in motion direction),
negative angles tilt the tool axis to the right side (in motion direction).
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• The side tilt angle is absolute to the cutting direction.
• In case of “Zig Zag” machining, the tool orientation doesn't flip with every new cut. The tool keeps it
orientation as specif ied for the f irst cut.
• To set the side tilt angle relative to the cutting direction of each pass of a zig zag cut (tool axis flips
absolute orientation with every new cut) activate “Allow flipping side direction” by selecting the Advanced
button under the “Side tilt def inition”.
Side tilt definitions: The side tilt def initions can be set up when you use a tilt angle at the side of the cutting
direction. They are additional settings in case of side machining. See “Side tilt def inition” on page 87 for more
information.
Example: This example shows two toolpaths and how the tool axis (#1) relates to the surface normal (#2) based
on the cutting direction (#3). To see this example open the f ile Tilting Strategies.vnc.
The first toolpath only has set lead angle tilted to In the second toolpath the tool is tilted with a lead angle to cutting
cutting direction with 45°. direction of 45° and a side tilt angle of 45°.
Side tilt definition

Follow surface iso direction: This option is a good choice if linear surfaces are present. Multiple surfaces can be
used here. If any surface does not have a compatible U and V direction with the neighboring surfaces, then this
function tries to correct these areas automatically.
Please note that fanning can be applied by the user to avoid quick changes of tool orientation due to
irregularities of the surface geometry. Refer to the section “Side Tilt Fanning Distance” on page 93 for more
information.
Clicking the Advanced button lets you set options for greater control over the tool axis. This side tilt option
supports the Gradual lead angle change, Gradual side tilt angle change, Side Tilt Fanning Distance and Ruled
surface radius limit advanced options. See “Advanced Options for Tilting Relative to Cutting Direction” on
page 92 for more information.
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Example: When you look at the surface grids you can see the that the iso directions are different. The tool
axis orientation follows that direction.
1. Toolpath
2. Tool Axis
3. Surface Iso Direction
To see this example open the f ile Side Tilt Definition.vnc.
Ortho to cut direction at each position: The side tilt direction is determined by a normal line from the current
surface contact point to the lower edge curve (whatever curve is driving the generation of the toolpath). That
means that the tool axis is always normal to the toolpath. This option is most useful when the lead angle
direction should be def ined by the direction in which the toolpath is moving. This option can be used for all
toolpath patterns. See “Pattern” on page 38.
If you set a lead angle in the “Be tilted relative to cutting direction” option
then this angle will be added to the orthogonal orientation.
Example: The surface is curved at the upper and lower edge. The toolpath is parallel to the lower edge. You
can see the tool is always orthogonal to the toolpath.
1. Upper Curve
2. Lower Curve
3. Toolpath
supports the Allow flipping side direction, Gradual lead angle change and Gradual side tilt angle change
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advanced options. See “Advanced Options for Tilting Relative to Cutting Direction” on page 92 for more
information.
Orthogonal to cut direction at each contour: The tool axis orientation is determined by a single orthogonal line
calculated from a complete contour segment. The system analyzes this segment and approximates from all
orthogonal vectors a single vector.
supports the Allow flipping side direction, Gradual lead angle change and Gradual side tilt angle change
advanced options. See “Advanced Options for Tilting Relative to Cutting Direction” on page 92 for more
information.
The Approximate option selects the calculation method used to determine this vector. There are three types of
approximation:
Approximate by one vector: There is one orthogonal vector that replaces each orthogonal vector on the
contour. The replacement vector is given by the “least-squares mean” of the orthogonal vectors of the
contour, and then this mean vector is normalized.
Approximate by two vectors: The orthogonal vectors are computed from a polynomial of degree one, that
f its the original orthogonal vectors and is computed by the “least-squares” method. Therefore, there are
two vectors representing the coeff icients of the polynomial.
Approximate smooth: The orthogonal vectors are computed from a polynomial of degree two that f its the
original orthogonal vectors and is computed by the “least-squares” method.
Smooth (local): The ortho vectors are computed by a distribution of the local neighboring ortho vectors.
Use spindle main direction: This option uses the machine def inition’s spindle main orientation (default tool
axis vector) def inition as the reference for f inding the side tilt direction. The side tilting is always calculated
from the surface normal towards the spindle main orientation.
For example, if the spindle main direction vector is the Z axis and side tilting of 90 degrees from surface
normal takes place, then the tool axis orientation is the surface normal rotated 90 degrees towards spindle
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main direction. In practical terms, such a rotation can be handled by a machine tool without utilizing the C
axis.
• You may add a lead angle and a side tilt angle to this toolpath. When applied, the
tool tilts from the surface normal in direction of the main axis.
• This option does not work with “Allow flipping side direction”.
Example: In this example the spindle main direction is the Z axis. With a side tilt angle of 90° the tool axis
is orientated to this direction. To see this example open the f ile Side Tilt Definition.vnc.
1. Spindle Direction
2. Toolpath
3. Tool Axis
supports the Gradual lead angle change and Gradual side tilt angle change advanced options. See “Advanced
Options for Tilting Relative to Cutting Direction” on page 92 for more information.
Use user defined direction: This option allows a user-def ined f ixed
direction vector as the reference for f inding the side tilt direction.
Clicking on the selection button (the button with the ellipsis, )
opens a dialog box in which you may enter coordinates for the vector.
You may also select a point in the geometry from this dialog box.
• You may add a lead angle and a side tilt angle to this
toolpath. When applied, the tool tilts from the surface
normal in direction of the main axis.
• This option does not work with “Allow flipping side

direction”.
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Example: In the example the main spindle direction is set to 45° between z and x. With a 90° side tilt angle
the toolpath looks like the picture. To see this example open the f ile Side Tilt Definition.vnc.
1. Spindle Direction
2. Toolpath
3. Tool Axis
Use tilt line definition: This option utilizes user given tilt line elements as the side tilt direction. This option
gives the user the freedom of def ining the side tilting direction manually by just passing lines.
Tilting lines maximum snap distance: The maximum snap distance parameter def ines the maximum
distance between tilt line end points and the machining contour. When tilting is applied to a contour, then
only lines within this distance will be used, other lines that are far from the contour will be ignored. Note,
that the tilt lines are snapped to the machining contour via the shortest distance from the line to the
contour.
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Advanced Options for Tilting Relative to Cutting Direction

Gradual lead angle change
The Gradual lead angle change is an additional angle offset added to the lead angle setting and applied
equally to subsequent slices. During machining this gradual lead angle change value will be divided by the
number of cuts to give us gradual lead angle increments. This new angle increment will be added to the lead
angle for each slice. By the last slice at the end of the toolpath the f inal tool axis orientation is the lead angle
value plus the gradual lead angle change value. The f irst cut of the toolpath is tilted with only the lead angle
value. The parameter accepts values from -180° to 180°. Positive angles let the tool tilt to the front (in the
moving direction) while negative angles let the tool tilt backwards (in the moving direction).
For example, the lead angle is set to 5 degrees. The gradual

lead angle is set to 10 degrees. That means, at the
beginning of the toolpath the lead angle will be 5 degrees,
at the end of the toolpath, the lead angle will be 5 + 10 = 15
degrees. At the halfway point of the toolpath, the lead
angle will be 5 + (10 * 0.50) = 10 degrees.
The concept behind this option is machining a blisk (a

single-engine component composed of a rotor disc and
blades also known as an integrally bladed rotor). When
cutting a blisk you may want a side tilt angle of 40 degrees
when near the top and as the machining progresses
downward you might want to reduce the tilt to 10 degrees.
The change is applied gradually for each contour.
This option is only available when using the tool axis

orientation “Be tilted relative to cutting direction”. This
parameter also works with Allow flipping side direction
and Gradual side tilt angle change. When using both of these advanced options the side tilt angle as well as
the gradual side tilt angle change will alternate with every cut.
Example: When you simulate the operation you see the tool tilting with the
new lead angle increments. The lead angle is set to 10°, so the f irst cut has a 10°
lead angle. The gradual lead angle change is set to 35°. With 10 cuts you get an
angle increment of 3.5°. So the second cut has got a total lead angle of 13.5°, the
third 17° and so on. In the end you get a total lead angle of 45°. To see this
example open the f ile Gradual Tilt Angle Change.vnc.
Gradual side tilt angle change

The Gradual side tilt angle change is an additional angle offset added to the
Side tilt definition setting and applied equally to subsequent slices. During
machining this gradual side tilt angle change value is divided by the number
of cuts to give us gradual side tilt angle increments. This new angle increment
will be added onto the side tilt angle value for each slice. By the last slice at the
end of the toolpath the f inal tool axis orientation is the side tilt angle value
plus the gradual side tilt angle value. The f irst cut of the toolpath is tilted with only the tilt angle value. The
parameter accepts values from -180° to 180°. Positive angles let the tool tilt to the left (in the moving direction)
while negative angles let the tool tilt to the right (in the moving direction).
For example, a side tilt angle is set to 5 degrees and the gradual side tilt angle is set to 10 degrees. This means
that at the beginning of the toolpath the side tilt angle will be 5 degrees and at the end of the toolpath the side
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tilt angle will be 5 + 10 = 15 degrees. At the halfway point of the toolpath the side tilt angle will be 5 + (10 * 0.50)
= 10 degrees.
The concept behind this option is machining a blisk (a single-engine component composed of a rotor disc and
blades also known as an integrally bladed rotor). When cutting a blisk you may want a side tilt angle of 40
degrees when near the top and as the machining progresses down you might want to reduce the tilt to 10
degrees. The change is applied gradually for each contour.
This option only is available when using the tool axis orientation “Be tilted relative to cutting direction”. This
parameter also works with Allow flipping side direction and Gradual lead angle change. When using both of
these advanced options the lead angle as well as the gradual lead tilt angle change will alternate with every cut.
Example: You can see the tool tilting with the new side tilt angle increments. To see this example open the f ile
Gradual Tilt Angle Change.vnc.
Side Tilt Fanning Distance

This option is for two crossing curved surfaces with different iso directions. To
make a proper toolpath from the one surface iso direction to the other surface
iso direction a smooth toolpath with constant cross fading will be generated.
The fanning distance is the distance from the crossing point of the surfaces
and the point where the cross fading of the tool axis begins. The distance you
set will be applied to all surfaces, beginning from the crossing point. Please
note that this option is only available when the tool axis option “Be tilted
relative to cutting direction” is combined with the side tilt def inition Follow
surface iso direction. Cutting with the side of a tool requires def ining the best
lead/lag direction at each position of the toolpath. The best lead/lag direction
jumps between surfaces when surfaces that are almost ruled and have a slight
curvature meet. In such cases, the fanning distance is used to dampen out
abrupt orientation changes.
Example: The two examples below show the difference using a fanning
distance. The f irst image is without a fanning distance and the second is with a 15 mm fanning distance. The
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toolpath is only a single cut at the lower edge. The point where the 2 faces cross. is where the fanning distance
takes effect. To see this example open the f ile Side Tilt Fanning Distance.vnc.
No Fanning Distance 15mm Fanning Distance
Ruled surface radius limit

Swarf machining is def ined by having a line contact between the
cutter (either cylindrical or conical) and the surface. This line
contact can only be achieved if the surfaces are ruled surfaces.
Surfaces are spanned in U and V and a ruled surface must have an
inf inite radius (a flat) in one of these directions. Practically
speaking, many surfaces appear to be ruled, but an analysis of
their surface mathematics show that they do not have an inf inite
radius in one direction but instead they have a rather large radius.
This large radius can be considered almost flat. This parameter
lets you set how large or small the radius must be to be considered
“flat” so that the surfaces can be used for swarf machining.
The value of this setting (a small or large radius) does not affect
the resulting toolpath in terms of gouging. To ensure the surface
is not gouged you will need to enable gouge protection. This
option is only available when using the tool axis orientation “Be
tilted relative to cutting direction” and the side tilt def inition
Follow surface iso direction.
Example: In this example you see a part with a curved surface with a radius of 147.727 mm. (Please note that
typically much smaller radii will be involved but the large radius helps illustrate this function.) The toolpath is
a single path parallel to the lower edge but tilted 90° to the side. In the vertical direction the iso lines of the
94
surface are not ruled, instead the horizontal iso direction is ruled. To see this example open the f ile Ruled
Surface Radius Limit.vnc.
1. Curved vertical iso direction

2. Ruled horizontal iso direction
The system assumes the horizontal iso direction will be used to orient the tool axis, even though you have set a
side tilt angle of 90°. Therefore the toolpath is wrong. The image below is what happens when you simulate the
part. Here the radius limit is set to 148 mm. That means that all surfaces with the radius larger than 148 mm are
assumed as ruled. Our surface with the radius 147.727 mm is smaller than this value, so it is not seen as ruled.
95
When you simulate the second operation the limit is set to 147 mm. Now the radius limit takes effect and the
toolpath will be correct.
Allow flipping side direction

If this option is disabled then the tilt angle for all cuts is the same as the angle of the f irst cut. If this parameter
is enabled then the side direction is changed based on the current cutting direction, i.e. the tool will always tilt
to the right or left depending on the cutting direction. This option is only available when using a “Zig Zag”
Cutting Method combined with the tool axis orientation “Be tilted relative to cutting direction”. This
parameter also works with Gradual lead angle change and Gradual side tilt angle change.
96
Example: Open the f ile Allow_Flipping_Side_Direction.vnc and simulate the f irst operation. You see that the
tool orientation will be kept all along its path. Now simulate the second operation and see how the tool flips its
orientation with every new cut. To see this example open the f ile Allow Flipping Side Direction.vnc.
Side Flipping is off Side Flipping is on
Align tool axis to planar surface edges

This option will force the tool axis to be parallel to the edges of a surface. This is available when the Side tilt
def inition is set to “Follow surface iso direction”.
Improve side tilt definition for twisted surfaces

This option can be used for swarf cutting ruled twisted surfaces such as impeller blades. The aim is to provide
an optimized tilting with a line contact between tool and surface.
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TILTED WITH THE ANGLE

The tool axis will be tilted from the surface normal direction towards the tilt axis. The tilt axis can be the X, Y
and Z axis or any line created in the geometry. Imagine that the tilt axis and surface normal span a plane, the
tool can tilt only on this plane. When the surface normal is parallel to your desired tilt axis there is no plane to
be spanned, resulting in the tool axis not tilting despite your setting a tilt angle. The option Tool axis crosses
tilt axis, found on page 99, is available to force the tool axis to intersect with the tilt axis.
When machining in the XY plane, the tool can be tilted using X or Y, but not Z. 0° will set the tool
normal to the plane. When X is selected, a positive angle will tilt the tool toward X-positive and when
Y is selected, a positive angle will tilt the tool toward Y-positive. Negative angles will tilt the tool in the
opposite direction. Typically, the tilt is performed on the axes which appear in the CS axis label. In
other words, XY allows tilting in XY, XZ allows tilting in XZ, and YZ allows tilting in YZ.
Example: In this example the tool is tilted with 45° against the Z axis (tilt axis). You can see how the surface
normal and the tilt axis span a plane in which the tool tilts. See the f ile Tilting_Strategies.vnc for a
working example.
1. Tool Axis
2. Tilt Axis
3. Surface Normal
Pole limit: When this option is active, the tilting of the tool axis is limited to the selected tilt axis. When this
item is disabled the tool may tilt beyond the selected axis’s pole. For example, if the Z axis is selected then the
maximum angle for the tool axis is the Z axis. When this option is disabled the tool is allowed to tilt beyond
the Z axis.
98
Tool axis crosses tilt axis: If this option is enabled, the extension of the tool axis will always intersect with the
def ined axis.
1. Z Axis
2. Tool Axis
Reverse tool: If this switch is set to true, then the tool direction is reversed. E.g. if Reverse tool is off then
the drive surfaces are machined from the positive side of the Tool Axis (the positive side of the drive
surfaces). But if Reverse tool is on then the drive surfaces are machined from the negative side of the Tool
Axis (the negative side of the drive surfaces).
TILTED WITH FIXED ANGLE TO AXIS

The tool axis will be tilted from the tilt axis towards the surface normal. The tilt axis can be the X, Y or Z axis
or any line created in the geometry. When the surface normal is parallel to your desired tilt axis there is no
plane to be spanned, resulting in the tool axis not tilting despite your setting a tilt angle. The option Tool axis
crosses tilt axis, found on page 99, is available to force the tool axis to intersect with the tilt axis. This function
works almost identically to Tilted with the angle. However, where Tilted with the angle considers 0° to be
normal to the surface, Tilted with fixed angle to axis considers 0° to be parallel to the chosen axis and 90° to
be normal to the axis.
When the Line option is selected you may click on the ellipsis button ( ) to either manually def ine a line or
select a line in your part f ile. Def ining a line manually requires a coordinate and a vector. To choose a line click
on the ellipsis button.
99
Tool axis crosses tilt axis: If this option is enabled, the extension of the tool axis will always intersect with the
def ined axis.
1. Z Axis
2. Tool Axis
Reverse tool: If this option is enabled then the tool direction is reversed. E.g. if this option is off, then the
drive surfaces are machined from the positive side of the Tool Axis (the positive side of the drive surfaces).
But, if this option is on then the drive surfaces are machined from the negative side of the Tool Axis (the
negative side of the drive surfaces).
ROTATED AROUND AXIS

With this option the tool axis has the same direction as the surface normal but is tilted around a specif ied axis.
This function works almost identically to Tilted with the angle. However, where Tilted with the angle causes
the tool to tilt parallel to the selected axis or line, Rotated around axis cause the tool to tilt radially around
(perpendicular to) the selected axis or line. If you consider the axis labels of the CS plane, such as XY, the tilt
can only be performed around axes which are flat to that plane and cannot tilt around Z, for instance. The
reference axis can be the X, Y, Z or any line. When the surface normal is parallel to your desired tilt axis there is
no plane to be spanned, resulting in the tool axis not tilting despite your setting a tilt angle.
When the Line option is selected you may click on the ellipsis button ( ) to either manually def ine a line or
select a line in your part f ile. Def ining a line manually requires a coordinate and a vector. To choose a line click
on the ellipsis button.
100
Example: In this example the tool axis direction (#1) is the same as the surface normal but tilted with a 45
degrees angle around the main Z axis (#2). From the top view you can see the tilted angle of 45° better. See the
f ile Tilting_Strategies.vnc for a working example.
101
TILTED THROUGH POINT

With this option the tool axis is always pointing from a designated point in your geometry to the surface. Click
the ellipsis button to select the point (in absolute values) the tool axis will align through.
Additionally, you may set a separate Fixed tilt angle. This means the tool axis will be aligned through a point
but the tool will then be tilted at the specif ied offset angle from the tool tip.
Example: In this example you can see how the tool axis is always aligned to the point above the drive surface.
See the f ile Tilting_Strategies.vnc for a working example.
1. Designated Point
2. Tool Axis Direction
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TILTED THROUGH CURVE

With this option the tool axis is aligned to a tilt curve while machining. There are different options available
for controlling which way this tool axis is aligned to the curve. These include “Closest point”, “Angle from
curve”, “Angle from spindle, main direction”, “From start to end”, “Automatic curve” and “From start to end for
each contour”. The curve is selected by clicking on the Tilt Curve button.
Closest point
During machining the tool axis is aligned to a tilt curve with an optional Fixed tilt angle setting. The
orientation of the tool axis is aligned with the point represented by the shortest distance between the present
toolpath point and the tilt curve. The tilt curve must be located above the drive surface. The tool’s maximum
tilting is vertical (90°) or horizontal (0°), so if your tool axis is already tilted 45° from the present toolpath point
to your curve and you set a f ixed tilt angle of 60° the tool would tilt just 90° (vertical).
Fixed tilt angle: The Fixed tilt angle tilts the tool axis away from the tilt curve. The direction is def ined by the
surface spanned by the curve point, surface point and the direction from the curve to the surface point.
• When using positive tilt angles the tool tilts outwards (in moving direction).
• When using negative tilt angles the tool tilts inwards (in moving direction).
1. Curve Point
2. Tilt Curve
3. Projected Tilt Curve on the
surface
4. Toolpath Point
5. Direction of movement
How this works - a simple example: Here we have a drive surface (#1) with a tilt curve (#2) above it. Two random
points along the toolpath (#3) are shown.
103
Now imagine that for each position (point) along the toolpath, a small sphere is created about that point (#1).
Next, the sphere is expanded (#2) until it contacts the tilt curve. The point of contact between the sphere and
the tilt curve (#3) becomes the reference point along the tilt curve.
A line is created between the point on the curve and the present toolpath point. This line is the tool axis
orientation. This process is repeated for each point along the toolpath.
Example - Closest Point: The example shows a curved surface with a certain radius. The tilt curve is above the
surface. The tilt curve has the same shape as the surface but a smaller radius. Any point on the surface can be
104
“connected” to the curve by the shortest distance. The result is that the tool axis is always normal between the
curve and surface.
Example - Closest point with tilt angle: In this example the tilt angle is set to 10°. Looking from the curve to the
surface (below left) you'll see that the tool is tilting to the right on the right side from the curve and to the left
from the left side of the curve (when following the moving direction). See the f ile Closest Point-
TiltAngle.vnc for a working example.
105
Angle from curve

With this option the tool axis is aligned to a tilt curve during machining. The orientation of the tool axis is the
projected length between your present toolpath point and the tilt curve. The tool’s maximum tilting is vertical
(90°) or horizontal (0°). For example if your tool axis is already tilted 35° from the present toolpath point to
your curve and you set a f ixed tilt angle of -60° the tool would tilt just 0° (horizontal).
How this works - a simple example: Here we have a surface with a tilt curve above the surface. To calculate the
toolpath the system uses the vector of the main spindle, typically the Z axis, and the plane that is normal to
this axis, usually XY plane.
1. Drive Surface
2. Tilt Curve
3. Main Spindle Direction
4. Plane
Using this information the drive surface and tilt curve are projected onto the plane.
1. Projected Surface
2. Projected Curve
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The system looks at all positions within the toolpath and f inds the closest point on the projected curve to the
toolpath position. Here we can see three random toolpath points on the surface (yellow dots) and the
matching closest position on the projected curve along with a connecting line between them.
1. Toolpath Point
2. Curve Point
The points are projected back to the surface and up to the curve. By connecting these points we get the tool
axis orientation (#1).
Fixed tilt angle: The Fixed tilt angle tilts the tool axis centerline away from the tilt curve. The direction is
def ined by the surface spanned by the curve point, surface point and the direction from the curve to the
surface point.
• When using positive tilt angles the tool tilts outwards (in moving direction).
107
• When using negative tilt angles the tool tilts inwards (in moving direction).
1. Curve Point
2. Tilt Curve
3. Projected Tilt Curve
on the surface
4. Toolpath Point
5. Direction of
movement
Example - Angle from curve: In this example we have a curved surface with a certain radius and a tilt curve
above the surface that has the same shape as the surface but a smaller radius. If we focus on the tool axis
orientation at the end of the curve we see that the tool goes through that point because it is the closest point
when viewed from the top (second image below). See the f ile Closest Point-TiltAngle.vnc for a working
example.
When the tool is tilted by 10° we get a different result, as seen below.
108
Angle from spindle, main direction

With this option the tool axis is aligned to a tilt curve during machining. The orientation of the tool axis is the
projected length between your present toolpath point and the tilt curve. This option is similar to the “Angle
from curve” option but the difference is that the tilting starts from the spindle main direction towards the tilt
curve. The angle from the spindle main direction to the tilting curve is def ined by the Fixed tilt angle.
Therefore the default value of 0 degrees would make the tool axis orientation parallel to the spindle main
direction. The tool’s maximum tilting is vertical (90°) or horizontal (0°). The tilt curve must be above the drive
surface.
How this works - a simple example: Here we have a surface with a tilt curve above the surface. To calculate the
toolpath the system uses the vector of the main spindle, typically the Z axis, and the plane that is normal to
this axis, usually XY plane.
1. Drive Surface
2. Tilt Curve
4. Plane
Using this information the drive surface and tilt curve are projected onto the plane.
2. Projected Curve
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The system looks at all positions within the toolpath and f inds the closest point on the curve to the toolpath
position. Here we can see three random toolpath points on the surface (yellow dots) and the matching closest
position on the curve along with a connecting line between them.
1. Toolpath Point
2. Curve Point
The points are projected back to the surface and up to the curve. By connecting these points we get the tool
axis orientation (#1).
Fixed tilt angle: The Fixed tilt angle tilts the tool from the machine def inition’s spindle main direction vector to
the tilt curve. The direction is def ined by surface spanned by the curve point, surface point, and direction from
curve to surface point.
• When using positive tilt angles the tool tilts against the tilt curve (in the moving direction).
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• When using negative tilt angles the tool tilts away from the curve (in the moving direction).
1. Tilt Curve
2. Tilt Curve Point
3. Main Direction Vector
4. Projected Tilt Curve
on the surface
5. Toolpath Point
6. Direction of
movement
Example - Angle from spindle, main direction: The image below left shows the default toolpath. The tool is not
tilted at all because the system uses the spindle main direction vector which is the Z axis in this case. In the
image below right the tool is tilted 10 degrees from the spindle main direction towards the tilt curve. See the
f ile Closest Point-TiltAngle.vnc for a working example.
111
From start to end

This tilt type is useful for generating toolpath for tube milling and port machining (engine inlets). The tube
milling usually is machined in constant Z cuts, resulting in cut slices. The amount of the constant Z cuts
depends on the Stepover. The tilt curve is divided by the number of slices of the toolpath. Every slice is now
aligned to its corresponding point on the curve.
When tube milling be sure that your tilt curve is located inside and/or above your drive surface and that the
beginning of the curve starts on the correct end.
In this example the maximum step over is 10 mm. The toolpath for the tube has 10 slices, so the curve has 10
corresponding points for orienting the tool axis.
Note that if you use a collision avoidance strategy “Stop toolpath calculation” or “Leaving out gouge points”
and this causes the last slices not to be machined, it will look as if in the last cut the spindle is pointing to a
point on the curve other than the last one.
1. Tilt Curve
2. Curve Points
3. Tool Axis Direction
112
Automatic curve
The Automatic curve option is the only strategy where the curve is calculated automatically by the system for
each contour and the user does not need to provide any tilting curve geometry. The toolpath curve is
determined by slicing the surface with a plane parallel to the XY plane at each cut depth. The automatically
generated curve tries to dampen the tool motion by a user def ined Damping Distance. This type of tilting is
especially helpful for cutting deep cavities. Any Fixed tilt angle is def ined from the Z axis towards the
internally calculated automatic curve at each point of the tool motion.
Damping Distance: The Damping distance is the distance between the drive surface and the generated curve.
This can be set as an actual value or as a percentage of the tool diameter.
Example: In this picture you can see the drive surface compared to the automatic curve. The curve is similar to
the shape of the drive surface but the curve is smoother than the actual drive surface when inside the indent.
See the f ile Automatic Curve.vnc for a working example.
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From start to end for each contour

This option gradually tilts the tool through the def ined drive curve as the toolpath is followed. At the start and
end of the toolpath the tool tilts through the start and end of the curve. Halfway through the toolpath the tool
will be at the midpoint of the curve. A typical toolpath contains many contours so the gradual tilting will
happen for EACH of the toolpath contours.
Example: In this picture you can see the tool tilting along the drive curve. The tool goes through the start and
transitions to the end position. This will be repeated for each back and forth pass. See the f ile Tilted
Through Curve - From Start To End For Each Contour.vnc for a working example.
TILTED THROUGH LINES

With this option the tool axis will be approximated along the toolpath to lines def ined in the geometry. This
parameter only works with 4-axis and 5-axis output. There are two options for controlling the tilt, “All lines
weighted by distance” and “Always closest two lines”. The line is selected by clicking on the Tilt Line button.
Use Tilt Through

All lines weighted by distance: Here the direction of the tool axis will be approximated through all lines which
are close to your toolpath. So if you have many lines tilted in different directions, the tool axis is tilted with the
average of these lines. That also means that with this option you’ll almost never have the same orientation as a
specif ic line.
Always closest two lines: Here the direction of the tool axis will be approximated through two neighboring lines
along the toolpath. These lines are also the closest to each other. The tool axis will follow the two lines when it
is at the closest point to those two lines (f irst move between the pair with the f irst line and last move between
the pair with the 2nd line). All moves between the pair will be approximated using a linear interpolation
between the two lines.
Please note that when you choose the lines from your geometry, make sure that the chaining of all the lines
point in the same relative direction. That is to say that all lines point away from your drive surface or all lines
should point to the drive surface. If you mix the chaining directions the tool will also make direction changes.
Example: In these images you can see the green drive surface and the four orange tilt lines. In the f irst image
(All Lines Weighted By Distance) you can see the toolpath is approximated through all lines, meaning the
orientation of the tool axis never has the same orientation as any single line. In the second image (Always
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Closest Two Lines) you can see the toolpath is approximated through two neighboring lines, meaning the
orientation of the tool axis is the same as the tilt lines. See the f ile Tilted Through Lines.vnc for a working
example.
All Lines Weighted By Distance Always Closest Two Lines
TILTED FROM POINT AWAY

With this option the tool axis is always pointing away from a designated point in the part. This function is the
opposite of Tilted through point. The selected point must be located under your drive surface, not above or on
the surface.
Example: In this example the point is located somewhere under the surfaces. During machining the tool axis is
always aligned away from the point.
1. Point
2. Tool Axis
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TILTED FROM CURVE AWAY

During machining on your drive surface the tool points from the tilt curve away. Depending on your curve tilt
type the tool orientation and alignment to the curve changes. The selected curve must be located under your
drive surface, not above or on the surface. You have the choice between these Curve Tilt Type options: “Closest
point”, “Angle from curve”, “Angle from spindle, main direction”, “From start to end” and “From start to end for
each contour”. The curve is selected by clicking on the Tilt Curve button.
Curve Tilt Type

Closest point: Here the direction of your tool axis is the same as the shortest distance between your present
toolpath point and the tilt curve. This item uses the “Fixed tilt angle” parameter.
The following example shows a surface with a tilt curve beneath. You can see that the tool axis has the same
direction as the shortest 3D distance between the surface toolpath point and the curve.
How it works explained with a simple example: Let’s start with a surface and a tilt curve beneath the surface.
Additionally, we will look at two random points on the toolpath.
1. Drive Surface
2. Tilt Curve
3. Toolpath points
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Now, let’s imagine a small sphere built around one of the toolpath points.
Then the sphere is expanded until the sphere touches the curve. The location of the sphere/curve contact
gives us a point.
1. Expanding curve
2. Point of contact
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Now imagine a line between this point on the curve and the toolpath point. This line is the tool axis
orientation.
1. Tool Axis Orientation
Fixed tilt angle: This parameter allows you to set an optional f ixed tilt angle. This angle tilts the tool axis
centerline away from the tilt curve. The direction is def ined by the surface spanned by the curve point, a
surface point and the direction from the curve to the surface point. Positive tilt angles cause the tool to tilt
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inwards (in the moving direction). Negative tilt angles cause the tool to tilt outwards (in the moving
direction). The maximum tilt is vertical (90°) and horizontal (0°).
1. Moving Direction
2. Toolpath Point
3. Tilt Curve
4. Contact Point on the Tilt
Curve
5. Projected Tilt Curve and
Point on the Surface
Left Side Right Side
Angle from curve: This option works similar to the Closest point option. The difference is that an additional
Fixed Tilt angle can be given to tilt the tool axis centerline from the tilt curve to the direction of spindle
direction. For example, a value of 0 degrees here would make this option behave like the Closest Point option.
The direction of your tool axis is the projected length between your present toolpath point and the tilt curve.
This is the 2D distance. This item uses the “Fixed tilt angle” parameter.
How it works explained with a simple example: We start with a drive surface and a tilt curve beneath the
surface. The system looks at the machine def inition’s spindle main direction vector (usually the Z axis) and
the plane to which this axis is normal (usually XY plane).
1. Drive Surface
2. Tilt Curve
4. Plane
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The system then projects the drive surface and the tilt curve onto the plane.
2. Projected Curve
Here we see three random toolpath points on the projected surface. The system f inds the closest point on
the projected curve to the toolpath point. This is represented by the yellow one.
1. Toolpath Point
2. Curve Point
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The curve points are projected back to the curve. By projecting a line between the toolpath points and the
curve points the tool axis orientation is determined.
Fixed tilt angle: This parameter allows you to set an optional f ixed tilt angle. This angle tilts the tool axis
centerline away from the tilt curve. The direction is def ined by the surface spanned by the curve point, a
surface point and the direction from the curve to the surface point. Positive tilt angles cause the tool to tilt
inwards (in the moving direction). Negative tilt angles cause the tool to tilt outwards (in the moving
direction). The maximum tilt is vertical (90°) and horizontal (0°).
1. Moving Direction
2. Toolpath Point
3. Tilt Curve
4. Contact Point on the Tilt
Curve
Angle from spindle, main direction: This option works similar to the Angle from curve option. The difference is
that the tilting starts from the spindle main direction towards the tilt curve. The angle from the main direction
to the tilt curve is def ined by the Fixed Tilt angle. A value of 0 degrees makes the tool axis orientation parallel
to the spindle main direction.
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How it works explained with a simple example: We start with a drive surface and a tilt curve beneath the
surface. The system looks at the machine def inition’s spindle main direction vector (usually the Z axis) and
the plane to which this axis is normal (usually XY plane).
1. Drive Surface
2. Tilt Curve
4. Plane
The system then projects the drive surface and the tilt curve onto the plane.
2. Projected Curve
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Here we see three random toolpath points on the projected surface. The system f inds the closest point on
the projected curve to the toolpath point. This is represented by the yellow one.
1. Toolpath Point
2. Curve Point
The curve points are projected back to the curve. By projecting a line between the toolpath points and the
curve points the tool axis orientation is determined.
Fixed tilt angle: The Fixed tilt angle tilts the tool from the machine def initions spindle main direction
vector to the tilt curve.The direction is def ined by the surface spanned by the curve point, the surface
point and the direction from the curve to surface point. Positive tilt angles cause the tool to tilt inwards (in
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the moving direction). Negative tilt angles cause the tool to tilt outwards (in the moving direction). The
maximum tilt is vertical (90°) and horizontal (0°).
1. Toolpath Point
2. Moving Direction
3. Main Direction Vector
4. Tilt Curve
5. Tilt Curve Point
From start to end: This tilt type is used for generating toolpaths for tube milling and port machining (engine
inlets). The tube milling usually is machined in constant Z cuts resulting in cut slices. The amount of the
constant Z cuts depends on the Stepover. The tilt curve is divided by the number of slices in the toolpath.
Every slice is now aligned to its corresponding point on the curve. The tilt curve must be below the drive
surface.
• It is recommended that the drive curve end you select is in the same area of the part as where you
want the toolpath to start.
• In some cases using the collision avoidance strategies “Stop toolpath calculation” or “Leaving out
gouge points” can cause the last slices to not be machined. If this occurs the last cut will look as if
the spindle is pointing to a point on the curve other than the last one.
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From start to end for each contour: The tilt curve is divided by the number of toolpath points in the present cut.
The orientation of the tool axis at the present toolpath point is aligned to its corresponding point on the curve.
This process repeats with every new cut. The tool will gradually transition from point to point.
TILTING RELATIVE TO IMPELLER MACHINING LAYER

This tilting option is meant to be used for impeller-type parts. The tool will stay normal to the floor face of the
impeller. The tilting to the lead and lag can be tweaked by a global lead/side angle and additionally with a local
lead angle at the leading edge, splitter edge and trailing edge. The edges of the geometry are def ined with a
line.
Tilt lines: The lines will be used to apply a local tilting at the leading edge, splitter edge and trailing edge. So the
line must be located and orientated along this edge. Note that a positive angle tilts against the rotation axis, a
negative against the rotation axis.
Impeller rotation axis: This setting should represent the impeller rotation axis (Usually the Z axis).
Global lead angle: The global lead angle def ines the lead angle applied to the tool which is initially normal to
the floor. The aim is to provide a leading angle to avoid the tool cutting with its backside. Note that a positive
angle tilts against the rotation axis, a negative against the rotation axis.
Additional lead angle: This lets you set an local lead angle at the leading edge, splitter edge and trailing
edge.
Global side angle: The side lead angle def ines the side angle applied to the tool which is initially normal to the
floor. The aim is to influence side tilting into a preferred general direction.
Approximate: The Approximate option selects the calculation method used to determine a side tilt vector.
There are two types of approximation.
None: There is no approximation.
Smooth (local): The orthogonal vectors are computed by a distribution of the local neighboring orthogonal
vectors.
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RUN TOOL
ABOUT RUN TOOL
This parameter def ines the contact point between the tool and drive surfaces. The parameters include Auto,
Center, Front, Radius and User given point. The actual point of contact depends upon the tool used. See “Tool
Area Def initions” on page 129 for illustrations of the contact points.
Auto: The Auto option is the automatic mode. In this mode the system determines where the tool will contact
the surface.
If the user changes the orientation of the tool, then the surface contact point remains and the contact point on
the tool moves from the tip of the tool to the radius of the tool still maintaining the tangency between tool and
surface.
Example: In this example the tool axis limit angle is 70 degree. Now if the tool machines under this limit
the system chooses run tool option “center”. When the tool comes to the limited areas the touch point
changes to the tool radius. See the f ile Run_Tool-Auto_Front_Radius.vnc for a working example.
1. Move Direction
2. Touch Point
Center: If this parameter is set to Center, then the tip of tool is touching the surface contact point. If the tool
axis orientation is changed due to tilting options, then the tool will be tilted around this tip point. In such
cases, the tool and surface are not tangential anymore and the tool will gouge the surface. This can then be
avoided by explicitly turning on gouge checking and setting the f irst gouge check strategy to “Retracting tool
along tool axis”.
Example: Here you can see the tool always contacting the surface at the center. See the f ile Run_Tool-
Auto_Front_Radius.vnc for a working example.
1. Move Direction
2. Toolpath
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Front: The option Front is similar to “This parameter def ines the contact point between the tool and drive
surfaces. The parameters include Auto, Center, Front, Radius and User given point. The actual point of contact
depends upon the tool used. See “Tool Area Def initions” on page 129 for illustrations of the contact points.”
and forces the tool contact point to be a f ixed point on the tool. All changes to tool orientation are done
around this pivot point and this will also cause gouging of the drive surfaces. Setting a gouge control strategy is
critical to work with this option.
Example: Here you can see the tool always contacting the surface at the front. See the f ile Run_Tool-
1. Move Direction
2. toolpath
3. Tool Front
Radius: If this parameter is set to Radius, then the tangency is maintained as in the case of “This parameter
def ines the contact point between the tool and drive surfaces. The parameters include Auto, Center, Front,
Radius and User given point. The actual point of contact depends upon the tool used. See “Tool Area
Def initions” on page 129 for illustrations of the contact points.”. The difference is that for a bull nose tool, the
tip of the tool is never used as the contact point on the drive surfaces.
Example: In this example you can see a bull mill machining around the sphere. It doesn’t matter which
toolpath position the tool is at, the contact point is always at the radius. See the f ile Run_Tool-
1. Move Direction
2. toolpath
3. Tool Radius
User Given Point: The contact point between the tool tip and surface can be specif ied by the user in terms of a
front and/or side shift distance. The tool's contact point is offset by this distance. These values are relative to
tool at center contact point and the toolpath direction. Positive values for side shift move the tool to the left (in
machining direction). Positive values for front shift move the tool forward (in machining direction).
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Front Shift: This amount shifts the tool's contact point along the toolpath direction. A positive value causes
the contact point to be forward of the center point with respect to the toolpath direction. A negative value
will result in a contact point that is behind the center point with respect to the toolpath direction. A value
larger than the tool radius will result in a “virtual” contact point where the tool will no longer contact the
part.
Side Shift: Side means perpendicular to or across the motion direction. A positive value makes sure that
from the tip center of the tool, the side part of the tool is getting in contact with the surface.
128
TOOL AREA DEFINITIONS

For each supported tool type, the run tool option “auto, center, front and radius” affect different points and
areas on the tool. An explanation of how each of the run tool options affects the location of the contact point is
shown below.
Tool Center Radius Front

Flat End Mill
Ball End Mill
Bullnose End Mill
Slot Mill, no radius
Slot Mill, corner

radius
129

Dove Mill, no radius
Dove Mill, corner

radius
Lollipop Mill
Taper Mill, no radius
Taper Mill, corner

radius
Taper Mill, full radius
130

Chamfer Mill, no
radius
Chamfer Mill, corner
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LIMITS
Activating this option allows you to set direction limits on the tool axis. With these limit parameters you can
control the tool axis orientation along the toolpath. The available limit types are Tool angle allowed on XZ
plane, Tool angle allowed on YZ plane, Tool angle allowed on XY plane and Contain tool within conical angles
from leading curve.
Tool angle allowed on XZ plane: With this option you can limit the tool on the XZ
plane between two angles. b1 sets the start limit parameter and b2 sets the end
limit parameter. These angle values may be between 0° and 360° and are absolute
values.
132
Example: In this example you can see that the minimum tool limit angle b1 = 30 degrees and the maximum
angle b2 = 120 degrees.
Tool angle allowed on YZ plane: With this option you can limit the tool on the YZ
plane between two angles. a1 sets the start limit parameter and a2 sets the end
values.
Example: In this example you can see that the minimum tool limit angle a1 is
40 degrees and the maximum angle a2 is 95 degrees. You can use any angle
between 0 and 360 degrees.
Tool angle allowed on XY plane: With this option you can limit the tool on the XY
plane between two angles. c1 sets the start limit parameter and c2 sets the end
values.
133
Example: In this example you can see that the minimum tool limit angle c1 is 40 degrees and the maximum
angle c2 is 95 degrees. You can use any angle between 0 and 360 degrees.
Contain tool within conical angles from leading curve: Use this option to limit the tool between two angles
starting from the toolpath slice normal vector. In other words, imagine two cones with different opening
angles, w1 and w2. The tool axis direction is enforced to be between these 2 cones. The orientation of the cones
depends on the cone axis settings. You can set the orientation to X, Y and Z directions as well as to a user
def ined direction. If your cone axis is a line then you can use the X axis for lines parallel to X, Y axis for lines
parallel to Y and Z axis for lines parallel to Z. These angle values may be between 0° and 360° and are relative
values.
If your toolpath is related to a leading curve like Perpendicular to curve, you can set the cone axis to
Dynamically using leading curve. Then you can limit the tool axis along this curve and its toolpath.
How it works explained with an example: Below is a curved cylinder using the toolpath pattern strategy
“cuts along curve”. The generated toolpath moves are constant parallel cut slices. The limit setting is
“dynamically using leading curve”.
1. Leading Curve
2. Cuts Along Curve
134
To get a better view, one half will be cut out and we will take just one random slice. Imagine the slice as a
plane.
1. Cut Plane
Now we will pick a random toolpath point on the surface and plane. From this point create a line normal to
the cut plane.
1. Line Normal to the

Cut Plane
2. Toolpath Point
135
From this normal the limit angles will be spanned. w1 is the inner limit angle and w2 is the outer limit
angle. To which direction it tilts depends on the tool axis strategy. Finally, from this example you can see
the range in which the tool can tilt.
Span of Limit Angle Limit Range
Example: This is a typical example for tube milling. You see the leading curve running through the tube.
The toolpath pattern is set to “perpendicular to curve” which produces parallel cuts through the curve.
With the dynamic limits setting you can now force the tool between the angles and avoid collisions, for
example, without having gouge check activated. Open the f ile Tool Axis Direction Limit
Parameters - Contain Tool Within Conical Limits.vnc for a working example.
1. Leading Curve
2. Slices
3. Surface Normal
136
GOUGE CHECK TAB
Gouge Check tab
CHAPTER 6 : Gouge Check tab

ABOUT GOUGE CHECKING
Gouge checking in the 5-Axis module is rather powerful and you have a lot of control over what and how
things are checked. You may set up to four completely different gouge checking methods (see “Status” on
page 139) with different parameters including what part(s) of the tool and holder are checked (see “Check” on
page 140), how the tool should move to avoid gouges (see “Strategies and Parameters” on page 140) and what
faces you gouge check against (see “Geometry” on page 149). Here you can see the Gouge Check dialog. You
may navigate through the help topics by clicking on the picture.l
STATUS
You may check up to four separate combinations of tool components, gouge avoidance strategies and surfaces.
The status column check-boxes indicate whether gouge checking for any of the 4 sets are activated or
deactivated. There is not a numerical or sequential hierarchy — you can leave #1 deselected and use #2, #3, #4
if you want.
139
Gouge Check tab
CHECK
This option def ines which parts of the tool will be used for the gouge check calculation. You may choose any
combination of the Tool Tip (this is the flute length), the Tool Shaft (also known as the shank, or non-cutting
parts of the tool), the Arbor (front end of the tool holder) and the Holder (the back end of the tool holder).
You may add clearance distances to the basic tool dimensions. See “Clearances for tool parts” on page 150 for
more information.
STRATEGIES AND PARAMETERS

These strategies control the retracting process and describe the movement and tilting of the tool to avoid
gouging. The gouge check strategies include “Retracting tool along tool axis”, “Moving tool away”, “Tilting tool
away with max angle”, “Leaving out gouging points” and “Stop toolpath calculation”.
RETRACTING TOOL ALONG TOOL AXIS

If control by Retracting tool along tool axis is selected, then the gouge is avoided by retracting the tool. The
resulting toolpath will be gouge free. When the toolpath encounters a gouging point it will retract the tool
along the tool axis and clear the gouge point by the user specif ied distance, then make a connection move
(line) to where the tool path can resume after avoiding the gouging point.
Example: Here you can see the tool retracting along the tool axis. Open the f ile Gouge Check Strategy-
Retract Along Tool Axis.vnc for a working example.
1. Drive Surface
2. Check Surface
3. Tool Axis
4. Retracting Direction
Advanced options for retracting tool along tool axis

This is accessed by clicking the Advanced button.
Drop tool down wherever needed: This option can be used to project the toolpath from a drive surface onto a
check surface.
Remove areas where tool drop fails: This option will remove areas from the toolpath where the tool will not
contact the check surface or where there will be a collision.
140
Gouge Check tab
MOVING TOOL AWAY

The Moving Tool Away strategy has numerous options for how the tool
should retract. These options can be grouped into several categories,
Retracting the tool in X,Y or Z, Retract tool along surface normal,
Retract tool away from origin, Retract tool to cut center and Retract
tool in user def ined direction.
Retracting the tool in X,Y or Z

This option controls the direction in which the tool will move away
from the check and drive surface. While retracting, the tool always uses
the shortest distance to go around the check surface, with this option
the tool moves away from a detected gouge point in only the selected
retracting direction.
Available retracting directions include in the +X, -X,+Y, -Y, +Z and -Z

axis direction, in the XY, XZ and YZ plane and also optimized in XY, XZ and YZ. For the optimized options
instead of using the surface normals for each point, the complete contour is looked at and an offset is
generated based on the tool's radius. Then a move is made in the closest direction to the offset from the
original contour. The idea here is to eliminate the effect of inner corners on the surface normal when using
retract in XY plane.
Example: Here a gouge is detected. If you select Move tool in –X the effected toolpath points will be moved
away only in –X direction until the check surface ends and the tool is able to pass.
1. Drive Surface
2. Check Surface
3. X Direction
4. Old toolpath points
5. New toolpath points
Retract tool along surface normal

If you choose this option, the tool always retracts along the drive surface normal.
141
Gouge Check tab
Example: As you can see in this example, every toolpath vector has the same direction as the surface normal.
Open the f ile Gouge Check Strategy-Retract Along Tool Axis.vnc for a working example.
1. Surface Normal
2. Tool Axis
Retract tool away from origin

With this option the tool always retracts away from the origin. This means that a vector is created starting at
the origin, and going through the tool position. Then the retract occurs along this vector.
This option works well when the origin is concentric within a sphere. However, when the origin is at a
! point on a planar part and a check surface is not near the origin then the vector from the origin to the
tool position can cause a gouge.
Example: Here you can see that the tool retracts not from the surface normals but from the origin. Open the
f ile Gouge Check Strategy-Retract Along Tool Axis.vnc for a working example.
1. Surface Normal
2. Tool Axis
3. Origin
142
Gouge Check tab
Retract tool to cut center

This gouge check option is ideal for tube milling. To avoid a gouge the cutter will be retracted to the cut center.
The cut center is the center point of your cut slice.
Example: In this example we see a cut-out through a tube. The green drive surface is machined in parallel z
cuts. The red surface is the check surface. With the gouge check on the cutter retracts along the check surface
to the cut center. Open the f ile Gouge Check Strategy - Moving Tool Away - Retract Tool To Cut
Center.vnc for a working example.
1. Drive Surface
2. Check Surface
3. Toolpath
4. Cut Center
Retract tool in user defined direction

This will retract the tool in a direction you specify. You may specify a vector or select geometry that def ines the
vector. The Advanced button gives you access to additional options on the retract.
Project tool on direction wherever needed: Selecting this option will project the tool from its position in the
direction selected in “Moving tool away”.
Maximum projection distance: The tool will be retracted up to this amount. If this option is not used then the
maximum distance is considered to be inf inite.
Remove areas where project tool fails: This option removes areas where a tool projection is inf inite or where
projection fails.
143
Gouge Check tab
TILTING TOOL AWAY WITH MAX ANGLE

This gouge checking method will avoid gouges by tilting the tool away from the surface. There are three
methods for tilting, “Use side tilt angle”, “Use lead/lag angle” and “Use lead/lag and side tilt angle”. All of the
values are relative angles in degrees. Also see the Advanced section.
• Gouge checking requires a lot of computing time. The best approach is to use limit angles and tilt
angles, etc. to create gouge free toolpath and then use one or more gouge checking strategies and
the “Report remaining collisions from all strategies” option to prove that there are no gouges.
• This option is not available when the tool axis control strategy is set to Not be tilted and stays
normal to surface, Tilted with the angle or Tilted through lines.
• It is still possible to get collisions with the tool even though gouge checking is activated for all of the
tool. This can occur when there is a gouge that occurs between points on the toolpath, i.e. collisions
! that lie between the “Maximum angle step”. As an example let's say you have an operation where the
tool tilts away with the maximum angle step set to 3°. If there is a collision within these 3° the gouge
check may not recognize this. This is remedied by using a smaller value for the maximum angle step.
Use side tilt angle: Using this option the tool tilts to the sides, relative to the cutting direction. Positive angles
tilt the tool to the left, negative to the right. The range of values this option accepts are +/-0.01° to +/-180°. You
may select +, - or +/-. The Clearance angle specif ies a minimum distance between the tool and the check
surface. The distance is expressed by the opening angle between the surface contact point, the point on the
tool that contacts the check face and the contact point on the check face that contacts the tool. The clearance
angle can be applied to the side of the tool and the front face of the tool.
Clearance Angle: The Clearance angle specif ies a minimum distance between the tool and the check
surface. The distance is expressed by the opening angle between the surface contact point, the point on the
tool that contacts the check face and the contact point on the check face that contacts the tool. The
clearance angle can be applied to the side of the tool and the front face of the tool.
Use lead/lag angle: Using this option the tool tilts to the front or rear, relative to the cutting direction. Positive
angles tilt the tool to the front, negative to the rear. The range of values this option accepts are +/-0.01° to +/-
180°. You may select +, - or +/-. This tilting option uses the “Clearance Angle” parameter which is described
above.
Use lead/lag and side tilt angle: Here the system decides whether to use the side or lead and lag direction for
tilting or a combination of both. You can set an angle range in which the system can tilt the axes. The range of
values this option accepts for the lead/lag are from a minimum of -90° to a maximum of +90° and side tilt may
be done from a minimum of 0° to a maximum of 180°. Click the Advanced button to set the values.
144
Gouge Check tab
How it works: A tool going along its toolpath is going to hit a check surface. The gouge checking system
now starts calculating a solution.
The system generates two cones starting at the toolpath point. The angles of these cones is def ined by the
angles you set. First the minimum angle for the tilting to the side of the cutting direction is calculated and
then the maximum angle is calculated.
Then the minimum angle allowance in cutting direction and then the maximum allowance in cutting
direction are calculated.
The result can be a tilting just in one direction or a combination of both tilting directions.
Advanced
Advanced parameters for tilting tool away: This enhancement gives the user far greater control over the
algorithm that the 5-axis toolpath generation system uses to calculate an appropriate tool path. In cases where
gouging occurs, the tool can be tilted away from the gouging position. We group the potential inputs into four
145
Gouge Check tab
subcategories, “Preference order”, “Constraint”, “Preferences” and “Between Segments”. Taken together, these
subcategories provide a structured set of priorities that allows the user to communicate their desires to the
algorithm.
1. Preference order
2. Constraint
3. Preferences
4. Between
Segments
Preference order
Preferences will ask the algorithm to follow the user’s input, but in the case of failure the option will be ignored
and a solution provided. The order in which these optimizations take place can be customized by the user by
left-clicking on the text of an option to highlight it, then clicking on the up or down arrows to the right of the
dialog to re-order the list. All preferences can be included in the algorithm (or not) by checking the
corresponding box.
Stay Close to initial tool orientation: The Domain of search is restricted to the specif ied angle around the
current tool orientation. This checkbox is at the top of the “Optimize with the following order” section by
default.
Respect tool axis angle limits in cut direction: The tool orientation will try to respect the angle limits specif ied in
the cut direction.
Keep tool axis as vertical as possible: This option will attempt to keep the tool as close as possible to the Z axis.
Minimize rotary axis moves: The algorithm will try to minimize the rotary moves as much as possible. Toggled
on by default.
Minimize tilt axis moves: The algorithm will try to minimize the tilt moves as much as possible. Toggled on by
default.
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Gouge Check tab
Constraint
These represent a strong set of restrictions on the algorithm, but might not always lead to a solution. The
constraints are:
Tilt angles: (Enter the desired minimum and maximum tilt (side-to-side.)This is the domain of the solution
search, no solution checking will be performed outside of the specif ied domain. The graphic to the right of the
dialog will interactively indicate the domain as a yellow shaded area.
Fix Axis: A selection that will f ix the specif ied axis (or axes) if a solution is available. You may choose to f ix the
Tilt axis and/or the Rotary axis. Please note that checking this solution disables the ability to change the
optimization order.
Initial orientation limit: The user can create a toolpath with a tool axis control def inition from the tool axis
control page (e.g. tilted through a point). Then it might be desirable to gouge check the tool motion and allow
the system to use the original tool axis orientation for each point (calculated e.g. through the point) and allow
a deviation angle (e.g. 10 degrees) to resolve collisions. If this option is turned on, then the system will try to
use the tool axis control def ined by the user and will try to make it collision free within the given deviation
angle range.
Preferences
Cut Direction: Enter the desired minimum and maximum allowed angle (forward and back, or lead/lag.)
Between Segments
Copy previous solution: For optimization purposes the algorithm will try to copy the previous solution to the
current solution. In case of failure the algorithm will try to f ind the proper solution and the previous solution
will not be used. This parameter def ines whether the last orientation from the previous contour should be
used for the f irst orientation for the current contour. If this option is enabled the system will try to make the
tool orientation continuous on linking the two contours. The orientation obtained from the previous contour
will be applied to the current contour and only in the case of a collision will the previous orientation be
ignored and a new one computed.
Tilt non-gouging segments: The algorithm will be applied to contours that are not gouging at all.
Maintain orientation across gaps less than: The algorithm will try to make the tool axis orientation continuously
between two consecutive contours. This parameter def ines the minimum distance allowed from the last point
of the previous contour to the f irst point of the current contour to keep the tool orientation continuous. That
is to say if the distance to the next cut is smaller than the value the tool will not change its orientation. If the
distance is bigger the tool orientation will be reevaluated.
Split long contours by length: The contour will be divided accordingly and the algorithm will be applied to all
sub-contours. This option will only be available if the “Maintain orientation across gaps less than” option is
checked. The system may have diff iculty f inding a single solution for tilting the tool when the there is a long,
single shape or contour that def ines the toolpath. This option will break the shape into sections or sub-
contours, each of which can have it’s own tilt angle. It is diff icult to recommend a value as each shape is
different so try different values for a result that works.
Smooth factor: This slider directs the algorithm to compensate towards minimizing corrections in the toolpath
(“Min”) or towards making smoother toolpath (“Max”).
LEAVING OUT GOUGING POINTS

This gouge check option will trim the toolpath when a collision is detected. Instead of moving or reorienting
the tool when a collision with a check surface is detected, the toolpath positions producing a gouge are
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Gouge Check tab
removed (trimmed). The machining will be continued as much as possible. The “Report remaining collisions
from all strategies” option should be used in conjunction with this option.
Don’t trim toolpath: When using this option the toolpath will be created in its entirety.
Trim toolpath after first collision: This option allows the f irst collision to occur and then stop.
Trim toolpath before last collision: This option creates all of the toolpath up to just before the last collision.
Trim toolpath between first and last collision: This will stop the toolpath at some point in the middle.
Trim toolpath before first collision: This will create the toolpath up until the f irst collision.
Trim toolpath after last collision: This will create the toolpath until just after the last collision.
Example: Here we see a tool following the toolpath. The surface normals show the tool orientation up to the
gouge protection trimming point, where the tool path is stopped and typically retracted to a safe clearance
distance, then moves past the gouge point and resumes tool path, if possible. Open the f ile Gouge Check
Strategy - Leaving Out Gouging Points.vnc for a working example.
1. Check Surface
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Gouge Check tab
STOP TOOLPATH CALCULATION

This gouge check option will create toolpath only up to the point that the f irst gouge is detected. The toolpath
will stop at this point, ending the operation.
Example: Here you can see that the next cut would cause a contact with the check surface. The toolpath is
created only up to the point that the f irst gouge is detected. Open the f ile Gouge Check Strategy -
Retract Along Tool Axis.vnc for a working example.
1. Check Surface
2. Drive Surface
3. Toolpath
4. First Gouge
5. Stop Position
GEOMETRY
In this section you def ine which type of faces will be used for collision control.
Drive Surfaces: When you activate this option then all selected Drive Surfaces will be checked for collisions.
This ensures that your drive surface will not be damaged.
Check Surfaces: When you activate this option you can set additional surfaces to be checked for collisions. For
example this selection might include other surfaces from your part which are not drive surfaces. When you
only have the Check surfaces option activated you can set two parameters:
Stock to leave: This is an additional offset distance to your check surfaces. This is useful to create a “safety
zone” around the check surfaces.
Tolerance: This is the variance allowed in checking the surface. Giving the system a larger tolerance to use
for the check surfaces will speed up the calculation.
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Gouge Check tab
OPTIONAL GOUGE CHECKING ITEMS

CLEARANCES FOR TOOL PARTS
The system looks at the holder, arbor and shaft as simple cylinders, no matter what the shape actually looks
like. These clearances are a virtual stock added to your holder, arbor and shaft diameter and length. The
clearances are added to the extent of the cylinder.
Here we have an example with a bullnose end mill. The images show the clearances added onto the shaft, arbor
and holder.
1. Shaft
2. Shaft Clearance
3. Holder Front
4. Holder Front
Clearance
5. Holder Back
6. Holder Back
Clearance
If the surfaces to be considered have a ‘stock to leave’ value then the clearance and stock to leave values are
added together in order to keep the front end of the holder away from the part by that distance. E.g. if the
front end of the holder clearance is 0.2 and the user applied a ‘stock to leave’ of 0.5 on the surfaces, then the
arbor is not allowed to come closer than 0.2 + 0.5 = 0.7 to the part.
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Gouge Check tab
ADVANCED
When at least one gouge checking strategy is active you may also use additional Advanced Parameters for
Gouge Checking. These include Check gouge between positions, Extend tool to infinity and Check link
motions for collisions.
Check gouge between positions: Select this option in order to activate the collision checking between toolpath
positions. When there is a flat area, toolpath is typically generated at the edges of the flat, i.e. there are no
points between the start and end of the flat. This may result in a gouge not being detected between the start
and end points. When this option is active the system will look at the tool’s movement from one position to
the next and check for collisions with the drive and check surfaces. This option should always be used to get
good toolpath that avoids gouges.
• This function may not be necessary if you have set a Max. Segment Distance
value. See “Max. segment distance” on page 76.
!
• Please be aware that this may slow down the calculation.
Example: In the following images we see a part with a rounded area and a flat. Additionally there are two
gray cubes which are check surfaces. In Figure 8 there are no toolpath points between the edges of the flat.
The tool will gouge the check surface. On the round part there are many toolpath points. Gouge checking
works here even with the function disabled. In Figure 9 there are also no toolpath points between the
edges of the flat. With the option activated the system f inds the check surface and avoids the gouge.
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Gouge Check tab
Again, on the rounded surface there are many toolpath points so the system doesn’t necessarily need the
function but it still helps.
Figure 8: Gouge Check Between Positions is disabled. Figure 9: Gouge Check Between Positions is activated.
Open the f ile Gouge Check Strategy - Leaving Out Gouging Points.vnc to see the actual sample
operations.
Extend tool to infinity: When this option is active the tool geometry (the tool, arbor and holder) is stretched
along its axis to inf inity. This helps the collision checking system to detect all possible collisions.
A good example for using this option is when you are using guide
surfaces to control the tool’s axis (for example a cylinder) and the tool is
retracted to the actual part surface (which is def ined as a check surface)
to do the cutting. If the total tool length (including the holder and the
arbor) is not long enough the collision checking system may f ind a
collision free location for the tool between the cylinder and the real part.
This will not generate the desired toolpath. Making the tool longer could
resolve the problem and force the tool up to the check surface, but
activating this option makes that unnecessary.
Check link motions for collisions: When this option is active the system
will check link moves for collisions. See the section “Link tab” on
page 155 for more information on Links.
Report remaining collisions from all strategies: This option is useful when using gouge checking strategies,
particularly when “Check Gouge Between Positions” is disabled. Report Remaining Collisions is intended for
use when “Check Gouge Between Positions” is disabled to increase system performance. This option runs
much faster than checking between positions. Report Remaining Collisions will not perform collision
avoidance for gouge checking but it will tell you if there is a problem so that you can review the process and f ix
the collision.
The calculated toolpath is applied with a tolerance that is double the user supplied tolerance to detect
collisions. Report Remaining Collisions only checks the tool component (tip, shank, etc.) and the drive/check
surface combinations as specif ied for each of the active gouge checking strategies.
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Gouge Check tab
There are several conditions in which the system is, technically speaking, generating collisions purposefully
and the Report Remaining Collisions helps you work with these situations.
• When the collision control between positions is disabled. This will accelerate system performance, but
leaves the possibility of remaining gouges if sharp corners and complex geometries are present. In this case,
Report Remaining Collisions is helpful with identifying the collisions.
• When engraving or trimming, the tool tip is actually inside the surfaces to be machined, which is
technically a gouge. This will result in remaining collisions being reported.
• You may have entered retract and approach distances that are too small or rapid planes that are too low.
These cases will result in remaining collisions.
Check tip radius: This is available when using the “Tilting tool away with max angle” strategy and a non-flat
tool. When enabled, this option includes the radius of the tool tip in the collision checking. When it is
disabled the radius of the tool tip is ignored.
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Gouge Check tab
154
LINK TAB
Link tab
CHAPTER 7 : Link tab

ABOUT LINKS
The Links tab has controls for how the tool moves when it is not cutting. For example, the Links tab has items
for controlling how the tool will move, and from where, when entering onto the part (See “First Entry” on
page 158.) as well as how and where it will move when leaving the part. (See “Last Exit” on page 159.)
Additionally, items on this tab provide control over how the tool will move when it encounters air or check
surfaces while cutting (See “Gaps Along Cut” on page 160.), how the tool will move between stepovers (See
“Links Between Slice” on page 164.) and how the tool will move between passes. (See “Links Between Passes” on
page 168.) In this tab you can also f ind controls for how the clearance areas are def ined (See “Clearance area”
on page 171.), the clearances for feed and rapid moves (See “Distances” on page 185.) and powerful custom
controls over how the tool will move onto and off of the part (See “Default Lead-In/Out” on page 177.)
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Link tab
FIRST ENTRY
First entry is the f irst approach of the tool towards the part in a given operation. You may specify an entry
clearance distance from where the tool will enter the part and whether there will be a macro move or not when
entering the part.
The entry options are Approach from clearance area, Approach from rapid distance, Approach from feed
distance and Direct. The default setting is Approach from clearance area in which the tool starts at the
Clearance area, moves to the rapid distance, rapids to the feed distance and then feeds to the surface. If you
choose Approach from rapid distance or Approach from feed distance the f irst entry will be from a closer
start point. When using Direct, no link is calculated and added to the toolpath.
Once you have specif ied an entry clearance distance for the tool, you may def ine a custom entry type. The
choices are Use Lead-In or Don’t use Lead-In.
Use Lead-In: This option controls movement of the tool when moving onto the part. This includes gaps in the
toolpath and is in addition to the gap options. The lead-in is def ined in the Default Lead-In/Out button or you
may set a custom lead-in by clicking the ellipsis button.
Don’t use Lead-In: If some sort of lead-in is not used then the tool will move from the clearance position to the
f irst point in the toolpath along the tool axis in a straight line motion.
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Link tab
LAST EXIT
Last exit def ines how the tool moves when exiting the part in a given operation. You may specify an exit
clearance distance to where the tool will go after f inishing the toolpath and whether there will be a macro
move or not when exiting the part.
The exit options are Retract to clearance area, Retract to rapid distance, Retract to feed distance, Retract to
clearance area through tube center and Direct. The default setting is Retract to clearance area in which the
tool feeds from the drive surface to the feed distance then rapids to the rapid distance and then moves to the
clearance area. If you choose Retract to rapid distance or Retract to feed distance the machining ends closer to
the part. The Retract to clearance area through tube center option causes the tool to retract through the
center of an enclosed contour such as a tube or cylindrical geometry. When using Direct, no link is calculated
and added to the toolpath.
Once you have specif ied an exit clearance distance for the tool, you may def ine a custom exit type. The choices
are Use Lead-Out or Don’t use Lead-Out.
Use Lead-Out: This controls movement of the tool when leaving the part. This includes gaps in the toolpath
and is in addition to the gap options. The lead-out is def ined in the Default Lead-In/Out or you may set a
custom lead-in by clicking the ellipsis button.
Don’t use Lead-Out: If some sort of lead-out is not used then the tool will move away from the part to the
clearance position along the tool axis from the last point in the toolpath in a straight line motion.
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Link tab
GAPS ALONG CUT

This option controls the tool’s movement if gaps are found in the toolpath, such as a space between surfaces.
You have different choices for how the tool should move across the gap and resume machining. These options
include Direct, Follow surfaces, Blend spline, Retract to feed distance, Retract to rapid distance and Retract to
clearance area.
The system recognizes a difference in the size of gaps. Depending on the size of the gap it is possible to have
different strategies based on whether the gap is big or small. In addition to the method for handling the gap
you may set how the tool moves to and from the surface using the Default Lead-In/Out values. You may also
set a custom def inition for how the gaps are handled when Use Lead-In, Use Lead-Out or Use Lead-In/Out are
selected.
Using a lead-in/out for the entry and/or exit moves will extend the toolpath.
Figure 10: Example of an Entry lead-in use, Exit lead-out use and using both Entry and Exit.
Small Gap Size: Here you set the threshold for determining whether a gap in a toolpath segment is small or
large.
in % of tool diameter: The value is def ined as a percentage of tool diameter. Any gaps along the toolpath
segment that are smaller than this value are considered to be small gaps and the system will use the
selected strategy for traversing this space. Any gaps along the toolpath segment that are larger than this
value are considered to be large gaps and the system will use the selected strategy for traversing this space.
For example, if the tool diameter is 20mm and the gap size is set to 10% then the threshold is 2mm. All
gaps which are smaller than 2mm are considered to be small gaps, all gaps greater than 2mm are
considered to be large gaps.
As value: If you don’t want the gap threshold to be based on the tool diameter you may use this option and
set a value for the gap size. Any gaps which are smaller than this value are considered to be small gaps. All
gaps greater than this value are considered to be large gaps.
Example: This example shows a surface with a gap which becomes smaller along the toolpath. For this
operation the strategy for large gaps is “Retract to feed distance” and for small gaps it is “Direct”. The gap size
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Link tab
is set to 50% of the tool’s diameter. The tool diameter is 20mm so the small gaps are 10mm or less and the big
gaps are larger than 10 mm. You can see that for the large gaps the tool pulls off the surface, feeds across the
gap and then feeds back onto the part. The tool ignores the small gaps and just continues cutting across the
space with a straight line connecting move.
1. Toolpath
2. Gap
3. Small Gaps
4. Large Gaps
THE GAP OPTIONS

These options describe the tool behavior when encountering a large or small gap. The threshold for whether a
gap is large or small is set using either the Small Gap Size parameter or As value parameter.
Direct: With this option the tool follows the shortest path to the other side of the gap without any retract
movements. The toolpath in the gap is straight line and traverses the gap at the contour feed rate.
Follow surfaces: With this option the tool tries to follow the surface geometry. Toolpath will be generated
similarly to the closed surface geometry, even across gaps. Please note that this strategy is gouge protected only
when Gouge Checking is active.
In the image below left you can see a “Direct” connection. The cutter location has reached the end of the
surface and immediately connects to the next surface. In doing so it gouges the upper surface. With Follow
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Link tab
surface the tool moves to the end of the upper surface and connects only when the whole tool has left the
surface.
Blend spline: With this option gaps are traversed with a spline. The toolpath leaves and enters the drive
surfaces tangentially. This results in very smooth toolpath.
Retract to feed distance: When a gap is detected the tool retracts to the feed distance along the tool axis. The
tool then feeds over to the next point in the toolpath and feeds onto the surface.
Retract to clearance area: With this option the tool retracts to the clearance area when a gap is detected. The
tool feeds to the feed distance and rapids to the rapid distance along the tool axis. The tool then moves to the
clearance distance before moving to the next toolpath point.
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Link tab
Retract to rapid distance: When a gap is detected the tool retracts along the tool axis to the feed distance and
then the rapid distance. The tool then rapids to the next point in the toolpath rapids down to the feed distance
and then feeds onto the surface.
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Link tab
LINKS BETWEEN SLICE

This option controls the tool’s movement when stepping over to the next cut and provides different choices for
how the tool should move during the stepover. These options include Direct, Retract to feed distance, Retract
to clearance area, Follow surfaces, Blend spline and Retract to rapid distance.
The system recognizes a difference in the size of links or stepovers, being either small or large moves. In
addition to the method for handling the stepover you may set how the tool moves to and from the surface
using the Default Lead-In/Out option.
Using a lead-in/out for the entry and/or exit moves will extend the toolpath.
Figure 11: Example of an Entry lead-in use, Exit lead-out use and using both Entry and Exit.
Small move size: The value in this f ield sets the threshold for determining whether a stepover is small or large.
in % of stepover: The value is def ined as a percentage of the user given maximum step over value. For
example, if this value is set to 150% and the maximum step over value is 0.1mm the gap threshold is
0.15mm. This means that all stepover moves from one toolpath slice to the next are checked against this
0.15mm and determined whether the gap is smaller or larger than this value.
As Value: If you don’t want the gap size to be dependent on the maximum stepover you may set a value to
use for the threshold. Any gaps which are smaller than this value are considered to be small moves, all gaps
greater than this value are considered to be large moves.
Example: Here you see a surface with cuts that are not parallel. The distance between cuts is different at the
edge of the surface where the tool steps over to next the cut. Where there are large links the tool retracts using
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Link tab
the “Retract to feed distance” method and where the links are small the tool steps over using the “Direct”
method.
THE LINKS BETWEEN SLICE OPTIONS

These options describe the tool behavior when performing a stepover in the toolpath.
Direct: With this option the tool follows the shortest path to the next slice without any retract movements. The
toolpath in the link is a straight line and the tool moves at the contour feed rate.
1. Direct
2. Broken Feed
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Link tab
Retract to feed distance: With this option the tool retracts to the feed distance along the tool axis at the
machining speed. The tool then feeds to the next point in the toolpath and feeds onto the surface.
1. Direct
2. Broken Feed
Retract to clearance area: With this option the tool moves in rapid back to the clearance area. Only the return
to the drive surface is done at the contour feed rate.
1. Direct
2. Clearance Area
Retract to rapid distance: With this option the tool retracts by the feed distance plus the rapid distance along
the tool axis. The tool rapids from the drive surface to the rapid distance. From there over to the next point and
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Link tab
back down to the rapid distance (cyan moves in the image below) the tool moves at the rapid rate. The moves
to and from part to feed distance are feed moves.
1. Direct
2. Broken Feed and Rapid
Follow surfaces: With this option the tool tries to follow the geometry and check surfaces between the slices.
Please note that this strategy is gouge protected only when Gouge Checking is active.
Blend spline: With this option the tool movement follows an arc which leaves and enters the drive surface
tangentially.
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Link tab
LINKS BETWEEN PASSES

When the multiple passes option is used, the system will generate horizontal or vertical slices (see Multi Passes
on the Roughing tab). This option controls the tool’s movement when moving from one pass to the next. It
provides different choices for how the tool should move during the stepover. These options include Direct,
Retract to feed distance, Retract to clearance area, Follow surfaces, Blend spline and Retract to rapid
distance. In addition to the method for handling the move between passes you may set how the tool moves to
and from the surface using the Default Lead-In/Out option.
Figure 12: Example of an Entry macro use, Exit macro use and using both Entry and Exit.
THE LINKS BETWEEN PASSES OPTIONS

These options describe the toolpath behavior when moving from one pass to the next.
Direct: With this option the tool follows the shortest path to the next slice without any retract movements.
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Link tab
Broken feed: With this option the tool retracts by the feed distance at the contour feed rate. The tool then feeds
in a straight line to above the start point in the next pass and feeds onto the surface.
Retract to rapid distance: With this option the tool retracts by the feed distance plus the rapid distance. The
tool then rapids from the drive surface and moves over to the next pass start point.
Retract to clearance area: With this option the tool moves back to the clearance area and restarts the entry
process for the next pass.
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Link tab
Blend spline: With this option the tool moves from one pass to the next on an arc that is tangential to the end
and next start point.
Follow surface: With this option the tool tries to follow the geometry and check surfaces between the slices.
Please note that this function only works when gouge checking is active.
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Link tab
CLEARANCE AREA
The Clearance area is the area in which the tool can travel without hitting the work piece. Depending on the
drive surface and machining strategy, you may set different clearance area types including Plane in X, Y or Z,
Cylinder parallel to X, Y or Z and Sphere.
The tool moves at the rapid feed rate when at the clearance area. The tool gets moved to its f inal orientation
while moving from the clearance area to the rapid distance. Once the tool is at the rapid distance it tool has the
correct orientation for the f irst cut.
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Link tab
CLEARANCE AREA TYPES

Plane in X, Y or Z: The plane is the default clearance area setting. This clearance area is a plane normal to the X
axis, Y axis or Z axis with the distance to the plane set by the Height. You may manually enter a value or you
may select a point in the workspace. When selecting a point the system will load that point’s depth from CS1
for the height value.
As with all of the clearance settings, the tool will rapid from the position to the rapid distance. Along the way
to the tool will align to its correct orientation for the operation.
Angle step for rapid moves: This is the maximum step for orientation changes.
Keep initial orientation until distance: When moving from the last point of the rapid move to the clearance area
the tool will maintain its initial orientation until it reaches this distance above the part before orienting itself
to the clearance orientation (1,0,0).
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Link tab
Cylinder parallel to X, Y or Z: This clearance area type has a cylindrical shape which can be aligned to the X, Y or
Z axis. When def ining this clearance area be sure that it completely encloses your drive surface geometry. The
cylinder extends in inf inity along the axis.
Radius: This is the main control for this clearance option. This value is the radius of the cylinder, which is
centered on the axis.
Through: You may offset the position of the cylinder, parallel to the axis, by changing the Through position.
Please note that since the cylinder is inf inite in length any value entered for a point along the parallel axis
will be ignored. For example, if you choose the 3D point X+10, Y-5, Z+15 and the cylinder is parallel to Z, the
Z value will be displayed but ignored.
Angle step for rapid moves: This parameter controls the length of the curved rapid moves that occur when
moving along a non-planar clearance area, e.g. a cylinder or sphere. The curved rapid moves are segmented
into shorter line moves that do not exceed the angle step. This is similar to “Angular Segmentation”.
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Link tab
Example: Here you can see the machining of a turbine blade, (only the sides of the blade will be machined
so the small radius edges are left out.) Note how the tool retracts to the clearance area cylinder which is
parallel to the X-axis. As you can see, the turbine blade center is not exactly through the X-axis.
To move the cylinder you can set an offset to the X-axis so that the axis of the cylinder moves to the center
of the turbine blade. After setting the offset, the cylinder is moved down.
Sphere: This clearance area type uses a spherical shape to surround the drive surfaces. The sphere should
completely enclose your drive surface geometry. On most machines the tool typically cannot orient to every
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Link tab
possible angle so you don’t need the full sphere. Usually you will be concerned with def ining half of a sphere
located above your drive surface.
Radius: This value sets the size of the sphere.
Around: With these values you set the position of the sphere. You must be sure the sphere completely
encloses your drive surfaces. These are absolute values in the coordinate system.
Angle step for rapid moves: This parameter controls the length of the curved rapid moves that occur when
moving along a non-planar clearance area, e.g. a cylinder or sphere. The curved rapid moves are segmented
into shorter line moves that do not exceed the angle step.
Example: In the following image you can see four drive parallel surfaces machined. At the gaps in the
surface the tool retracts to the clearance area. With all of these retracts you can begin to see the spherical
shape of the clearance area.
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Link tab
Here are some different views to help visualize this option in use.
Side View Front View
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Link tab
DEFAULT LEAD-IN/OUT
Default Lead-In/Out lets you def ine a default Lead-In and Lead-Out function that can be used when Lead-In/
Out moves are desired for “First Entry”, “Last Exit”, “Gaps Along Cut”, “Links Between Slice” and “Links
Between Passes”. Using a Default Lead-In/Out saves you from having to redef ine the Lead-In/Out parameters
for each link type. When a macro is activated, no matter which Link option you have selected, the macro
moves are placed in addition to the link moves.
The Lead-In def ines the toolpath before the tool enters the drive surface and the Lead-Out def ines the
toolpath after the tool leaves the drive surface. You may choose from several Lead-In/Out Types including
Tangential arc, Reverse tangential arc, Vertical tangential arc, Reverse Vertical Tangential Arc, Horizontal
tangential arc, Orthogonal arc, Tangential line, Reverse Tangential Line and Orthogonal line. Additionally
there are several common Lead-In/Out Settings that may be set to get exactly the motion you want.
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Link tab
LEAD-IN/OUT TYPES
You can set up your Lead-In/Out moves with the following options.
Tangential arc: This option connects tangentially to the f irst toolpath point of the drive surface. The
orientation of the arc is 90° or normal to the tool axis so the arc orientation depends on the side tilt orientation
of the tool.
In the example below the tool is tilted 45° to the side, so the arc orientation is also 45° to the drive surface.
Setting a side tilt angle of 0° would cause the arc to be vertical. With a 90° side tilt angle the arc is horizontal.
Reverse tangential arc: This option is basically the same as the Tangential arc in that it connects tangentially to
the cut on the drive surface. The orientation of the arc depends on the side tilt orientation of the tool. With
this option the direction of the arc is reverse to Tangential arc.
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Link tab
Vertical tangential arc: With this option the tool leads-in with a vertical arc to the drive surface. In this case
“vertical” refers to the direction of the tool orientation and not with the angle of 90°, as with Tangential arc. If
the tool tilts to the side, the vertical tangential arc has the same orientation.
Reverse Vertical Tangential Arc: This option is functionally the same as “Vertical tangential arc” except with this
option the direction of the arc is reversed.
Horizontal tangential arc: With this option the tool enters the drive surface on the same horizontal level as the
slice of the cut. The arc orientation is independent from the tool orientation.
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Link tab
Orthogonal arc: This option connects orthogonal to the f irst toolpath point of the drive surface. The
orientation of the arc is 90° to the tool axis, so the arc orientation depends on the side tilt orientation of the
tool.
Tangential line: This option connects tangentially to the f irst toolpath point. The lead angle is normal to the
slice level of the f irst cut and the side tilt angle is the same as the programmed side tilt angle.
Reverse Tangential Line: This option is functionally the same as “Tangential line” except that with this option
the direction of the line is reversed.
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Link tab
Orthogonal line: This option connects orthogonally or perpendicular to the f irst toolpath point on the drive
surface. The orientation of the line is 90° to the tool axis, so the line orientation depends on the side tilt
orientation of the tool.
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Link tab
LEAD-IN/OUT SETTINGS
These three options provide greater control over the tool.
Flip: This option is available for Lead-In/Out types that are arcs. Selecting this option will flip the arc as if it
were being viewed in a mirror.
Tool axis orientation: This setting def ines how the tool will be orientated during the approach from the macro
moves. You may choose between Tangential and Fixed.
Tangential: During the entry or exit macro the tool will approximate the macro type, toolpath distance to
the drive surface. This can be thought of as a virtual surface which has similar geometry to the drive
surface. The result of this option is an even smoother crossover of the tool to the drive surface.
Fixed: With the f ixed tool axis orientation the tool has the same orientation as in the endpoint of the
macro or the f irst toolpath point on the drive surface.
Tilted: During the lead-in/out the tool axis will orient itself as def ined in the “Tool Axis will...” setting
found on the Tool Axis Control tab.
Arc Parameters: When def ining the arc to be used in a macro entry or exit you may use one of two possible
options to def ine the size of the arc. The f irst option is to def ine the arc by an Arc Diameter and Arc Sweep
angle. The other option is to use Width and Length values. Only one option at a time is possible, so if you have
chosen one, the other option blanks out.
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Link tab
Width & Length: The width and length def ine a bounding rectangle to enclose a 90° arc. The arc will always
have a 90° sweep and the arc is stretched or squeezed based on the width and length value.
Width Length
Arc Sweep & Arc Diameter: This option lets you create an arc on or off of the part by def ining its size. Arc
Diameter describes the radius of the tangential move as a percentage based on the tool diameter. For
example, a tool diameter of 10mm and a setting of 200% in the Arc Diameter results in the arc diameter
being 20 mm. Arc Sweep describes the angle of the arc segment def ining the arc move.
Arc Diameter Arc Sweep
Length: When a line is being used for the macro the only parameter to be concerned with is the Length. This
value describes the length of the line going to or coming from the toolpath.
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Link tab
Height: This parameter def ines the incremental height of the macro move. In the case of using a line, the
height value helps to build a ramp. In the case of an arc move, the height value helps to build a spiral.
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Link tab
DISTANCES
The Distances parameters def ine the feed and rapid distance to approach the part and retract away from part.
1. Clearance Area
2. Toolpath
3. Rapid Distance
4. Feed Distance
Rapid distance: As the tool moves from the clearance area to the rapid distance, the tool rotates to the f inal
orientation for the f irst cut. At the rapid distance the tool orientation is the same as for the feed distance. The
feed rate from rapid distance to feed distance is at the rapid speed.
Feed distance: The feed distance usually is close to the drive surface. The feed rate here changes from the rapid
speed to the contour feed rate.
Air Move Safety Distance: The Air move safety distance is a minimum distance between the clearance area and
the drive surface/check surface.
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Link tab
186
ROUGHING TAB
Roughing tab
CHAPTER 8 : Roughing tab

ABOUT THE ROUGHING TAB
The items found on this tab let you def ine how to rough your part. This includes what is to be cut (Stock
Definition), how many cuts the tool should take (Multi Passes), whether the tool should plunge rough the part
(Plunge), how pockets are to be handled (Morph Pocket), how deep each roughing pass should be (Depth
Cuts), how to rough an impeller floor (Area Roughing), duplicate and rotate the toolpath (Transform/Rotate)
and options for sorting the passes (Sorting options).
STOCK DEFINITION
When this option is active, the system will consider the def ined stock as the material condition at the start of
each operation. If multiple cuts are calculated for the operation the stock def inition will allow the system to
eliminate air cuts. All of the toolpath segments that are outside of the stock def inition will be f iltered out. The
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Roughing tab
Stock Def inition Parameters are used to maximize this option’s potential. If the Stock Def inition is off, the
system ignores all stock conditions and only generates toolpath based on face selection.
Note that the stock def inition is made up of surfaces, workgroup geometry, or a default stock box. In all
! cases, the stock def inition is considered to be a “shell”, meaning that the surfaces def ine the outer layer
of the stock def inition, as compared to a solid stock def inition.
Stock Definition Parameters

The items found in this dialog box let you set the stock tolerance and
what parts of the tool will be used for trimming toolpath. Any motion
where the tool or holder touches the stock will be kept as valid
toolpath. When the tool or holder (as selected here) are not touching
the stock the system assumes to be “cutting air” and the toolpath is
trimmed. This can happen whenever the entire tool tip is outside of the
stock material, or even if the entire tool tip is inside the stock material.
By default the system only looks at the tool tip (the area up to the full
radius) but you may select other parts of the tool and holder to check,
by activating the “Check tool shaft for collision”, “Check tool holder
front for collision”, and “Check tool holder back for collision” options.
When performing this calculation the system looks at the stock

condition for the current operation. That may be the stock set in the
Document Control dialog, stock def ined in a workgroup, a stock body
or stock that is locally selected for the operation from the CAM palette.
Whatever selection method, that boundary or shell is used as the stock. There are common cases where the
tool tip is actually cutting material, but the system may not realize it because the tool is deep inside a pocket
and the only thing that intersects with the stock is a part of the holder. Therefore, you may wish to use this
option and control what parts of the tool and holder are used when trimming the toolpath to avoid cutting air.
Note that one method to avoid having valid toolpath removed as air cuts would be to activate all 3 checking
options (shaft, holder front and holder back). But this will cause the system to take more time to calculate the
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Roughing tab
toolpath. So it is recommended that you only activate the checks that are necessary for the toolpath you are
creating.
1. Tool tip
2. Tool shaft
3. Front end of holder
4. Back end of holder
5. Pocket
6. Stock “shell”
7. Toolpath
Figure 13: Example of valid roughing toolpath where the system would trim the toolpath due to cutting air
if the Stock Definition option was not enabled.
1. Tool tip
2. Tool shaft
5. Pocket
7. Toolpath
Figure 14: Example of valid roughing toolpath where the system would trim the toolpath due to cutting air
if the Check tool shaft for collision option was not enabled.
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Roughing tab
1. Tool tip
2. Tool shaft
5. Pocket
7. Toolpath
Figure 15: Example of where the system would trim the toolpath due to cutting air if the Check tool
holder back for collision option was not enabled because the
Stock definition tolerance: The stock def inition tolerance is a value that def ines the tolerance between the tool
and the stock. The value may be positive, zero or negative. The idea behind this value is to compensate for the
chord height / tolerance used in the tesselation of the stock. This value does not affect the f inal part, only the
trimming of the roughing passes, so over-cutting or under-cutting the part is not much of a concern. This
tolerance is intended to help you minimize the amount of air cutting but give you control over how liberal or
conservative the toolpath trimming will be.
A negative value decreases the size of the material, or increases the tool size by the given value. For example, a
value of -0.1 mm means that the tool is enlarged (offset) by 0.1 mm. This will trim the toolpath so that more
toolpath will stay in the material.
A value of zero checks the exact tool def inition against the stock. Accordingly, the tool is assumed to be
cutting material when the exact tool def inition is touching the stock.
A positive value would decrease the tool size by the given value. This will trim the toolpath so that it will
extend more outside the stock.
Check tool shaft for collision: If this flag is turned on, then all motions where the tool shaft is touching (or
intersecting) the stock def inition are kept in the toolpath.
Check tool holder front for collision: If this flag is turned on, then all motions where the tool holder front is
touching the stock def inition are kept in the toolpath.
Check tool holder back for collision: If this flag is turned on, then all motions where the tool holder back is
touching the stock def inition are kept in the toolpath.
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Roughing tab
MULTI PASSES
Multi passes creates multiple toolpath passes that are offset in the direction of the surface normal, regardless
of tool axis orientation. The shape of the toolpath doesn't change. Roughing passes are located above the
f inishing passes. Activate Roughing passes to remove larger amounts of material. When closer to the f inal
surface, activate the Finishing passes option to make smaller cuts. Number def ines how many cuts will be
made and Spacing is the distance between the cuts.
The Sort by menu lets you choose to machine in slices using the Slices selection, or by layers using the Passes
selection.
Sort By Slices Sort By Passes
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Roughing tab
In the following images we see a comparison of machining sorted by slices versus passes. There are three
roughing slices or passes with 5 mm spacing and one f inishing pass with 1 mm spacing.
Gradual machining angle XY change: This option lets the toolpath rotate with every new pass with the set angle
value. This is available when using Parallel cuts and the machining angle in Z is not equal to zero.
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Roughing tab
PLUNGE
The Plunge option lets the tool plunge to the drive surface along its tool axis to rough the part.
The Step Length value describes the step-over distance between plunge moves. The Plunge height is the
distance above the surface where the plunge should begin.
1. Length
2. Height
Slide Length and Retract Angle are not used currently and are planned to be used in a future release.
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Roughing tab
MORPH POCKET
The Morph pocket option lets you generate toolpath for simple pockets. For this option it is important that you
work on surfaces that def ine a closed pocket, so you must select the faces that def ine the edge of the pocket,
not only the face that is the floor of the pocket.
Move: This option sets the machining direction. It can be from Outside to inside or from Inside to outside.
Stepover value: This option sets the maximum distance between two cuts.
Pocket area: This option def ines whether you want to machine the whole pocket using the Full option, or if you
want to stop machining after a certain number of cuts using the By number of cuts option.
Number of cuts: This parameter sets the number of roughing cuts for a morph pocket. If this parameter is used,
then it is probable that the whole pocket will not be machined.
Spiral Machining: When you activate spiral machining, the tool movement changes from parallel cuts to a spiral
machining toolpath.
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Roughing tab
DEPTH CUTS
Depth cuts are similar to Multi Passes. Multi Passes are always offset in the direction of the surface normal,
regardless of tool axis orientation. In contrast, the multiple passes generated by the Depth Cuts function will
always be offset relative to the tool axis orientation. The roughing passes are located above the f inishing
passes. Activate the Roughing passes option to remove larger amounts of material. When closer to the f inal
surface, activate the Finishing passes option to make smaller cuts. Number def ines how many cuts will be
made and Spacing is the distance between the cuts.
A combination of Multi passes and Depth cuts will create a mixture of both types of cuts. Hierarchically, the
depth cuts come f irst. Each single depth cut is associated with a complete set of def ined multi passes. For
example, if you have 10 Depth cuts and 10 Multi passes cuts you get 10 * 10 = 100 cuts. The feed from one pass to
another pass is done in the direction of the tool side tilt angle.
Sort by: The Sort by menu lets you choose to machine in slices using the Slices selection, or by layers using the
Passes selection.
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Roughing tab
Use ramp: This option changes the different roughing and f inishing slices into one spiral slice. The order is
starting from the roughing passes to the f inishing passes. The tool starts and stops on the same position as
without the ramp option.
Example: The following pictures show machining sorted by passes and by slices. With the Sort by passes
version you can see that the tool moves on the same level against the drive surface. With the Sort by slices
version you can see that the tool slices against the drive surface step by step. See the f ile Depth_Cuts.vnc for
this example.
Sort By Passes Sort By Slices
AREA ROUGHING
This function is for creating morphed toolpath for an impeller hub. It can be used to create roughing
procedures as well as floor f inishing procedures and it can be used to machine the impeller with our without a
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Roughing tab
splitter. The results of this function are similar to “Morph between two surfaces” but with this function you
have the ability to def ine a splitter blade that the tool can work around.
• When you work with margins the tool must be a ball endmill and “calc based on tool center” (utility
page) must be enabled.
!
• When you work with margins the value should be equal to or bigger than the tool radius. A smaller
value will destroy the faces, except when Gouge Protection is active.
Calculation Applied: This option controls whether the roughing passes that are calculated use the tool axis
control from the base toolpath, (i.e. “After collision control”) or each rough pass calculates its own tool axis
and collision control (i.e. “Before tilting”).
Rotary axis around: Select the axis the impeller is rotating around, either the X, Y, Z or a User defined axis.
Rotary axis base point: This item def ines the position of the axis. For example when using the Z axis you must
set an X and Y value to position the rotation axis.
Maximum step over: This item def ines the maximum distance between two cuts. The number of cuts is
modif ied to achieve the desired stepover. This distance can be smaller than the set value but will never be
larger. Instead of this you may choose to specify a number of cuts using the Number of cuts per section option.
Number of cuts per section: This option specif ies how many cuts are desired per section. The stepover is
modif ied to accommodate the number specif ied. Instead of this you may choose to specify a step over amount
using the Maximum step over option.
Cutting method: The items in this menu help you def ine the connection to the next cut between the blades.
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Roughing tab
One way (along rotary axis): With this option the machining starts at the lower edge of the impeller floor
face, continues along the blades and stops at the upper edge of the floor. Then it retracts to the beginning
and starts over with the next cut.
One way (along reverse rotary axis): With this option the machining starts at the upper edge of the impeller
floor face, continues along the blades and stops at the lower edge of the floor. Then it retracts to the
beginning and starts over with the next cut.
Zig zag: With this option the machining starts at the edge of the impeller floor face, continues along the
blades to the other edge, steps over to the next cut at the same edge and continues machining to the f irst
edge. The sequence for the cuts is from the left to the right, as def ined when looking from outside the
impeller towards the impeller axis of rotation.
Zig zag (climb only): With this option the machining begins in the center of the surface and progresses
outwards for each side. If you are using the Number of cuts per section Cutting method then you may also
set the Alternate direction to reduce path length option.
Alternate direction to reduce path length: This option is available when Number of cuts per section and a Zig
zag (climb only) Cutting method are selected. Instead of climb cutting every pass it alternates between climb
and conventional.
Area: The items in this menu help you def ine the area around the splitter blade that is to be machined.
Complete: This option will machine the whole area between the two main blades.
Left: This option will machine only between the left main blade and the splitter blade, as def ined when
looking from outside the impeller towards the impeller axis of rotation.
Right: This option will machine only between the right main blade and the splitter blade, as def ined when
looking from outside the impeller towards the impeller axis of rotation.
Trim cuts: This def ines if the trimming is set by a percentage of the contours or if the trimming starts when the
curvature of the contour exceeds the tool diameter.
Extension: This is used to specify an extension of the toolpath at the start and/or end of the default path. This
is activated by setting Calculation Applied to After collision control.
Depth Cuts: With this option applied, the toolpath pattern will be copied in the tool contact direction. The aim
is to get all material out of the impeller hub. Once a collision free pattern is generated it can be used for depth
cuts providing all following upper cuts to be collision free. Set the total number of cuts, the distance between
cuts and a start distance above the original toolpath. This is activated by setting Calculation Applied to After
collision control.
Smoothing above splitter: This option will attempt to smooth the toolpath above the splitter. This is activated
by setting Calculation Applied to After collision control.
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Roughing tab
How it works: The area roughing is built up on an existing tool path strategy. So f irst thing to do is to create a
swarf toolpath around the faces. We will focus on only one set of surfaces.
1. The tool path pattern morph Parallel to surface is being used. The lead surface (Single edge) in this case is
the (grey) floor face.
2. The Area roughing function needs an impeller segment of at least two blades def ined as drive surfaces. If
the impeller has no splitter then the two given blade faces must be selected. If the impeller comes with a
splitter face then the two blades faces and also the splitter faces (in this example all green faces) must be
selected.
! An impeller must be composed from two faces that make a closed contour.
3. The number of cuts depends on the cutting area. For this strategy it's necessary to have only one cut. Set
the cutting area type to Determined by number of cuts and in f ield Number of cuts enter 1.
4. In the Tool axis control specify 90 degree at the Tilt angle at side of the cutting direction. This will make
the tool parallel to the drive surface. In this case the tool will swarf. The resulting tool path will looks like
this.
Since the tool tilting is normal to the drive faces the tool is gouging the impeller and sometimes the floor surface.
5. A collision control set must be activated. There are two strategies that must be activated:
1. 'Tilting tool away with max. angle' and then 'Use side tilt angle' and check 'Drive surface'. This will
avoid collisions with the impellers.
2. 'Retracting tool along tool axis' and then 'Check surface #' and select the (grey) floor face (the same
selected as the Single edge). This will assure that the tool will not collide with the floor.
The resulting tool path by now should be gouge free and swarf ing. With this tool path information the system
can def ine the floor contour between the blades, where it starts and where it ends.
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Roughing tab
Now activate the Area roughing function. The following parameters in the parameter dialog must be set:
1. A rotation axis must be selected. Available are X, Y, Z and User def ined axis directions. In case of selecting
the option user def ined axis, the axis can be picked from the geometry or can be set by vectors in X, Y and
Z.
2. A rotary axis base point must be set if the rotation axis is shifted in one direction.
3. The maximum step over def ines the maximum distance between two cuts. This distance in the actual tool
path could be smaller than the set value but never larger.
4. Alternatively to the maximum step over it can be def ined the number of cuts per section. These cuts will
be spread over the floor face with same step over.
5. The area to be machined can be:
Complete the whole area between the two main blades

Left only between the left main blade and the splitter blade.
Right only between the right main blade and the splitter blade.
6. The cutting method def ines the connection between the cuts. The options are:
One way (along The machining starts at the upper edge of the impeller floor face, continues along
rotary axis) the blades and stops at the lower edge of the floor. Then it retracts to the beginning
One way (along The machining starts at the lower edge of the impeller floor face, continues along
reverse rotary axis) the blades and stops at the upper edge of the floor. Then it retracts to the beginning
Zig zag The machining starts at the edge of the impeller floor face, continues along the
blades to the other edge, steps over to the next cut at the same edge and continues
machining to the f irst edge. The sequence for the cuts is from the left to the right.
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Roughing tab
Zig zag (climb only) The machining begins in the center of the surface and progresses outwards for each
side.
7. The parameter calculation applied can be:
After collision control In this case the collision check will be applied before the area roughing morphs
the tool path. If the calculation is applied after the collision control it is possible
to extend the tool path at the start and the end.
Before tilting In this case the tool path will be morphed over the floor face before the collision
control is applied. The collision checking happens afterwards.
The resulting tool path should look like this:
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Roughing tab
TRANSFORM/ROTATE
This option allows the automatic generation of duplicate rotated copies of the toolpath for the operation. A
rotation axis and position is specif ied along with an initial rotation, rotation angle and number of steps.
Additionally, several options for sorting the toolpath are available. All toolpath rotations will always generate
long hand code when post processed.
Sort by: This def ines how the toolpath will be rotated.
• Complete tool path - The complete tool path section will be rotated in one piece.
• Passes - The rotation will be applied in layers. The order for two rotations would be: 1st layer of 1st tool
path, 1st layer of 2nd tool path. Then 2nd layer of 1st tool path, 2nd layer of 2nd tool path and so on.
• Slices - The rotation will be applied in slices. The order for two rotations would be: 1st slice of 1st tool path,
1st slice of 2nd tool path. Then 2nd slice of 1st tool path, 2nd slice of 2nd tool path and so on.
• Partial tool path - Only a percentage of the tool path will be rotated. In this case a value must be specif ied
in the f ield Perc. of whole toolpath.
Apply linking: Linking can be set to Before rotation or After rotation. If the linking is applied before the
rotation then all rotated tool paths have same linking segments as the initial tool path. If the linking is applied
after the rotation then the linking of the rotated tool paths will be collision checked and eventually taken out.
So, this option works only with activated collision control.
Apply stock: Stock may be applied to the calculation Before rotation or After rotation. If the stock is applied
before the rotation then all rotated tool paths will have the same stock def inition as the initial tool path. If the
stock is applied after the rotation then the stock def inition will be checked for every rotated tool path.
How it works: Each item in this dialog should be set. Following is an example.
1. A rotation axis must be selected. Available are X, Y, Z and User defined axis directions. When selecting the
User defined axis, the axis can be picked from the geometry or can be set by vectors in X, Y and Z.
2. Set a rotation axis base point if the rotation axis is shifted in one direction.
3. Set the number of steps (meaning how often should the tool path be copied). If “1” is input then the
existing tool path will be moved.
4. Set the start angle. This angle is the position of the f irst rotated tool path.
5. Set the rotation angle. The rotation angle is the increment between two rotated tool paths.
6. Chose the sort by method. This def ines whether the tool path will be rotated.
7. Set Apply linking. The linking can be applied before or after rotation.
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Roughing tab
8. Apply stock. The stock can be applied before or after rotation.
SORTING OPTIONS
These options let you change the order and direction of the default roughing.
Reverse order of: This option reverses the order of the cuts for depth cuts or multi-passes.
• Passes - by default the machining starts with the slice or pass which is considered as the last or the cut
with the biggest distance to the machining surface. Setting the option to Passes simply swaps the cut
order. Now the cut which is next to the drive face is the f irst cut.
• Complete toolpath - this options swaps the cut order of the set of passes and slices as well as the order of
the single cuts with in one pass or slice. For example, if the default machining would start from the f ifth
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Roughing tab
pass moving from left to right, the new order with this option activated now starts from the f irst layer
moving from the right to the left.
Connect Slices By Shortest Distance: This option works with the Multi Passes and Depth Cuts functions. With
both of these functions you have the choice between Sort by slices and Sort by passes. If Sort by slices is active
you will see that, even when you are using a Zig Zag motion (see “Cutting Method” on page 62), the machining
within one slice is one way machining. The machining direction doesn't change until the next slice. That
means that the tool moves long distances without cutting. If you activate Connect slices by shortest distance
the machining will use the shortest distance to the next cut. The result is Zig Zag machining within one slice.
The default behavior of a Zig Zag slice A Zig Zag slice with “Connect slices by
toolpath. shortest distance” activated.
206
UTILITY TAB
Utility tab
CHAPTER 9 : Utility tab

ABOUT THE UTILITY TAB
The Utility tab has several advanced controls to ref ine your toolpath. These options include “Set Y Axis
Machine Limit”, “Smooth Surface Normals”, “Calc Based on Tool Center”, “Feed Rate Advance Control” and
“Axial Shift”.
SET Y AXIS MACHINE LIMIT

This is a special option to provide limits for the resulting Y values. If these limits are provided, then the tool is
tilted such that the tool remains in these Y limits. This is a very special option to cut turbine blades that are
wide and can not normally be machined with a machine which has limited Y travel.
SMOOTH SURFACE NORMALS

This function will apply a smoothing f ilter to the surface normals used to calculate the tool axis at each
toolpath position. This will result in a smoother change in tool axis orientations along the toolpath. The
smoothing threshold value is the angle change in degrees per unit (mm or inch).
The smoothing f ilter works this way: If the change in surface normal exceeds the smoothing threshold at any
point along the toolpath then additional toolpath positions are added. The tool axis at these new toolpath
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Utility tab
positions is calculated as a linear interpolation of the tool axis between the points of the originally calculated
toolpath.
CALC BASED ON TOOL CENTER

This function controls the fundamental way that the toolpath is calculated. It has an effect on how the tool is
positioned so that it is touching the drive surface. When this function is on, the calculation is based on the
center of the tool. When it is off, the calculation is based on the contact point of the tool. With this function
the center of the tool is def ined to be the center of the tool’s corner radius, which for a ball end mill is on the
tools axis.
In calculating the toolpath, the tool is initially positioned so that it is touching the drive surface with an initial
tool axis orientation and so that it satisf ies the criteria specif ied by the settings on the Surface Paths tab. Then
the tool is tilted so that the tool axis satisf ies the criteria specif ied by the settings in the Tool Axis Control tab.
When the Calc based on tool center function is on, the tool axis tilting is done without changing the location
of the tool nose radius center point, so that the tool axis then tilts around that center point, and the tool/drive
surface contact point changes. When the Calc based on tool center function is off, the tool axis tilting is done
without changing the location of the tool/drive surface contact point, so that the tool axis then tilts around
that contact point, and the tool nose radius center point changes.
The result of using this function is that the user has more control over the actual toolpath positioning. An
example of this is shown below as a side view of a toolpath with constant Z cuts. The illustration on the left
shows the calculation with the function Calc based on tool center set to off, so the calculation is based on the
contact point. In this case, all of the contact points on the face have the same Z value, but the tool center varies
as the surface normal changes. I.e. as the surface gets steeper, the tool center point drops in Z. The illustration
on the right shows the calculation with the function Calc based on tool center set to on, so the calculation is
based on the tool center point. In this case, all of the tool center points have the same Z value, but the drive
surface/tool contact point varies as the surface normal changes, i.e. as the surface gets steeper, the tool contact
point goes up in Z.
Red dots represent the tool center and yellow dots represent the surface contact points.
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Utility tab
Using the Calc based on tool center function typically requires that a Margin offset value (the tool
nose radius) be entered into the Margins dialog which is found on the Surface paths tab next to the
Area > Type drop-down choices. See “To see this example open the f ile Surface Quality -
Maximum Stepover.vnc.” on page 79 for more information.
FEED RATE ADVANCE CONTROL

This section lets you ref ine feed rates for the operation. Clicking on the Feed Rates button lets you modify
feeds based on surface topology and/or set a different rate for rapid moves. The First Cut Feed Rate Scale
Percentage option lets you change the feedrate on the f irst cut across the surface to account for a heavier load
on the tool.
Feed Rates
The Advanced Feed Rate Control parameters are used to adjust the feed rates from the nominal values
specif ied in the Options Tab.
Change feed rate according to surface radius

Activate feed rate control: When this item is enabled you can optimize the contour feed rate based on the
surface curvature. The surface curvature is calculated at each toolpath position where the surface contact
point of the tool is known.
You may set up to four optimizations based on the curvature including flat surfaces, large radii, small radii and
sharp corners. The Feed rate % is the value to increase or decrease the base feed rate based on the curvature.
The values have to be greater than 0 as this is the percentage of the user given feed rate. E.g. 100 means that
100% of the user given feed rate is used. Each successive item must be a lower percentage than the previous,
which is to say that the value for flat must be greater than large radii which must be greater than small radii
which must be greater than sharp corners.
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Utility tab
Rapid move parameters

Use Rapid Feed: When this option is activated, rapid moves will be output as a G1 instead of a G0. This may help
avoid potential collisions since a high feed G1 will be an interpolated move in all axes unlike the G0 move on
most machines.
Rapid Feedrate: You may set a feedrate for G1 rapid moves.
First Cut Feed Rate Scale Percentage

This option lets you change the feed rate for the f irst cut in an operation. You set a percentage to adjust the
feed rate. A value between 0-100% will decrease the feedrate. A value greater than 100% will increase the feed
rates. This will help you account for the tool bearing a heavier load on the f irst cut. In the following image we
see a tool that will be taking a heavy cut while the following cuts will be equal to the tool radius. To account for
the heavier load on the tool the feed rate is scaled to f ifty percent of the rest of the operation.
AXIAL SHIFT
The Axial shift is an offset added to the tool along its axis. You may either click on the Axial Shift button to
select an existing point in the part to load it’s absolute depth value or you may specify an amount in the text
box.
DAMP
This option helps to smooth the toolpath by preventing the tool from retracting along its axis at or near
corners.
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TUTORIALS
Tutorials
CHAPTER 10 : Tutorials
OVERVIEW
These tutorials should provide an overview of the 5 Axis basic features, methods and strategies. We will use
pre-def ined parts and cover the whole range of details of 5 Axis machining in some tutorials while others
will simply cover a small part of the 5 Axis features.
ABOUT THE TUTORIALS

We will work on the three following f iles to introduce the 5 Axis features.
Tutorial 1 Tutorial 2 Tutorial 3
About the Tutorials - Concepts

Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Toolpath on a model without creating Z Constant Toolpath on a
fixture additional geometry blade
Before starting the tutorials there are several concepts you should understand.
Concepts
The following diagram describes some general 5-Axis terms that will be used in the following tutorials:
1. Contact Point
2. Tool Center Point
3. I,J,K, Tool Orientation
Contact point: the point at which the tool touches the material
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Tutorials
Cutter Location Point: the point that is def ined by the generated toolpath
I, J, K Tool Orientation: values that represent the orientation of the tool axis
Tips
When def ining a tool tilt, it will rotate around the contact point. The point on the material is f ixed and
Cutter location point on the tool will change according to the tool orientation (unless they are the same
position as in sharp tip tools).
When using surfaces you should always check sheet sides before creating a new operation. This will ensure
the toolpath is applied to the correct side of the surface.
About the Tutorials - Tips
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Tutorials
TUTORIAL 1
PARALLEL CUTS ON A CYLINDER WITH A FIXTURE
We will be creating a single process to cut the cylinder and redoing operations many times to discuss
different features in 5-Axis processes on the following tabs.
1. Surface paths
2. Tool axis control
Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Part Set-up

3. Link
4. Collision control
It is recommended that when creating the process that you follow

work through the tabs in this order to create toolpath.
Surface paths: On this tab you can set the options for the Pattern, Area, Sorting and Surface quality. The
Pattern includes the Drive Surfaces which are the surfaces to be machined.
Tool axis control: This tab allows you to def ine the tool orientation and machining Limits.
Link: Here you can setup the motion of the tool between slices, cuts and passes.
Collision Control: This tab contains all options to avoid the tool gouging selected drive and check surfaces.
Part Set-up
• Create a new 5 Axis Vertical Mill part with the following workspace size:
+X: 5 -X: -85 +Y: 45 -Y: -45 +Z: 45 -Z: -45
• Create a 30mm Rough Endmill with an overall length of 70 mm without the

holder.
We will f irst create the parallel cuts without the f ixture.
• Create a cylinder with 40mm radius and a length of 80 mm or open the

example file cylinder.vnc.
Ensure the cylinder is parallel to the X axis and starts in X0, Y0 and
Z0 and lies in X- direction. This is important for the Surface Path
pattern orientation.
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Tutorials
Surface Paths
• Create a 5-Axis process with the Ball endmill.
• Switch to the Surface paths tab.
• Select Parallel cuts as the Pattern.
It’s the f irst item and also the default pattern.
We want to make parallel cuts to the X axis.

Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Surface Paths
• Set the Machining angle in Z to 90° or click the

Parallel button.
• Click the Drive surface button.
A dialog opens that displays the surfaces to machine.
• Turn on Face selection.
• Select the round cylinder face as shown and press OK.
• Change the Cutting method to One way.
• Also change the Maximum step over to 8 mm.
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Tutorials
• Create the operation.
Now we will change the pattern to Perpendicular to curve. This is

another way to get the desired motions without having to calculate
the angles needed as in the previous def inition.

• In the XY plane create a 180° line at Y0.
To ensure the desired direction of the toolpath it is important

to set the direction of the lines movement in the -X direction.
• Change the Pattern to Perpendicular to curve.
• Now press the Lead button and

select the line.
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Tutorials
• Redo the operation.
The start point was randomly selected. We will now def ine the
start point. We want the machining to start on the edge of the
cylinder.
• Change the Area Type to Full, start and end at

exact curve end points.
• Enable Start Point and press the Start point

button.
• Enter a Y value of -40mm and press OK.
The toolpath is generated exactly up to the surface edge or to the nearest possible position.
We will now create toolpath that will limit the cuts between points.
• Change the Area Type to Limit cuts by one or two points.
• Press the Set Points button.
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Tutorials
• Enter -79 mm for the first X value and -0.01 mm for the second X value and press OK.
Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Tool axis control

The cuts are made between the limit points.
Tool axis control

• Switch to the Tool axis control tab.
We will now def ine a Lead angle.
• Ensure the Tool axis control strategies is set to Be tilted

relative to cutting direction and set a Lead angle to
cutting direction of 15°.
A positive value will lean the tool in the direction of

movement and a negative values will lean the tool
away (lag).
• Redo the operation and render the results.
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Tutorials
From the view of the right face you see the difference between them.
1. No lead angle
2. Lead angle
3. Motion direction
Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Gouge check
• Now change the tool axis to Tilted with fixed angle to

axis.
• Enter 45° as the Fixed tilt angle in the X-Axis.
This will tilt the tool at 45° relative to the X axis. The
tilt axis can be set to the X, Y, and Z axis or any line.
• Switch to side view.
The tool is now tilted towards X+ in a constant

angle of 45 degrees all along the toolpath.
Notice that the contact point of the surface is
maintained and the tool center is moved due to
the tilt.
Gouge check
Now we work with gouge check options. For this
we will create a f ixture.
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Tutorials
• Create a cuboid based on the dimensions shown:
• Change the properties of the cube to be a fixture.
• In the Tool axis control change the tool axis to Not be tilted
and stays normal to surface.

• Switch to the Gouge check tab and activate Status 1.
• Activate the options shown.
The gouge check will be checked only against the tool tip, shaft and the front of the holder. The
checkboxes indicate which part of the tool is gouge checked against. The menu indicates the strategy
that will be used to prevent a gouge. In this case the tool will retract along its current orientation axis
until it will not gouge. Selecting the check surfaces allows a stock clearance tolerance to be set. The
Clearance for tool parts button allows specif ic clearance values for each part of the tool to be set.
Because we def ined the cuboid as a f ixture the body will be used as the check surfaces. If you press the
more details button you can see the cuboid faces are all loaded into the dialog already because
they are labeled as a f ixture in the Body Properties dialog. If there is anything missing or the faces are
not included you may add them to the dialog. If this is necessary, turning off Face selection will allow
you to select the whole body to add all the faces at once as Check Surfaces.
• Create the toolpath.
• Render the operation.
Notice that the check surfaces are machined as well.

All the time the tool orientation is kept normal to the
drive surface (cylinder).
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Tutorials
• In the Gouge check tab click the

Advanced button.
• Deactivate Check gouge between

positions and Check link motions
for collisions.
Create a new operation to

compare the difference.
• Switch to the Right view and

compare the two toolpaths.
1. Op #1 using Check gouge

between positions
2. Op #2
The second toolpath used less tolerance and could possibly cause a small gouge. The original toolpath
is more smooth.
• Delete the second operation.
• In the Gouge check tab change the strategy to Leaving out gouging points.
• Enter a 2mm Stock to leave.
This will limit tool movement around the check faces to be greater than 2 mm.
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Tutorials
The tool now rapids around the check surfaces. The moves may still
gouge the f ixture depending on other settings and we will change the
tool motion in the next step.
Link
• Switch to the Link tab.
• Open the Clearance area dialog.
Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Link

• Set the clearance Type as Cylindrical parallel to X with a radius of 120 mm.
• Press OK.
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Tutorials
• Open the Distances dialog.

Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Link
• Change the rapid distance to 5 mm and the feed distance to 30 mm. Leave the air move safety distance with
default 10 mm.
• Redo the operation and render.
• Switch to the Surface path tab.
• Open the Start point parameters dialog.
• Change the Rotate by [Deg] to 8.
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Tutorials
• In the Link tab change the First entry

and Last exit to Use Lead-In and Use
Lead Out.
• Open the Default Lead-In/Out dialog.
• Select Vertical tangent Arc in Entry macro as well as Exit macro.
Parallel cuts on a cylinder with a Fixture - Advanced Options

Notice the tangent approach and retract as result of

using the macro.
At each approach the start point is shifted 8°.
Advanced Options
• In the Surface path tab Sorting section check the Flip
step over.
• Go to the Tool axis control tab.
• Change the tool axis to Titled with fixed angle to axis.
• Set the Fixed tilt angle to 45° in the X Axis.
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Tutorials
• In the Gouge check tab change strategy to Moving tool away and let the tool retract in YZ plane.
Notice that due to Flip step over the machining starts from the other
side.
• Go to the Tool axis control tab and change the tilting

strategy to Tilted from point away.
• Set the tilt angle to 0 and the tilt axis to the X Axis.
• Press the ellipsis button.
• Define the center point of the cylinder as shown.
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Tutorials
Notice that at all positions the tool axis is pointing to the point.
• In the Gouge check tab change the strategy to Stop toolpath

calculations.

Only the non-gouging motions remain.
This is the end of the f irst look at how a 5-Axis process works with
some of the basic features. If you would like to keep modifying this
part you may wish to save it. We will now continue on with the next
tutorial.
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Tutorials
TUTORIAL 2
MODEL SURFACE MACHINING
In this tutorial, you will learn about the following 5-Axis options:
• Parallel to curve
• Swarf toolpath
• Gap handling methods

Model Surface Machining - Multiple Surface toolpath
• Principles of the workflow
• Tool tilt control
• Multiple gouge protection features
• Gouge protection against walls and sharp corners
• Apply different stock settings to different sets of surfaces
• Gouge protection of tool holders
Multiple Surface toolpath

• Open the file simple.vnc.
• Create a 5-Axis process with the tool.
• In the Surface path tab select Parallel to Multiple

Curves as the pattern.
The cut direction will be along a leading curve.
• Press the Single edge button.
• Select the geometry as shown.
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Tutorials
• Press the Drive surfaces button and

select the inner convex walls as shown.
• Press OK.
• Set the Cutting method to Zigzag.
Model Surface Machining - Gap handling

• Set the Area Type to Full, avoid cuts at exact
edges.
• In the Surface quality settings set the Cut

tolerance to 0.01
• Set the Maximum step over to 2 mm.
Leave all other settings as default.
Although this would be a clean way to cut the drive

surfaces the toolpath is not usable because it gouges
the crossbeam. We will need a different tool angle
approach so that we don’t destroy the part.
Gap handling
The crossbeam is a “gap” in the tool movement. We will
now change to a swarf style toolpath to deal with the gap.
This type of toolpath is used for machining with the side
of the tool for pocket sides and walls rather that the
bottom of the tool.
• Change the Area Type to Determined by

number of cuts with 1 cut.
We will use a single cut to examine our

choices in the gap settings. Later we will increase the steps to cut the whole drive surface area.
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Tutorials
• Now set the Cutting method to One way.
• Change the tool axis to Be tilted relative to

cutting direction from the strategy drop down menu.
• Change Tilt angle at side of cutting direction to 90°.
This will tilt the tool so that it is almost normal to the

XY plane.
Model Surface Machining - Gap handling
• Render the results.
We still have a few problems with this toolpath. First

the tool is gouging areas of the part because of the tool
tilt settings. Second, when you look at the inner radius
where the surfaces meet you’ll f ind a small
unnecessary movements. This area creates a “f ish tail”,
which as you can see from the rendering does more
damage to the interior wall of the part. Note the
toolpath movement as shown at a high zoom level.
Third we are cutting the crossbar and skipping the
section above the bar. Lastly the tool and holder
gouges the f ixture.
But f irst we handle the crossbar problem.
• Go to the Link tab.
The best solution is to create a toolpath that ignores

the crossbar and then we can retract the tool with gouge protection strategies to better cut around the
crossbar by changing the Gaps along cut settings.
• Set the Small gaps to use a Blend

spline.
We don’t have any large gaps so we

can leave it with Clearance area.
• Set the Small gap size as % of tool

diameter to 300.
Generally you want different settings for small toolpath gaps and large ones. A gap is any area that
contains sections that are either to be avoided or ignored when generating the toolpath. In our case we
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Tutorials
want to ignore the large crossbar that creates a gap in the tool movement. Any area smaller than 300%
of our tool (30mm) will be ignored when creating toolpath or will follow the def ined action in the
macro.
Now we will work with the “f ish tail” problem.
• Go to the Surface paths tab.
Model Surface Machining - Use different collision avoidance strategies

• Enable Corner Cleanup.
• Enter an Additional Adjustment radius of 2 in the Corner Cleanup dialog.
This option will attempt to round corners in the toolpath like the f ish tail.
You can see that the tool doesn’t retract to the clearance area
over the crossbar area. Also in the inner edge the f ish tail
disappeared.
Use different collision avoidance strategies

In this section you will learn how to use and combine different
gouge protection. The f irst we will set up will be to avoid collision
with the machined surfaces by changing the tool tilt.
• Switch to the Gouge check tab.
• Activate Status 1 and enter the settings shown.
• In the Clearances for Tool Parts dialog enter 0.5mm clearance for the Tool shaft
clearance.
The tool doesn’t gouge the drive surface at all. But it

still cuts the crossbar.
We will now combine multiple gouge check

strategies to avoid collision with crossbar by
retracting the tool along the tool axis over the
crossbar. This way we won’t have a full retract of the
tool but will only retract to avoid check surfaces.
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Tutorials
• In the Gouge check tab Activate Status 2 and enter the settings shown.
• Open the check surface dialog.
• Select all the crossbar faces.
• Press OK.
Model Surface Machining - Holder collision check
The tool retracts along its axis over the crossbar.
Holder collision check

In many cases it is not only necessary to check tool collisions but
necessary to check the tool holder too. In some cases it can be
useful to extend the holder so it represents the machines spindle
or complete head
• Enable Show tool holder if it is not enabled.
• Render the operation with the holder.
Notice that the holder is crashing into the f ixture we have.
• Go to the Surface path tab.
• Change the Area Type to Full, avoid cuts at

exact edges.
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Tutorials
• Change the Maximum stepover to 10mm.
The number of cuts is only for demonstration purposes.
• Go to the Gouge check tab.
• Edit Status 1 and activate Check surfaces.
• Add the vertical fixture to the check surfaces list.
You may need to get the f ixture from the body bag.
• Go to Status 2 and choose Moving tool away as the strategy.
Model Surface Machining - Holder collision check

• Add Check against the Holder in Status 1.
• Set the retracting parameter to Retract tool in Z+.
As it says, the tool now will retract only in positive Z direction when it hits the check surface. The tool
orientation doesn’t change.
Redo the operation and render.
Consider turning on Collision Checking and make sure you

have Check Holder enabled in the Cut Part Rendering
Display Preferences.
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Tutorials
TUTORIAL 3
Z CONSTANT TOOLPATH ON A TURBINE BLADE
In this tutorial you will create a Z constant toolpath and a morph toolpath on the turbine blade using
collision control by tilting the tool axis.
Finishing toolpath
• Open the file Simple Turblade.vnc.
Z constant toolpath on a turbine blade - Finishing toolpath
• Create a 5-Axis process with tool #1.
• Go to the Surface path tab and select Parallel cuts as

surface path pattern.
This should be the default selection.
We want to work top down so that the motion has Z constant cuts.
• Press the Constant Z button.
The machining angle in XY blanks out since we don’t work on that plane anymore when the machining
angle in Z is 0°.
• Press the Drive surfaces button and pick the surfaces

shown as drive surface.
Leave all other settings as default.
• Create the operation and render the result.
The result is a toolpath with z constant cuts. The default retract

(clearance) distance is set to 150 mm which is too far. Also when you
look closer, you see that the tool is gouging the floor face.
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Tutorials
Limit Finishing toolpath to work with non-undercutting machines

Some milling machines are limited by their axis setup to a certain range of angles, which makes it
impossible to machine undercuts. For this purpose we will check the angle output using the angle limits.
Z constant toolpath on a turbine blade - Limit Finishing toolpath to work with non-
Some machines with a typical 45 degrees tilted axis are not able to reach
! angles more than 90 degrees (e.g. DMU70V, or DMG80P.).
In this example the machine angle limit will be set to 45° on the Z axis.
• Enable and open the Limits dialog.
• Check Tool angle allowance on XZ plane and Tool angle allowance on YZ plane.
• Enter the values shown.
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Tutorials
• Press Ok to close the Limits dialog and Redo the operation.
Even with the Axis Limit the tool still gouges the floor. So we will work with
tool tilt to tilt the axis towards the surface normal. A tilt axis can be the X, Y
and Z axis or any line.
• Go to the Tool axis control tab and set the tool axis
Z constant toolpath on a turbine blade - One Way Cut
to Tilted with fixed angle to axis.
• Enter a tilt angle of 45° in the Z Axis.
In this case the result is the same like the Limit

operation. But don’t forget: with the limits the tool
can tilt to all directions which are in your limit
range. With a f ixed tilt angle the orientation of the
tool axis will never change.
One Way Cut

The current toolpath will change directions with each new cut. For a smoother path we will use One way
cutting. We will also change the retracts.
• Change the Cutting method to One way.
• Now go to the Link tab.
The Clearance area is set much higher than we

need so we will decrease the distance at which
the tool will retract.
• Open the Clearance area dialog.
• Enter a Height of 60 mm.
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Tutorials
• Press OK.
The retraction distance now is closer to the part. The tool keeps its motion
direction.
Gouge checking
The floor surface of the blade still will be gouged by the tool. There are several
gouge strategies available. Here in our case a good strategy would be to retract the
tool away from the face.
Z constant toolpath on a turbine blade - Gouge checking

• Go to the Gouge check tab.
• Activate Status 1.
By default only the tool is selected. In our case it is not obvious that the
other parts of the tool will gouge since the tool axis is tilted 45°.
• Change the strategy to Moving tool away.
• Set the retract to Retract tool in +Z.
• Activate Check surfaces and hit the ellipsis button.
• Select the floor faces around the boss and the face that is closest to the
blade.
• Press OK button to check against those surfaces.
Morph toolpath
The Parallel cuts strategy does not represent the shape of our turbine blade. The
upper and the lower edge of the curve are not parallel. To lower the number of
retract moves we will use Morph between two curves.
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Tutorials
• Open the Surface path tab and change the pattern to Morph between 2 curves.
• Press the First button and select the upper curve.
Press the Second button

Z constant toolpath on a turbine blade - Morph toolpath
• and select the lower curve.
• The more accurate the guiding curves are to the real surface
edges the better this function works. So the best result would
be an exact curve from the edge of a body.
• Edges can be selected directly without extracting geometry.
The number of the cuts is not clearly def ined since you have a morphed
toolpath and the distances between the cuts at the end of the faces are very
different. If you want a certain amount of cuts set Determined by number of
cuts.
When you set the cutting area to Full, start and end at exact surface edge you can set margins to the
curves.
The toolpath is now evenly spread over the drive surface.
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QUICK TUTORIALS
Quick Tutorials
CHAPTER 11 : Quick Tutorials

4-AXIS MACHINING COMPRESSOR
This example shows how to do a 2 axis + rotary toolpath that will follow the surface of a part rather than
the just the rotary axis. Typically, a 4-Axis toolpath will only follow the rotary and the length axes during a
feed. We will now demonstrate a feed move that uses depth moves during rotary cutting.
• Open the file 4 Axis Compressor Armature.vnc.
• Go to the Surface path tab and select Parallel cuts as

surface path pattern.
• Set Machining angle X,Y to 0 and Machining angle

in Z to +90.
• Press the Drive surface button.
• Select the two arm surfaces.
• Set the cutting method to One Way.
• Set the Maximum stepover to 10mm.
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Quick Tutorials
• Now switch to the Tool axis control tab.
• Change the output format to 4 Axis.
• Open the Rotary Axis dialog and declare

the X axis as rotary axis.
This should be the default.
• Set the tool axis to Rotated around axis.
• Define the Rotation angle as 90° around X Axis.
• Create the toolpath and render.

-
The tilted tool rotates around the X

axis and moves in 2 axes during the
rotation.
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Quick Tutorials
5-AXIS ENGRAVING
This exercise will demonstrate how to do 5-Axis engraving using the surface normal to determine the tool
orientation.
• Open the file 5 Axis Engraving.vnc.
We will engrave the geometry on the scissor handle.
• Go to the Surface path tab and select Project curves as

the pattern.
We will use the lettering for the projection curves.
• Press the Projection button.
• Select all the geometry for the letters and press OK.
Turning off Show Solids and using a Shift+drag marquee selection is the easiest way to select the
text.
-
• Select the 4 faces under the geometry.
• Set the tool axis to Not be tilted and stays normal to

surface.
Using the surface normal the tool will always be certain to have a uniform cut for all letters.
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Quick Tutorials
• Go to the Link tab.
• Set the Large gaps to Retract to

feed distance.
• Set the Small gap size in % of tool

diameter to 10%.
• Set the Small move size in % of tool diameter to 50%.
• Open the Distances dialog.
• Enter the values shown.

-
• Go to the Utility tab.
• Enter -0.05mm as the Axial Shift value.
This is the depth of the engraving.
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Quick Tutorials
• Create and render the operation.
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Quick Tutorials
CAMSHAFT
This example will demonstrate how to machine a Camshaft on a 5-Axis lathe.
• Open the file camshaft.vnc.
• Go to the Surface paths tab and select the Parallel

cuts as the surface path pattern.
• Enter 0 as the Machining angle in X,Y.
• Enter -90 as the Machining angle in Z.
• Select all the tangent faces of the surfaces shown.
Using the Select Tangent Faces command from the context

menu allows you to select these faces without having to
change the view.
-
• Now set the cutting method to One Way.
• Enable the Flip step over option.
This lets the machining start from the

negative side.
• In the surface quality settings set the Cut

tolerance to 0.05mm.
• Set the maximum step over to 5mm.
• Activate Maximum segment distance and change it to 3mm.
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Quick Tutorials
• In the Tool axis control tab set the tool axis to Tilted
with fixed angle to axis.
The f ixed tilt angle value describes how much the

tool axis direction should be tilted from the def ined
tilt axis direction. In other words, imagine a plane
spanned by the surface normal and the tilt axis. The
tool direction vector will rotate on this plane from
the tilt axis direction to the surface normal direction
about the f ixed tilt angle.
• In this case we set 45° to the X Axis.
We’ll let the system decide where the contact point

between tool and surface is by using the default Run tool to Automatic.
In this case both cam’s are machined with the same tilt
angle. In some cases you may need to angle the other side
because of machine constraints. We we control the tilt of
the tool on the other cam in the next step.
• Deselect the tangent faces of the second cam surface and redo
the operation.
-
• Deselect the current operation in the operation list.
• Go to the Tool axis control tab and change the Fixed tilt angle to 135.
• Reset the drive surfaces to the tangent faces of the second cam.
• Deactivate Flip step over in the Surface paths tab.
This def ines that the machining will move from positive to negative.
• Create the new operation and render.
Notice the tool tilt angle is the opposite of the f irst

operation.
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Quick Tutorials
VACUUM FORMED PART FINISHING

This is an example of f inishing a vacuum formed part flange. Normally this would be trimmed by hand,
but in the case of this part the complexity of the bottom edges make using a 5-Axis machine perfect for
this situation. The part is slipped over a f ixture on the machine so cutting multiple parts is as simple as
running the program and slipping the part off and adding a new one. This makes the option of using a
precise process with a CNC much more accurate for multiple parts instead of cutting them by hand.
The real part is complex with contours on the top. Since we don’t need to use anything in the model except
for the bottom edge we have simplif ied the part for machining purposes.
• Open the file vacuum_form.vnc.
• Go to the Surface path tab and select Parallel to curves

as surface path pattern.
• Press the Single edge button.

-
• Select the Exterior edge on the part using 3D Chain as the Curve geometry and press OK.
The Wireframe view shows the edge clearly.
• Select the Wall faces as the Drive surface as shown.
A cutting depth may be applied by entering a negative Drive surfaces clearance value. In our example
we will keep this value at 0.
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Quick Tutorials
• Change the area type to Determined by

number of cuts with 1 cut.
• Enable the Start Point option and open the

Start point dialog.
We will select a point on the drive surface by clicking to interrogate the point.
• Press the more detail button...
• Select the point close to the position shown and press OK.
• Go to Tool axis control tab.
• Change strategy to Be tilted relative to cutting

direction.
-
• Enter 10° as the Tilt angle at side of cutting direction.
We use this 10° tilt to keep the tool holder and spindle
away from the table. We will now set up gouge
checking.
• Go to the Gouge check tab and activate Status 1.
• Check against all parts of the tool and holder.
• Select Tilting tool away with max angle from the strategy menu.
• Set the Use side tilt angle and to 30°
• Enable gouge checks against Check surfaces and set a 2mm Stock to leave.
The part has a simulated clamp as a f ixture to protect against gouges.
251
Quick Tutorials
• Press the more details button and select the Clamp body fixture as the
Check surface.
• Ensure the Clearances for tool parts has a 2mm value for the tool
You can see when looking closely at the rendering that

we will be cutting any flange from the part that may
exist and also remove the sharp edge from the bottom.
-
The tool tilts even more around the Clamp body to

prevent a gouge.
252
Quick Tutorials
ELECTRODE
This example demonstrates how to machine an electrode using 4-axis plus one axis a with f ixed tilting
angle. The machine should rotate only it’s C-axis and move in Y.
You often use this type of operation to run a 4-axis machine with a manual adjustable head
• Open the file Electrode.vnc.
• Go to the Surface paths tab and select parallel cuts

as the surface path pattern.
• Press the Constant Z button.
• Select all the tangent faces of the boss and press OK.
• Set the cutting method to One Way.
-
• In the surface quality settings set Maximum step over at 2mm.
• Open the Tool axis control tab and set the tool axis to
Tilted with fixed angle to axis.
• Change the Fixed tilt angle to 45° in the Z Axis.
• Check the Tool axis crosses tilt axis option.
This will force all Y moves to be C rotation moves.

The result is an output that contains X and C moves.
• Go to Link tab and set the Links between slice Small

move size to 300 in % of stepover.
253
Quick Tutorials
• Go to the Utility tab and check the Calc based on tool center option.
In the case of Z constant cuts, this function affects the position of the tool
center height. The system keeps the tool center point on the same level during machining,
independent from the surface shape, so the contact point of tool and surface vary in their height. The
tool height position remains constant.
After a quick look at the results, the toolpath seems to be alright.

But looking closer you’ll f ind small mistakes in the sharp inner
corners. These corners cause a problem known as “f ish tail”. This
occurs at f illets that are smaller than the tool radius.
When rendered this tool move will gouge the part. As you
can see in the picture, for example, the gouging happens
when the tool steps over to the next slice. The “f ish tail”
moves will need to be removed.
-
• Check Corner Cleanup.
Normally Corner Cleanup will change small radius and inner

sharp edge moves in the toolpath. Such areas will be left out from toolpath generation.
The gouge problem can be solved in two ways. We will apply both options for best results. Changing
retracts between cuts in the Link tab and using options from the Gouge Check tab.
• Go to the Link tab again and look at Links between slice set.
The tool is gouging because we are using a Direct move to the next slice.
• For this surface, set the Links between slice Small and large
moves to Follow surface.
• Now switch to the Gouge check tab.
• Activate Status 1.
Check only against tool tip (tool shaft, arbor and holder are not necessary here)
• Set strategy to Retracting tool along tool axis

254
Quick Tutorials
We don’t want to change the tool axis orientation or move the tool away. Instead, this option will only
retract the tool along its axis when a gouge is encountered.
• Check Drive surfaces.
We don’t have any check surfaces.
You can see that the f ish tails have disappeared and the
tool doesn’t gouge the surface and follows the surface
while retracting along its axis.
255
Quick Tutorials
PENCIL TRACE WITH TILT CURVE

This is an example of doing a Pencil trace in a deep pocket using a Tilt curve to guide the tool axis. This is
specif ically useful when machining floor f illets with small tools.
We have completed the initial cuts of this part and only require the f inal cleanup of the corners.
• Open the file Mold_Bottle.vnc.
• Create a 5-Axis process with the tool #4.
• Switch to the Surface paths tab.
• Select Parallel to surface as the Pattern.
• Select the inner wall faces as shown.

-
• Press the Single edge button

and select the
bottom face and click OK.
• Now set the Area Type to Determined

by number of cuts with 1 cut.
The f irst cut is at the exact edge, but can be

shifted with a margin.
256
Quick Tutorials
• Press the Area Type Margins button to set up the margin.
• Enter the tip radius of the tool as the margin which is

0.8 mm and press OK.
When using margins it is more common to calculate

the toolpath based on the tool center.
• Check Corner Cleanups.
• Go to the Utility tab and check Calc based on tool

center.
• In the Tool axis control tab set the tool axis to be Tilted
through curve.
• Set the Curve tilt type to use Closest point.
-
• Press the Tilt Curve button and select the
geometry shown and press OK.
The geometry for the curve is an offset of the mold and

above the cavity. This curve will allow the tool axis to tilt
away from the faces so that it will not gouge the walls.
• Create the toolpath and render.
You see the single cut. During machining the tool is always
tilted through the curve, away from the drive surface.
257
- Quick Tutorials
258
GLOSSARY
Glossary
CHAPTER 12 : Glossary
The following is a list of terms and concepts used throughout the 5-Axis documentation.
Term Definition
Drive Surface A drive surface is the face or group of faces you want to machine. The faces may be on
solids or sheets.
Drive Curve A drive curve is geometry or edge of a solid that will be used to control the toolpath.
Different Pattern types may refer to drive curves by different names but they are all
the same idea.
Swarf Milling Cutting with the side of a tool.
Check Surface A check surface is a face used to contain toolpath or set an area the tool may not enter
or cut. Check surfaces are also used to control the shape of the toolpath in that the
tool can follow the check surface’s topology.
Ellipsis button The ellipsis button has three periods (an “ellipsis”) on it. This button is used to make
a selection in the workspace.
Contact point The point where the tool touches the material. When the tool tilts it rotates around
the contact point. Note that the point on the material is f ixed and the point on the
tool itself changes according to the orientation (except for sharp corner tools).
Cutter Location Point The point that is represented by the coordinates of the machine program.
I, J, K Tool Orientation Values that represent the orientation of the tool axis.
Margin The distance between the tool center and surfaces.
Below is an image representing the concepts of the Contact point, Cutter Location Point and I, J, K Tool
Orientation.
1. Contact Point
2. Cutter Location
3. IJK Tool Orientation
261
Glossary
262
INDEX
Index
Arc Parameters, macro setting: 182

NUMERICS Arc Sweep & Arc Diameter, macro setting: 183
2D Containment: 59 Area Roughing: 198
3-Axis: 83 Area setting: 200
Movement: 83 Around, sphere clearance: 175
3D vector: 83 As value: 160–161
4-Axis movement: 84 Auto, Run tool: 126
5-Axis movement: 84 Automatic curve: 113
Axial Shift: 51, 55, 212
A
Activate feed rate control: 211 B
Adaptive cuts: 78 Before tilting: 199
Advanced options for Surface Quality: 78 Blend spline
Advanced options for tilting relative to cutting Gap option: 162
direction: 92 Links between passes: 170
Advanced options of surface paths pattern: 46 Links between slice: 167
Advanced parameters for gouge checking: 151 Blisk: 71, 92–93
Advanced parameters for tilting tool away: 145 Broken feed
After collision control: 199 Links between passes: 169
Air Move Safety Distance: 185 Broken feed and rapid
Gap option: 163
Align tool axis to planar surface edges: 97
Button
All lines weighted by distance: 114 Advanced: 46, 78, 87
Allow flipping side direction: 96 First: 44
Alternate direction to reduce path length: 200 Parallel: 39
Always closest two lines: 114 Projection: 43
Angle from curve: 106, 119 Rotary axis: 84
Angle from spindle, main direction: 109, 121 Second: 44
Angle step for rapid moves: 172
Cylinder clearance: 173
Sphere clearance: 175
C
Angular Segmentation: 173 Calc based on tool center: 210–211
Apply linking: 204 Calculation Applied: 199
Apply stock: 204 Center, Run tool: 126
Approach from clearance area: 158 Chaining tolerance: 78
Approach from feed distance: 158 Chamfer Corners: 55
Approach from rapid distance: 158 Change feed rate according to surface radius: 211
Approximate Check gouge between positions: 151
By one vector: 89 Check link motions for collisions: 152
By two vectors: 89 Check Surface
Smooth: 89 Definition: 261
Smooth (local): 89, 125 Gouge checking: 149
265
Index
Check tip radius: 153 Determined by number of cuts: 52

Check tool holder back for collision: 190, 192 Direct
Check tool holder front for collision: 190, 192 Gap option: 161
Links between passes: 168
Check tool shaft for collision: 190, 192
Links between slice: 165
Clearance angle: 144
Direct Approach: 158
Clearance area: 171
Direct Retract: 159
Clearance, see Links tab
Direction for one way machining: 64
Clearances for tool parts: 150
Distances: 185
Climb: 64–65, 67
Don’t use Lead-In: 158
Clockwise: 64–65, 67–69
Don’t use Lead-Out: 159
Closest point: 103, 116
Dove tail: 55
Connect slices by shortest distance: 206
Drive Curve
Constant Z button: 39 Definition: 261
Contact point Drive Surface: 48
Definition: 261 clearance: 49
Contain tool within conical angles from leading curve: Definition: 261
134 Gouge checking: 149
Containment boundaries: 59 Drive surface: 49
Contour Feed: 23 Drop tool down wherever needed: 140
Conventional: 64–65, 67 Dynamically using leading curve: 134
Coolant: 24
Copy previous solution: 147
Counter clockwise: 64, 68–70 E
Curve Tilt Type: 116 Electrode machining: 54
Cut Direction: 147 Ellipsis button: 261
Cut order: 63 End margin: 54
Cut tolerance: 76 Enforce Cutting Direction: 70
Cuts along curve: 40, 69 Enforce cutting direction: 64
Cutter Location Point Engine inlets: 112
Definition: 261 Entry Feed: 23
Cutting area: 51–53 Exit Feed: 23
Cutting method: 200 Extend tool to infinity: 152
Cylinder parallel to X, Y or Z, clearance: 173 Extend Toolpath: 56
Extension at end: 200
Extension at start: 200
D
Damp: 212
Damping Distance: 113 F
Default Lead-In/Out: 177 Feed distance: 185
Depth cuts: 197, 206 Feed Rate %: 211
Area roughing: 200
266
Index
Feed Rates: 211–212

Advanced Control: 211 H
optimizing: 211 Height, Lead-In/Out setting: 183–184
Finishing passes: 193, 197 Horizontal tangential arc Lead-In/Out: 179
First contour: 63
First Cut Feed Rate Scale Percentage: 211–212
First entry: 158
I
First surface toolpath tangent angle: 47 I, J, K values: 83
Fish tail: 55 IJK Tool Orientation
Definition: 261
Fix Axis: 147
Impeller floor, machining: 43
Fixed tilt angle: 103, 107, 110, 118, 121, 123
Improve side tilt definition for twisted surfaces: 97
Fixed, Lead-in/Out setting: 182
Initial orientation limit: 147
Flip step over: 62
Inside to outside, pocketing: 196
Flip, Lead option: 182
Follow surface iso direction: 87
Follow surfaces K
Gap option: 161
Keep initial orientation until distance: 172
Links between slice: 167 Keep tool axis as vertical as possible: 146
From Center Away cut order: 63
From outside to center cut order: 64 L
From start to end: 112, 124
Lanes: 74
From start to end for each contour: 114, 125
Last contour: 63
Front Shift: 128
Last exit: 159
Front, Run tool: 127
Lead and Lag: 86, 92–93
Full, avoid cuts at exact edges: 51
Lead angle: 90
Full, start and end at exact surface edges: 52 To cutting direction: 86
Lead button: 40
Leaving out gouging points: 147
G
Limit cuts by one or two points: 53
Gap Options: 161
Limits, tool axis: 132
Gaps Along Cut: 51–52, 160
Links: 157
G-Code: 24 Between Passes: 168
G0: 212
Between Passes Options: 168
G1: 212
Between Slice: 164
Generate toolpath only at front side: 46 Between Slice Options: 165
Gradual lead angle change: 92 Longhand output: 24
Gradual machining angle XY change: 194
Gradual side tilt angle change: 92
M
Machine by Lanes or Regions: 74
267
Index
Machining angle Orthogonal to cut direction at each contour: 89

in X, Y: 38 Output Format: 83
in Z: 38
Outside to inside, pocketing: 196
Machining strategy: 38
Maintain orientation across gaps less than: 147
Maintain outside sharp edges: 77 P
Make tool axis orientation continuously if distance is Parallel cuts: 38, 55, 68
smaller than..: 147 Parallel to curve: 54, 69
Margins: 44–45, 53–54 Parallel to surface: 55, 70
Material: 23 Passes, roughing and finishing: 193, 197
Max Projection Distance: 43 Pattern: 24, 38
Max. Segment Distance: 76 Pencil tracing: 45
Maximum angle step: 85, 144 Plane in X, Y or Z, clearance: 172
Maximum step over: 199 Plunge: 195
Maximum stepover: 79 Height: 195
Minimize rotary axis moves: 146 Pocket area: 196
Minimize surface normal change, Start point: 71 Pocketing: 196
Minimize tilt axis moves: 146 Pole limit: 98
Mold making: 41 Port machining: 112
Morph between two curves: 41, 54, 69 Position, start point: 70
Morph between two surfaces: 43, 55, 70 Project curve: 69
Morph pocket: 196
Move, pocketing: 196
Moving Tool Away strategy: 141
R
Multi passes: 193, 206 Radius
Cylinder clearance: 173
Run tool: 127
N Sphere clearance: 175
Radius for loops: 77
Not be tilted and stays normal to surface: 86
Rapid
Number of cuts per section: 199
Distance: 185
Number of cuts, pocketing: 196 Feedrate: 212
Number of steps: 204 Retract: 24
Rapid move parameters: 212
Regions: 74
O
Remove areas where tool drop fails: 140
One way: 70, 86
Report Remaining Collisions: 152
Along reverse rotary axis: 200
From all strategies: 152
Along rotary axis: 200
Respect tool axis angle limits in cut direction: 146
One way cutting method: 62
Restore Defaults: 24
Ortho to cut direction at each position: 88
Retract Angle: 195
Orthogonal arc Lead-In/Out: 180
Orthogonal line, Lead-In/Out: 181
268
Index
Retract to clearance area: 159 Select tool plane: 84

Gap option: 162 Set point by, start point: 70
Set Y Axis Machine Limit: 209
Links between slice: 166
Shallow: 57
Through tube center: 159
Sharp edges detection angle: 77
Retract to feed distance: 159
Gap option: 162 Shift by value, Start point: 71
Links between slice: 166 Side Shift: 128
Retract to rapid distance: 159 Side tilt: 86, 88, 90, 92–93
Links between passes: 169 Definitions: 87
Links between slice: 166 Side Tilt Fanning Distance: 93
Retract tool Single edge toolpath tangent angle: 48
Along surface normal: 141 Slices, roughing and finishing: 193, 197
Away from origin: 142
Slide Length: 195
To cut center: 143
Slow and safe path creation: 78
Retracting the tool in X,Y or Z: 141
Small Gap Size in % of tool diameter: 160–161
Retracting tool along tool axis: 140
Small move size: 164
Reverse order of: 205
Smooth factor: 147
Reverse Tangential Arc Lead-In/Out: 178
Smooth Surface Normals: 209
Reverse Tangential Line Lead-In/Out: 180
Smoothing above splitter, Area roughing: 200
Reverse tool: 99–100
Sort by slices: 206
Reverse Vertical Tangential Arc Lead-In/Out: 179
Sort by, roughing: 193, 197
Ridge height: 79
Sort by, toolpath: 204
Rotary Axis
Base point: 199, 204 Speed RPM: 23
Rotary axis: 24 Speeds: 23
Rotary axis around: 199, 204 Sphere, clearance: 174
Rotary Duplicate: 24 Spiral cutting method: 63
Rotary repeat: 24 Spiral Pocketing: 196
Rotate, Start point: 71 Spiral, advanced options: 63
Rotation angle: 204 Split long contours by length: 147
Roughing passes: 193, 197 Standard cut order: 63
Roughing tab: 189 Start Angle: 204
Ruled surface: 94 Start margin: 54–55
Radius limit: 94 Start Point: 70
Ruled surface radius limit: 94 Start Point will be applied in subsequent cuts as
Run tool: 126 following: 70
Stay Close to initial tool orientation: 146
Steep: 57
S Step Length: 195
Second surface toolpath tangent angle: 47 Stepover: 79
Select Axis: 58 Stepover value, pocketing: 196
Select machining angles: 38
269
Index
Stock Definition: 189 Tool axis crosses tilt axis: 99–100

Parameters: 190 Tool axis limits: 132
Tolerance: 192
Tool axis orientation, Lead-In/Out setting: 182
Stock to leave
Tool axis tilting strategy: 86
Gouge checking: 149
Tool axis vector: 85
Stop toolpath calculation: 149
Tool Axis will...: 86
Surface edge handling: 77
Tool Center: 210
Surface normal: 99
Smoothing: 209 Tool direction, reverse: 99–100
Surface normal direction, start point: 70 Tool orientation: 171
Surface Quality: 76 Tool plane direction: 83
Swarf machining: 51, 54–55, 65, 94 Transform Rotate: 204
Swarf Milling Trim cuts, Area roughing: 200
Definition: 261 Trim toolpath: 56
Tube milling: 112
Turbine blades: 71
T Cutting wide: 209
Tangential arc Lead-In/Out: 178 Type, cutting area: 51–53
Tangential line Lead-In/Out: 180
Tangential, Lead-in and Out setting: 182
Through, cylinder clearance: 173 U
Tilt angle at the side of cutting direction: 86 Use lead/lag and side tilt angle: 144
Tilt angles: 147 Use lead/lag angle: 144
Tilt Curve: 103, 116 Use Lead-In: 158
Tilt Line: 114 Use Lead-Out: 159
Tilt non-gouging segments: 147 Use ramp, Depth cuts: 198
Tilted Use Rapid Feed: 212
From curve away: 116 Use side tilt angle: 144
From point away: 115 Use spindle main direction: 89
Through curve: 103 Use tilt line definition: 91
Through lines: 114
Use Tilt Through: 114
Through point: 102
Use user defined direction: 90
With fixed angle to axis: 99
User Given Point, Run tool: 127
Tilted, Lead-in/Out setting: 182
Utility tab: 209
Tilting lines maximum snap distance: 91
Tilting tool away with max angle: 85, 144
Tolerance V
Gouge checking: 149
Vertical tangential arc Lead-In/Out: 179
Tool angle allowed on
XY plane: 133 View direction: 58
XZ plane: 132
YZ plane: 133
Tool Area Definitions: 129
270
Index
W
Width & Length, Lead-In/Out setting: 183
Z
Zig Zag: 86, 200, 206
Climb only: 200
Zig Zag cutting method: 62
271
Index
272

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Modif ied: March 12, 2009 7:57 pm

SURFACE PATHS TAB 35

TOOL AXIS CONTROL TAB 81

Not be tilted and stays normal to surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

GOUGE CHECK TAB 137

LINK TAB 155

Last Exit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

ROUGHING TAB 187

UTILITY TAB 207

QUICK TUTORIALS 241

CHAPTER 1 : Introduction to 5-Axis

WHAT IS 5-AXIS MACHINING?

Single Surface 5-Axis Flow Line Machining

1. Surface normal dependent

1. Surface normal dependent

Characteristics and Restrictions of Multi Surface Flow line Machining

Real Multi-Surface Machining shows us how this is handled.

Real Multi-Surface Machining

Improved cycle times and a better surface finish

Improved surface finish and improved life span of tooling

3 axis vs. 5 axis

Post processors and machine tool simulation

Mold and Die Industry

Machining of the cavity

Machining Cutting Tools

Pattern making and woodcutting

Trimming of furniture parts

Cylinder head machining

Finishing of impeller blades

Machining of Turbine Blades

Roughing of turbine blades

Finishing of turbine blades

Machining of Excenter valves and Mill/Turn machining

CHAPTER 2 : 5-Axis Interface

1. The 5-Axis process tile

Figure 1: Items unique to the 5-Axis interface.

THE 5-AXIS DIALOG BOX

Surface Paths tab

Tool Axis Control tab

Gouge Check tab

CHAPTER 3 : Options Tab

COMMON MACHINING CONTROLS

CHAPTER 4 : Surface Paths tab

Drive surfaces: See “Drive Surfaces” on page 48.

Drive surfaces clearance: See “Drive surface clearance” on page 49.

Parallel Cut Examples

Figure 2: Cuts Parallel to the Y Axis

Figure 3: Cuts Parallel to the X Axis

Figure 4: Cuts Parallel to the X Axis

Example: In this example you can see the leading curve

See the f ile Pattern - Cuts Along Curve.vnc for this

MORPH BETWEEN TWO CURVES

Example: In this example you see a cut out

The example can be seen in the f ile

PARALLEL TO MULTIPLE CURVES

Example: Here you can see generated toolpath along a curve. To

MORPH BETWEEN TWO SURFACES