Lesson 3 - Simulate, Revise

00:08

Our part has now been completely programmed and we're ready to simulate our toolpath.

00:14

Before we even start simulating, however, you may notice an issue we've seen before in our operation list.

00:21

Remember, the OD of our stock was 240 millimeters, which is quite a bit larger than your standard turn/mill part.

00:29

So the default tool crib which we're using does not contain a tool which can cut this feature.

00:36

To correct this issue, let's add a new tool.

00:40

Navigate to the Tools tab and open up the tool properties for the 6 millimeter cutoff tool.

00:48

On the Holder tab, let's change these values to 240 millimeters and 120 millimeters.

00:55

In this example, these values are somewhat arbitrary.

00:59

In reality, we would be entering dimensions that we've measured from our physical tool.

01:05

Now we can hit "OK" and select this new tool as our override for this feature

01:19

Go ahead and run a centerline and then a 3D simulation of our toolpath.

01:35

Our program looks pretty good so far.

01:38

But that being said, let's make a few small changes to clean up the machining of our part and account for some common issues.

01:46

First, we should probably extend all of our through milling features.

01:52

Earlier we preemptively extended our turn curve to ensure that the back edge of our part ends up with a clean finish.

01:60

The same logic applies to our milling features.

02:04

To start, let's open the side feature that we created first.

02:09

On the Dimensions tab, you'll notice the option to define our feature depth.

02:14

To be safe, let's add an additional 0.75 millimeters of depth to each of our milling features.

02:22

We could simply calculate this new value ourselves.

02:25

However, it's a good opportunity to show that FeatureCAM allows us to enter math operations as well as absolute numbers.

02:33

So to add this depth, we can simply type plus 0.75 after the current depth value.

02:40

Now as we apply this value and select "OK", we can see the change reflected in our graphics window.

02:50

You should make the same change to the larger milled holes as well as the smaller drilled ones.

02:58

Now, let's say that we've just had a conversation with one of our colleagues, and the small off center holes that we created now need to be threaded.

03:09

Luckily, this is a really easy change to make in FeatureCAM.

03:13

Open the Hole Properties window and navigate to the Dimensions tab.

03:18

At the top, you'll notice a drop-down menu currently titled Plain hole.

03:23

As we open this drop-down menu, you'll notice that FeatureCAM offers a wide variety of default hole types for us to create.

03:31

Let's select the Tapped hole option and indicate a standard M12 thread size with a depth of 5 millimeters.

03:39

As we press "Apply", we can see that the necessary thread operation is created for us.

03:47

With these changes made, let's wrap up our revision process by fine tuning our toolpath a little bit more.

03:54

Open up the Turn Features Properties page and navigate to the Turning tab of our roughing operation.

04:01

At this point, you should hopefully have taken some time to explore this page thoroughly.

04:07

On this page and throughout our features properties windows, we have a vast array of options to customize our toolpath to our liking.

04:15

As you may have noticed, we can see that our default depth of cut and Z finish allowance values

04:21

have been carried into this feature from our machining configuration that we set at the beginning of this lesson.

04:29

I'd like you to take some time now to customize each feature for yourself.

04:34

Approaching these training lessons with the same mindset that you approach an actual project in the shop will go a long way to ensuring your success.

04:43

So put yourself in that mindset and customize this toolpath to your liking, as if you're about to machine this part yourself.

04:51

A few of the key things I recommend that you take a look at are individual feeds and speeds for each operation, lead in, lead out, and stepover moves between cutting portions of the toolpath, and general machining attributes for each operation.

05:07

Once you've customized all the toolpath, remember to run a final simulation before moving on to the final step in our workflow, NC Code.