Area Mill Enhancements

Listed below are enhancements for 2D Area Mill toolpaths.

Machining with Open and Closed Contour Directions

The Cutting method drop-down on the Cut Parameters page has been replaced with two new drop-downs: Closed contour direction and Open contour direction. These drop-downs were previously only available to certain 3D high speed toolpaths.

• Closed contour direction orients the cutting direction of the closed contours. Closed contours contain continuous motion without a need for a retract move or reversal of direction. Choose between Climb or Conventional.

• Open contour direction orients the cutting direction of open contours. Choose between One Way or Zigzag.

Setting Lead Motion

The HST Leads page for Area Mill toolpaths now includes four new options: Horizontal arc entry, Horizontal arc exit, Ramp angle, and Sweep angle. Previously, you could only change the Vertical arc entry and Vertical arc exit. These parameters specify the entry and exit radius values. The arc is created vertically and horizontally to lead on and off the material.

• Horizontal arc entry/exit: Sets the horizontal arc size as the tool approaches the cutting depth or comes off the part.

• Sweep angle: Sets the sweep of the horizontal arc between 0 and 180 degrees.

• Ramp angle: When you enter a value other than 0 for the Horizontal arc entry, the entry move becomes a small helix when moving into a new region. This parameter sets the angle of the arc into the helix move.

• Vertical arc entry/exit: Sets the vertical arc size as the tool approaches the cutting depth or comes off the part.