AlibreCAM GSG net

Alibre CAM®

Getting Started with Alibre CAM Version 1.1

MecSoft Corporation

Cutting edge manufacturing technology in Alibre Design™

Getting Started with Alibre CAM

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Alibre CAM Getting Started Guide Welcome to Alibre CAM.................................................................................................. 5

About This Guide........................................................................................................ 5 Where to go for more help........................................................................................... 5

Tutorial 1: Machining a Gasket........................................................................................ 6 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 7

Strategy to Machine the Gasket ................................................................................. 7 Main Programming Steps.......................................................................................... 7

Loading the Part Model................................................................................................ 7 Loading the Alibre CAM Browser ................................................................................. 10 Preparing the Part for Machining................................................................................. 11

Setup Machine ...................................................................................................... 11 Set Post Options.................................................................................................... 12 Create/Load Stock ................................................................................................. 13 Locate Part Within Stock......................................................................................... 15 Set MCS............................................................................................................... 16

Defining Cutting Tools............................................................................................... 18 Create Tools ......................................................................................................... 18

Creating the 2½ Axis Profile Toolpath.......................................................................... 20 Select Tool ........................................................................................................... 20 Set Feeds / Speeds................................................................................................ 21 Clearance Control .................................................................................................. 22 Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 23 2 ½ Axis Profiling .................................................................................................. 26 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 32

Creating the Outer Profile Toolpath ............................................................................. 33 Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 33 2 ½ Axis Profiling .................................................................................................. 35 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 37 Post Processing ..................................................................................................... 39

Tutorial 2: Machining a Shaft Base ................................................................................ 41 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 42

Strategy to Machine the Shaft Base.......................................................................... 42 Main Programming Steps........................................................................................ 42

Loading the Part Model.............................................................................................. 43 Loading the Alibre CAM Browser ................................................................................. 44 Preparing the Part for Machining................................................................................. 45

Setup Machine ...................................................................................................... 45 Create/Load Stock ................................................................................................. 47 Locate Part Within Stock......................................................................................... 48 Set MCS............................................................................................................... 49

Defining Cutting Tools............................................................................................... 52 Create Tools ......................................................................................................... 52

Creating the 2½ Axis Facing Toolpath ......................................................................... 54 Select Tool ........................................................................................................... 54 Set Feeds / Speeds................................................................................................ 55 Clearance Control .................................................................................................. 56 Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 57 2 ½ Axis Facing..................................................................................................... 60 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 65

Creating the 2½ Axis Pocketing Toolpath ..................................................................... 67 Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 67 2 ½ Axis Pocketing ................................................................................................ 68

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Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 72 Creating the Hole Pocketing Toolpath .......................................................................... 73

Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 73 Hole Pocketing ...................................................................................................... 75 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 79

Creating the Hole Pocketing Toolpath #2 ..................................................................... 80 Copy/Paste Machining Operation.............................................................................. 80 Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 81 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 85

Creating the Outer Profile Toolpath ............................................................................. 86 Select Regions ...................................................................................................... 86 2 ½ Axis Profiling .................................................................................................. 88 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................. 89 Post Processing ..................................................................................................... 90

Tutorial 3: Machining a 3D Mold .................................................................................... 92 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 93

Strategy to machine the mold ................................................................................. 93 Main Programming Steps........................................................................................ 93

Loading the Part Model.............................................................................................. 93 Loading the Alibre CAM Browser ................................................................................. 95 Preparing the Part for Machining................................................................................. 95

Setup Machine ...................................................................................................... 96 Create/Load Stock ................................................................................................. 97 Locate Part Within Stock......................................................................................... 99 Set MCS..............................................................................................................100

Defining Cutting Tools..............................................................................................103 Create Tools ........................................................................................................103

Creating the 3 Axis Horizontal Roughing Toolpath ........................................................105 Select Tool ..........................................................................................................106 Set Feeds / Speeds...............................................................................................107 Clearance Control .................................................................................................108 3 Axis Horizontal Roughing ....................................................................................109 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................113

Creating the 3 Axis Parallel Finishing Toolpath .............................................................114 Select Tool ..........................................................................................................114 3 axis Parallel Finishing .........................................................................................115 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................117 Post Processing ....................................................................................................118

Tutorial 4: Re-Machining a 3D Mold ..............................................................................120 Introduction ...........................................................................................................121

Strategy to Machine the mold.................................................................................121 Main Programming Steps.......................................................................................121

Loading the Part Model.............................................................................................121 Loading the Alibre CAM Browser ................................................................................123 Creating the 3 axis Pencil Tracing Toolpath .................................................................123

Create Tools ........................................................................................................124 3 axis Pencil Tracing .............................................................................................125 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................130

Creating the 3 Axis Valley Re-Machining Toolpath ........................................................131 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................134 Post Processing ....................................................................................................135

Tutorial 5: Hole Making...............................................................................................137 Introduction ...........................................................................................................138

Strategy to Machine the part..................................................................................138


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Main Programming Steps.......................................................................................138 Loading the Part Model.............................................................................................138 Loading the Alibre CAM Browser ................................................................................140 Preparing the Part for Machining................................................................................140

Setup Machine .....................................................................................................141 Create/Load Stock ................................................................................................142 Locate Part Within the Stock ..................................................................................144 Set MCS..............................................................................................................145


Creating the Drilling Toolpath....................................................................................150 Select Tool ..........................................................................................................150 Set Feeds / Speeds...............................................................................................150 Clearance Control .................................................................................................151 Select Regions .....................................................................................................152 Drilling................................................................................................................154 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................158 Post Processing ....................................................................................................160

Tutorial 6: Machining a Gear........................................................................................162 Introduction ...........................................................................................................163

Strategy to Machine the Gear.................................................................................163 Main Programming Steps.......................................................................................163

Loading the Part Model.............................................................................................163 Loading the Alibre CAM Browser ................................................................................165 Preparing the Part for Machining................................................................................165

Setup Machine .....................................................................................................166 Set Post Options...................................................................................................167 Create/Load Stock ................................................................................................169 Locate Part Within Stock........................................................................................170 Set MCS..............................................................................................................171


Creating the 4th Axis Roughing Toolpath .....................................................................175 Select Tool ..........................................................................................................175 Set Feeds / Speeds...............................................................................................176 Clearance Control .................................................................................................177 4th Axis Roughing .................................................................................................177 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................181

Creating the 4th Axis Finishing Toolpath ......................................................................182 Select Tool ..........................................................................................................182 4th Axis Finishing ..................................................................................................183 Simulate Toolpath ................................................................................................185 Post Processing ....................................................................................................186

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Welcome to Alibre CAM Welcome to Alibre CAM and thank you for choosing one of most powerful and easy to use complete CAD/CAM packages on the market today. Alibre CAM is a unique CAM add-on product that runs inside of Alibre Design 10.0. This fully integrated product seamlessly integrates Alibre Design’s 3D CAD functionality with toolpath generation and toolpath simulation. Alibre CAM’s machining technology capabilities enable you to produce toolpaths that you can send to a machine with utmost confidence. You can work with the native Alibre Design data as well as use any of the data types that can be imported into Alibre Design. Then you can use Alibre CAM with its wide selection of tools and toolpath strategies to create machining operations and associated toolpaths. These toolpaths can then be simulated and verified, and finally post-processed to the controller of your choice. About This Guide

Welcome to the Alibre CAM getting started guide. This file contains various tutorials to help you get started with learning Alibre CAM. Each tutorial lesson has two associated Alibre Part files that you can find located in the Tutorials folder under the installation folder of Alibre CAM. The first file is a completed file that contains all of the completed toolpaths and machining operations and represents the file that you should end up with after working through the tutorial. The other file is a starter file that contains only the geometry. Use the completed file as a reference. Copy the starter file and use this file to begin each tutorial.

Good luck and have fun!

Note: not all of the features covered in this guide are available in all versions of Alibre CAM.

Where to go for more help In addition to the information provided in this guide, see the context-sensitive online help for more comprehensive explanations. (Select Alibre CAM from the menu bar and click Help) If you need additional help, or if you have any questions regarding Alibre CAM, you may contact us via e-mail at [email protected] Please do continue to visit our home page to learn about the latest updates to Alibre CAM and any other help material.


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Tutorial 1: Machining a Gasket

Using 2 ½ Axis Profiling

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Introduction This tutorial will illustrate machining of a simple prismatic part such as this gasket using 2-½ milling operations. Even though we have created a 3-D representation of the gasket, it will be seen later on that we can machine this using just 2-D curves (sketches). In other words, for 2-½ axis operations it is typically not necessary, from a CAM perspective, to create 3D geometry. 2D sketches are sufficient. The reason we are able to do this is because of the prismatic nature of this model. The stepped instructions are accompanied by explanatory and introductory text. Reading this text will help you understand the tutorial methodology and provide information about additional options available. Don’t forget to save your work periodically! You may want to save the file under a different name so that the original file will be preserved. Strategy to Machine the Gasket

• We will machine the Gasket by using a 2-½ axis machining operation called Profiling. • The part will be machined out of a 8 ½ x 5 x ¼ inch poplar wood sheet using a ½ inch

Flat End Mill. • The wooden sheet will be held to the machine table or the spoil sheet on the table using

double-sided tape. Main Programming Steps In creating programs for each setup, the following steps will be followed:

1. Create the Stock geometry 2. Set the Machine Zero point or locate geometry with respect to the machine coordinates 3. Create / Select the tool used for machining 4. Set the feeds and speeds 5. Set the Clearance Plane for the non-cutting transfer moves of the cutter 6. Select the machining regions for containing the cutter to specific areas to cut 7. Select the machining operations and set the parameters 8. Generate the toolpath 9. Simulate the toolpath.

You may have to repeat either all or part of these steps for subsequent operations.

Loading the Part Model Use the Alibre Design menu bar or the Standard toolbar buttons to create, load and save part geometry.

New Part: Creates a new part. Though you can create your part with any units, Alibre CAM only accepts parts for which the units are in Inches or Millimeters. You can easily switch to these units when necessary by going to File > Properties > Units Tab and selecting the applicable item under the Display Units section.


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Open: Loads Alibre Design parts or assemblies

Import: Imports files created outside of Alibre Design.

Save: Saves the current file.

1. Select File / Open Part, or click the Open Part icon from the Alibre Design standard toolbar.

2. From the Open dialog box, select the Gasket.AD_PRT file from the Tutorials folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder. (Default location C:\Program Files\MecSoft Corporation\Alibre CAM\Tutorials)

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3. The loaded part appears as shown below.


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Note: You must work in Shaded Mode in order to be able to visualize toolpaths created in Alibre CAM. It is suggested for best visual performance with Alibre CAM to work with only one view port open and the view port operating in Shaded Mode.

Loading the Alibre CAM Browser 1. Select Alibre CAM from the menu bar and click Browser.

The Alibre CAM browser is now loaded and is docked over the Design Explorer. You can toggle between the CAM browser and the Design Explorer from the tabs at the bottom of the window. It can be hidden by un-checking Browser on the Alibre CAM menu bar. To re-display the hidden Browser window, you can re-check Browser from the Alibre CAM menu entry. You can also resize it by dragging one of its sides.

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Preparing the Part for Machining Selecting the setup tab displays the Setup Toolbar at the top of the Browser window. Additionally it displays the three types of geometry that are relevant to Alibre CAM: Surfaces/Meshes, Sketches and Stock. The Setup tab allows the user can specify Machine Setup, Stock Geometry, Machine Coordinate System (Machine Zero) & Alibre CAM Preferences.

Setup Machine

1. Click on the Setup tab located under the Alibre CAM Browser and select Setup Machine

2. Set the Machine Type to 3 Axis. Click OK Close the Setup Machine Dialog.


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Set Post Options

3. Select Set Post Options from the Setup tab.

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4. Make sure to use the following settings.

a. Folder where post processor files are located is set to the Posts folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder.

b. Select – Show Selection Dialog when Post Processing

c. Program to use for displaying output file can be set to notepad or WordPad.

d. Click OK to accept the settings.

Create/Load Stock

5. Select Create / Load Stock from the Setup tab and choose Box Stock


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This brings up the Box Stock parameters.

6. Click Copy Model Bounding Box. Alibre CAM determines the smallest possible stock

geometry that can be fit around the part geometry. Click OK to create the stock geometry.

7. The stock geometry is now created, and a semi-transparent stock box is displayed on top of the part geometry.

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Note: If the Stock Geometry is not visible, Switch to the MOps tab and Make sure Show Stock is selected.

Locate Part Within Stock

Once the stock model is created, you can move the stock geometry relative to the part geometry and use the stock box to specify the Machine Zero (home position).

8. Select Locate Part With Stock from the Setup tab.

9. Set the Z alignment to Top and XY alignment to Center. (This would align the stock to the top of the part in Z and center in XY)


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Set MCS The next step is to locate the machining coordinate system (MCS). The MCS is represented as a triad with 3 arrows, the Green arrow indicating X axis, Blue the Y axis and Red the Z axis. It is always a good practice to set the Machine Zero before generating a toolpath.

10. Select Set MCS from the Setup tab.

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11. Set the MCS Origin to Stock Box, Zero Face to Highest Z and Zero Position to Southwest Corner.

(This sets the machine home to the Southwest corner and top of the stock material).


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Defining Cutting Tools Alibre CAM supports numerous types of milling and drilling tools. For each tool you can specify standard APT parameters: diameter, corner radius, flute length and tool length. Flute length is the cutting length, and Tool Length is the total length of the tool up to the tool holder. All defined tools can be viewed in the Tools tab of the Browser. You can also save a set of tools to an external folder that can be loaded in other files.

Create Tools To machine the above part we will now create a ½ inch (0.5”) Flat End Mill.

1. Select Create / Select Tools from the Tools tab

2. Set the Tool Type to Flat Mill

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3. Set the tool name as FlatMill-0.5, Tool Diameter = 0.5, Tool Number = 1.

4. Click Save as New Tool. Click OK to close the Create/Select Tool Dialog. The tool is now created and listed in the Tools tab under the Alibre CAM browser.


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Creating the 2½ Axis Profile Toolpath “MOps” stands for Machining Operations. All machining operations you create are listed here, in order of creation. We will machine the Gasket in 2 steps using the 2 ½ Axis Profiling. Inner areas will be profiled first and then the outer area.

Select Tool

1. Select Create/Load Tool from the Mops tab and select Flat Mill-0.5

2. Select FlatMill-0.5 from Tools in Library and Click OK to set this as the active tool.

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Set Feeds / Speeds You can set toolpath feeds and speeds and customize these settings for later use. You can do this using the Set Feeds/Speeds dialog. This dialog can be invOKed from the Set Feeds/Speeds button found in the MOps tab toolbar.

1. Select Set Feeds/Speeds from the MOps tab.


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2. Set the Spindle Speed = 5000 rpm, Plunge, Approach, Engage Feed = 20 in/min, Cut

Feed = 30 in/min, Retract & Departure Feed = 20 in/min.

3. Click OK to accept the settings.

Clearance Control The Clearance Plane is a horizontal plane (set Z level) from which the approach motions start and retract motions end. After retracting, the tool moves rapidly along this plane to the position of the next engage. This plane is typically a certain safe distance above the part geometry.

1. Select Clearance Control from the MOps tab.

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2. Set the Clearance Plane to Automatic.

Select Regions Regions are sketches that already exist in your model, or separate new sketches you create within Alibre Design that coexist with your part, but do not contribute to its geometry (the sketch is not used for a feature). Regions serve different purposes in 2½ and 3 axis milling. In 2½ axis milling, however, regions determine the entire area to be milled. Part and stock geometry are not considered, and the tool always moves at a fixed Z level. Therefore, regions act as the drive curves, and their geometry is projected onto the stock. Regions must be selected before they can be used in an operation. Creating a region does not make it active; you must use one of the Select Regions tools before creating the toolpath.

1. Click Select Regions from the MOps tab.


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This brings up the Select Regions dialog.

2. Select Sketch<2> as the region to be profiled.

a. Move the cursor over the Gasket towards the edge of the inner circle, right click and choose Advanced Selector.

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b. From the selection List Select Sketch<2>.

c. Sketch<2> is now highlighted and added to the List of Selected Regions.


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d. Click OK to accept the selected regions.

Note: If you are unable to select a Sketch, from the Alibre Design Menu bar select Tools ->Selection Filters and ensure 2D Sketches are selected. Keeping this unchecked will not allow the user to select Sketches. You can also select sketches from the Design Explorer by switching to the Design Explorer tab.

2 ½ Axis Profiling

1. Select Milling Methods -> 2 ½ Axis Milling and Profiling

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2. In the Parameters tab make sure Stock value is set to 0, cut direction is set to Climb, cut side is set to Outside/Inside for Closed is checked and the cut side is chosen as Inside as shown. These settings will ensure that in the case of

a. Open curves, the cutter will always cut to the left of the curve

b. Closed curves, the cutter will always cut on the inside of the curve

c. Or you can set Determine using a 3D Model if the sketch follows a 3D geometry.


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3. Click on the Cut Levels tab, and Set the Total Cut Depth = 0.125, Rough Depth = 0.125 and Rough Depth/Cut = 0.125.

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4. Switch to Entry/Exit tab and under Entry set the Approach Motion Length = 0, Engage Motion Radius = 0. Set the Cut Transfer to Clearance Plane.


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5. Switch to the Exit tab under Entry/Exit and set the Retract Motion Radius = 0 and Departure Motion Length = 0.

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6. Accept the other default parameters and click Generate. The profiling toolpath is generated and displayed as shown.

7. The 2.5 axis profile operation is now listed in the MOps browser.


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8. Right mouse click on the 2.5 axis Profile operation and rename the operation to Inner Profile.

Simulate Toolpath

Make sure Show Stock is selected on the MOps Browser.

1. Select the Inner Profile Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.

2. Click Simulate from the Stock Simulation window to run the simulation.

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Note: You can pause/stop, step, and skip the simulation using the controls available on the Simulation window. To control the simulation speed, select Simulation Settings from the Stock Simulation window.

3. Once the simulation is complete, you can close the Stock Simulation window and return to the Alibre CAM browser.

Creating the Outer Profile Toolpath We will now create a 2 ½ Axis Profiling toolpath to cut out the Gasket. Having created a profiling toolpath for the inner region, we will use the same Tool (FlatMill-0.5) and settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane.

Select Regions

1. From the MOps tab click Select Regions and deselect Sketch<2> if selected. Clicking outside the part in the Alibre Design window deselects the sketch.

2. Now Select Sketch<3> as the machining region.

a. Click on the outer edge of the Gasket.


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b. Right mouse click and choose Advanced Selector.

c. Now select Sketch <3> from the Selection List.

d. Sketch<3> is now highlighted and added to the list of Selected Regions.

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e. Click OK to accept the selection.

Note: If you are unable to select a Sketch, from the Alibre Design Menu bar select Tools ->Selection Filters and ensure 2D Sketches are selected. Keeping this unchecked will not allow the user to select Sketches.

2 ½ Axis Profiling

1. From the MOps tab, Select Milling Methods -> 2 ½ Axis Milling and Profiling

2. In the Parameters tab make sure Stock value is set to 0, cut direction is set to Climb, cut side is set to Outside/Inside for Closed is checked and the cut side is chosen as Outside as shown.


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5. Under Exit Tab set Retract Motion Radius = 0, Departure Motion Length = 0.

6. Accept the other default parameters and click Generate. The profiling toolpath is generated and displayed as shown. The 2.5 axis profile operation is now listed in the MOps browser.

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7. Select the 2 ½ Axis Profiling operation, right click and rename the operation to Outer Profile.

Simulate Toolpath

1. Select the Outer Profile Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.


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2. Click Simulate from the Stock Simulation window to run simulation.


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Post Processing Once the toolpath has been generated, it can be post-processed to a specific machine controller. Alibre CAM Standard comes with a set of post-processors to choose from. Each post-processor is represented by an *.spm file, all of which are located in the Posts folder under the Alibre CAM installation folder.

1. In the MOps tab, select Machining Operations (located at the root level in the Browser window) and click Post Process.

This displays the Select Post Processor Dialog. 2. Browse to the desired output directory and assign a file name for the output. Make sure

that this file name is a valid file name and you have permissions to write to the specified file. Then double-click on the post-processor you want to use (such as Haas).


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3. When complete, the post output file will open in the default text editor (Notepad by default). This file contains all the G-code for your toolpaths.

End of Tutorial 1!

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Tutorial 2: Machining a Shaft Base

Using

2½ Axis Facing,

Pocketing,

Hole Pocketing &

Profiling Toolpath methods


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Introduction This tutorial will illustrate machining of a prismatic part such as this Shaft Base using 2 ½ milling operations. Even though we have created a 3-D representation of the part, it will be seen later on that we can machine this using just 2D Sketches. The reason we are able to do this is because of the prismatic nature of this model. This tutorial will introduce the usage of 2 ½ axis machining for a simple one-sided part. We will use facing, profiling, pocketing and hole pocketing operations. The stepped instructions are accompanied by explanatory and introductory text. Reading this text will help you understand the tutorial methodology and provide information about additional options available. Don’t forget to save your work periodically! You may want to save the file under a different name so that the original file will be preserved.

Strategy to Machine the Shaft Base • We will machine the shaft base completely using 2 ½ axis-machining operations. • The starting material for the Shaft Base is soft wood and the size is 5.5 x 3.25 x 0.625

inches. • The wooden sheet will be held to the machine table or the spoil sheet on the table using

double-sided tape. • The part will be machined using a single ¼ inch flat end mill. • Determining the sequence of machining operations

o The first operation would involve machining around the boss using a 2 ½ Axis Facing Operation.

o The next step would involve machining the area inside the boss. We will use 2 ½ Axis Pocketing Operation, which is ideal removing material inside a specified region.

o We are now down to the level where the step holes need to be machined. As the holes are circular we will use 2 ½ Axis Hole Pocketing operation to machine the holes to its depth in 2 separate operations.

o Finally we will cut out the shape of the part from the rectangular using a contour toolpath. This is accomplished using a 2 ½ Axis Profiling Operation that separates the finished part from the stock material.

Main Programming Steps In creating programs for each setup, the following steps will be followed:

• Create the Stock geometry • Set the Machine Zero point or Locate geometry with respect to the machine coordinates • Create / Select the tool used for machining • Set the feeds and speeds • Set the Clearance Plane for the non-cutting transfer moves of the cutter • Select the machining regions for containing the cutter to specific areas to cut • Select the machining operations and set the parameters • Generate the toolpath • Simulate the toolpath.


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2. From the Open dialog box, select the ShaftBase.AD_PRT file from the Tutorials folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder. (Default location C:\Program Files\MecSoft Corporation\Alibre CAM\Tutorials)



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Note: You must work in shaded mode in order to be able to visualize toolpaths created in Alibre CAM. It is suggested for best visual performance with Alibre CAM to work with only one view port open and the view port operating in shaded mode.


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The Alibre CAM browser is now loaded and is docked over the Design Explorer. You can toggle between the CAM browser and the Design Explorer from the tabs at the bottom of the window. It can be hidden by un-checking Browser on the Alibre CAM menu bar. To re-display the hidden Browser window, you can re-check Browser from the Alibre CAM menu entry. You can also resize it by dragging the right side of the browser.

Preparing the Part for Machining Selecting this tab displays the Setup Toolbar at the top of the Browser window. Additionally it displays the three types of geometry that are relevant to Alibre CAM: Surfaces/Meshes, Sketches and Stock. The Setup tab allows the user can specify Machine Setup, Stock Geometry, Machine Coordinate System (Machine Zero) & Alibre CAM Preferences.

Setup Machine

1. Click on the Setup tab located under the Alibre CAM Browser and select Setup Machine.


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2. Set the Machine Type to 3 Axis. Click OK to close the Setup Machine Dialog.

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Create/Load Stock

3. Select Create / Load Stock from the Setup tab and choose Box Stock



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4. Use the following Dimensions. Length = 5.5, Width = 3.25 and Height = 0.625. Click OK to create the stock geometry.




Once the stock model is created, user can move the stock geometry relative to the part geometry and use the stock box to specify the Machine Zero (home position).



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The stock geometry is now aligned to the part and displayed as shown below.

Set MCS The next step is to locate the machining coordinate system (MCS). The MCS is represented as a triad with 3 arrows, the green arrow indicating X axis, blue the Y axis and red the Z axis. It is always a good practice to set the Machine Zero before generating a toolpath.



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9. Set the MCS Origin to Stock Box, Zero Face to Highest Z and Zero Position to Southwest

Corner.

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(This sets the machine home to Southwest corner and top of the stock material).


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Defining Cutting Tools

Alibre CAM supports numerous types of milling and drilling tools. For each tool you can specify standard APT parameters: diameter, corner radius, flute length and tool length. Flute length is the cutting length, and Tool Length is the total length of the tool up to the tool holder. All defined tools can be viewed in the Tools tab of the Browser. You can also save a set of tools to an external folder that can be loaded in other files.

Create Tools To machine the above part we will now create a ¼ inch (0.25”) Flat End Mill.

1. Select Create/Select Tools from the Tools tab

2. Set the Tool Type to Flat Mill


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Creating the 2½ Axis Facing Toolpath “MOps” stands for Machining Operations. All machining operations you create are listed here, in order of creation.

Select Tool

1. Select Create/Load Tool from the Mops tab and select Flat Mill-0.25


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2. Select Sketch <6> and Sketch <7> as machining regions.

a. To select Sketch <6> Move the cursor over the Shaft Base towards the outer edge of the raised boss, right click and choose Advanced Selector.

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b. Select Sketch<6> from the selection list. The Sketch<6> is now listed under Selected Regions.

c. Hold down the Shift Key and select Sketch <7> (the outer rectangle).

d. Sketch <6> and Sketch <7> are now added to the Selected Regions window.


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e. Click OK to accept the selected regions.

Note: If you are unable to select a Sketch, from the Alibre Design Menu bar select Tools->Selection Filters and 2D Sketches are selected. Keeping this unchecked will not allow the user to select Sketches.

2 ½ Axis Facing

1. Select Milling Methods -> 2 ½ Axis Milling -> Facing

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2. In the Roughing tab, set the Tolerance = 0.001, Stock value is set to 0, cut pattern as Island Offset Cuts, cut direction is set to Mixed.


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3. Switch to Cut Levels tab.

4. Set Total Cut Depth = 0.375, Rough Depth = 0.375 and Rough Depth/Cut = 0.125.

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5. Switch to Entry/Exit tab. Use the default settings.


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6. Click Generate to create the Facing Toolpath.

The 2 ½ Axis Facing Operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the Facing Toolpath is displayed as shown below.

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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the 2½ Axis Facing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.


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Creating the 2½ Axis Pocketing Toolpath We will use the same Tool (FlatMill-0.25) and settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane for the pocketing toolpath to machine the inside the boss.

Select Regions

1. From the MOps tab click Select Regions and deselect Sketch<6> and Sketch <7> if selected. Clicking outside the part in the Alibre Design window deselects the sketch.


a. Click on the inner edge of the boss, right mouse click and select Advanced Selector.

b. Select Sketch <5> from the selections dialog. The selected sketch is now highlighted and displayed under the Selected Regions dialog.


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c. Click OK to accept the selection.


2 ½ Axis Pocketing

1. Select Milling Methods -> 2 ½ Axis Milling -> Pocketing

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2. In the Roughing tab, set the Tolerance = 0.001, Stock value is set to 0, cut pattern as Offset Cuts, cut direction is set to Climb.



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4. Set Total Cut Depth = 0.25, Rough Depth = 0.25 and Rough Depth/Cut = 0.125.

5. Switch to the Entry/Exit tab. Use the default settings.

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6. Click Generate to create the Pocketing Toolpath.

The 2 ½ Axis Pocketing operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the pocketing Toolpath is displayed as shown below.


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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the 2 ½ Axis Pocketing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.


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Once the simulation is complete, you can close the Stock Simulation window and return to the Alibre CAM browser.

Creating the Hole Pocketing Toolpath We will use the same Tool (FlatMill-0.25) and settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane for the hole pocketing toolapth to machine the 0.5” diameter holes.

Select Regions



a. Click on the inner edge of the outer hole, right mouse click and select Advanced Selector.


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b. Select Sketch <2> from the selections dialog. The selected sketch is now highlighted and displayed under the Selected regions dialog.


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Hole Pocketing

1. Select Milling Methods -> 2 ½ Axis Milling -> Hole Pocketing

2. In the Cut Parameters tab, set the following parameters


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a. Tolerance = 0.001,

b. Hole Depth = 0.0625,

c. Hole Diameter = 0.5,

d. Cut Direction to Climb,

e. Step over distance to 25 % (of tool diameter).


4. Set Step Down Control to 50 % (of tool diameter).

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5. Switch to Entry/Exit tab.

a. Set the Helix Diameter = 0.125 (this value must be smaller than the difference of the hole diameter to the tool diameter).

b. Helix Pitch, Height = 0.1

c. Approach Distance = 0.025

6. Click Generate to create the Hole Pocketing Toolpath.

The Hole Pocketing operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the hole pocketing Toolpath is displayed as shown below.

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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the Hole Pocketing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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Creating the Hole Pocketing Toolpath #2 We will use the same Tool (FlatMill-0.25) and settings for Feeds/Speeds and Clearance Plane for the hole pocketing toolapth to machine the inner hole.

Copy/Paste Machining Operation 1. Select the Hole Pocketing Operation created from the previous step, right mouse click,

and select Copy 2. Right click and select Paste. 3. This will create a copy of the Hole Pocketing operation listed below the first Hole

Pocketing operation as show below.

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Select Regions 4. Expand the Hole Pocketing0 folder and double click on Regions.

5. Click outside the part in the Alibre Design window to deselect Sketch<2>.


a. Click on the inner edge of the inner hole, right mouse click and select Advanced Selector.

b. Select Sketch <8> from the selections dialog. The selected sketch is now highlighted and displayed under the Selected Regions dialog.


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Note: If you are unable to select a Sketch, from the Alibre Design Menu bar select Tools->Selection Filters and ensure 2D Sketches are selected. Keeping this unchecked will not allow the user to select Sketches.

7. Double click under Parameters and set the Hole Depth = 0.1875, Hole Diameter = 0.315.

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8. Leave the Cut Levels tab at default values.

9. Switch to the Entry/Exit tab and set the Helix Diameter to 0.09.


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10. Click Generate. The Hole Pocketing Operation for the inner holes is now created.

The 2nd Hole Pocketing operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the hole pocketing toolpath is displayed as shown below.

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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the Hole Pocketing0 Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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Creating the Outer Profile Toolpath We will now create a 2 ½ Axis Profiling toolpath to cut out the shaft base. We will use the same Tool (FlatMill-0.25) and settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane for the profiling toolapth.

Select Regions


2. Now select Sketch<9> as the machining region.

a. Click on the outer edge of the Shaft Base.

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b. Right mouse click and choose Advanced Selector.

c. Now select Sketch <9> from the Selection List.

d. Sketch<9> is now highlighted and added to the List of Selected Regions.

e. Click OK to accept the selection.


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2 ½ Axis Profiling

3. From the MOps tab, Select Milling Methods -> 2 ½ Axis Milling -> Profiling

4. In the Parameters tab make sure Stock value is set to 0, cut direction is set to Climb, cut side is set to Outside/Inside for Closed is checked and the cut side is chosen as Outside as shown.



7. Under Exit Tab set Retract Motion Radius = 0, Departure Motion Length = 0.

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8. Accept the other default parameters and click Generate. The profiling toolpath is generated and displayed as shown. The 2.5 axis profile operation is now listed in the MOps browser.

Simulate Toolpath

1. Select the 2 ½ Axis Profiling Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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2. Browse to the desired output directory and assign a file name for the output. Make sure that this file name is a valid file name and you have permissions to write to the specified file. Then double-click on the post-processor you want to use (such as Haas).


End of Tutorial 2!


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Tutorial 3: Machining a 3D Mold

Using 3 axis Roughing and Finishing Toolpath methods

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Introduction This tutorial will illustrate machining this mold using 3-axis milling operations, as well as introduce the usage of several 3-axis operations such as horizontal roughing, parallel finishing, and horizontal finishing. The stepped instructions are accompanied by explanatory and introductory text. Reading this text will help you understand the tutorial methodology and provide information about additional options available. Don’t forget to save your work periodically! You may want to save the file under a different name so that the original file will be preserved.

Strategy to machine the mold • We will machine the mold completely using 3-axis machining operations. • The part itself will be machined out of a 5.5 x 6.5 inch x 1.25-inch wood block. • The stock may be held to the machine table or the spoil sheet on the table using double-

sided tape or by clamps. • The part will be machined using 0.5” flat end mill, 0.25” & 0.125” ball end mills.


• Create the Stock geometry • Set the Machine Zero point or locate geometry with respect to the machine coordinates • Create / Select the tool used for machining • Set the feeds and speeds • Set the Clearance Plane for the non-cutting transfer moves of the cutter • Select the machining regions for containing the cutter to specific areas • Select the machining operations and set the parameters • Generate the toolpath • Simulate the toolpath.



1. Select File / Open Part, or click the Open Part icon from the Alibre Design Standard Toolbar.


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2. From the Open dialog box, select the 3DMold.AD_PRT file from the Tutorials folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder. (Default location C:\Program Files\MecSoft Corporation\Alibre CAM\Tutorials)


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Preparing the Part for Machining Selecting this tab displays the Setup Toolbar at the top of the Browser. Additionally it displays the three types of geometry that are relevant to Alibre CAM: Surfaces/Meshes, Sketches and Stock.


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The Setup tab allows the user can specify Machine Setup, Stock Geometry, Machine Coordinate System (Machine Zero) & Alibre CAM Preferences.

Setup Machine

1. Click on the Setup tab located under the Alibre CAM Browser and select Setup Machine.

2. Set the Machine Type to 3 Axis. Click OK Close the Setup Machine dialog.

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Create/Load Stock

3. Select Create / Load Stock from the Setup tab and choose Box Stock.



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4. Use the following Dimensions. Length = 5.5, Width = 6.50 and Height = 1.25. Click OK

to create the stock geometry.



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7. Set the Z alignment to Bottom and XY alignment to Center. (This would align the stock to the bottom of the part in Z and center in XY)


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9. Set the MCS Origin to Stock Box, Zero Face to Highest Z and Zero Position to Southwest

Corner.


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Defining Cutting Tools Alibre CAM supports numerous types of milling and drilling tools. For each tool you can specify standard APT parameters: diameter, corner radius, flute length and tool length. Flute length is the cutting length, and Tool Length is the total length of the tool up to the tool holder. All defined tools can be viewed in the Tools tab of the Browser. You can also save a set of tools to an external folder that can be loaded in other files.

Create Tools To machine the above part we will now create a ½ inch (0.5”) Flat End Mill, and a ¼ inch (0.25) Ball End Mill.

1. Select Create / Select Tools from the Tools tab.

2. Set the Tool Type to Flat Mill.


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4. Click Save as New Tool. Creating a Ball End Mill 5. Select the Tool Type to Ball Mill. 6. Set the tool name as BallMill-0.25, Tool Diameter = 0.25, Tool Number = 2.

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7. Click Save as New Tool. Click OK to close the Create/Select Tool Dialog The tools are now created and listed in the Tools tab under the Alibre CAM browser.

Creating the 3 Axis Horizontal Roughing Toolpath


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In this type of toolpath, Alibre CAM uses stock geometry and part geometry to determine the safe machining region at each user-specified Z level. The safe machining region is the region in which the tool can safely traverse removing stock. Once this machining region is determined, a tool traversal pattern such as a zigzag or offset machining cut pattern can then be applied to remove stock. Note: For 3-axis milling, you can also create and activate regions that act as machining boundaries. An example would be if you wanted to machine only one surface; you could define a region around that surface so that no other areas will be milled. Regions can be created by drawing a sketch around the geometry in Alibre Design or by using Sketch->Project to Sketch to extract the sketch from the 3D model

Regions are sketches that already exist in the model, or sketches you create within Alibre. In the Setup tab of the Browser, you will see that several sketches already exist in this file. “MOps” stands for Machining Operations. All machining operations you create are listed here, in order of creation.

Select Tool

1. Select Create/Load Tool from the Mops tab and select Flat Mill-0.5.


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2. Set the Spindle Speed = 5000 rpm, Plunge, Approach, Engage Feed = 20 in/min, Cut Feed = 30 in/min, Retract & Departure Feed = 20 in/min.




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3 Axis Horizontal Roughing

1. Select Milling Methods -> 3 Axis Milling -> Horizontal Roughing

The Horizontal Roughing dialog is invOKed, in which you can set parameters for the toolpath.

2. In the Cut Parameters tab, set the Intol, Outol = 0.01, Stock value to 0.025, cut pattern as Stock Offset, and cut direction to Mixed.


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3. Switch to Cut Levels tab. 4. Set the Step Down control = 50 (% of tool diameter) and the Cut levels ordering to

Depth First.

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5. Switch to Engage / Retract tab.


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6. Use the default settings.

7. Click Generate to create the Horizontal Roughing Toolpath. The Horizontal Roughing operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the toolpath is displayed as shown below.

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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the Horizontal Roughing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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Creating the 3 Axis Parallel Finishing Toolpath Once the roughing toolpath is generated, a pre-finish/finish toolpath can be created to remove the steps left by the roughing process, and to bring the stock closer to the part. There are several methods of generating finishing toolpaths; in this exercise we will use the Parallel Finishing method.

Select Tool From the MOps tab

1. Open the Select/Create Tools window 2. Click the Ball End Mill tab, and select BallMill-0.25. Click OK to make this the active

tool. You could also double-click the tool name.

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3 axis Parallel Finishing 1. Select Milling Methods -> 3 Axis Milling -> Parallel Finishing

2. From the Cut Parameters tab, set the Intol, Outol = 0.001, and Stock = 0. 3. Step Over Control = 10 (% of tool diameter).


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4. Leave the other parameters at the default values and click Generate to create the toolpath.

The Parallel Finishing operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the Toolpath is displayed as shown below.

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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the Parallel Finishing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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End of Tutorial 3!


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Tutorial 4: Re-Machining a 3D Mold

Using 3-axis Pencil Tracing and Valley Re-Machining Toolpath methods

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Introduction This tutorial will introduce the usage of advanced 3-axis operations such as pencil tracing & valley remachining. The stepped instructions are accompanied by explanatory and introductory text. Reading this text will help you understand the tutorial methodology and provide information about additional options available. However, if you prefer to work straight through the steps without any additional reading, loOK for the following symbol: Don’t forget to save your work periodically! You may want to save the file under a different name so that the original file will be preserved.

Strategy to Machine the mold • We will machine the mold completely using 3 axis-machining operations. • The part itself will be machined out of a 5.5 x 6.5 inch x 1.25-inch wood block. • The stock may be held to the machine table or the spoil sheet on the table using double-

sided tape or by clamps. • The part will be machined using 0.5” flat end mill, 0.25” & 0.125” ball end mills.


• Create the Stock geometry • Set the Machine Zero point or locate geometry with respect to the machine coordinates • Create / Select the tool used for machining • Set the feeds and speeds • Set the Clearance Plane for the non-cutting transfer moves of the cutter • Select the machining regions for containing the cutter to specific areas to cut • Select the machining operations and set the parameters • Generate the toolpath • Simulate the toolpath.





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2. From the Open dialog box, select the 3Dmold_2.AD_PRT file from the Tutorials folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder. (Default location C:\Program Files\MecSoft Corporation\Alibre CAM\Tutorials)


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Creating the 3 axis Pencil Tracing Toolpath Note: The part is pre-programmed with 2 machining operations. Horizontal Roughing and Parallel Finishing. We will now use remachining to finish the mold using 2 different machining operations – Pencil Tracing and Valley Re-Machining.


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Create Tools

1. Switch to the Tools tab. You would find 2 tools listed under the Tools browser. FlatMill-0.5 and BallMill-0.25. We will now create a BallMill-0.125 for the remachining operations.

2. Select Create / Select Tool and click Ball Mill.

3. Specify tool Name BallMill-0.125, Diameter = 0.125, Set the Tool Number = 3 and

click Save as New Tool.

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4. Click OK to exit the Create/Select Tool dialog. 5. Switch to MOps Tab.

3 axis Pencil Tracing

1. Highlight the Parallel Finishing operation in the MOps tab. This would ensure the next machining operation created would be below the Parallel Finishing toolpath.


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2. Click Create/Select Tool from the Mops tab and select BallMill-0.125.

We will use the same settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane for the Pencil Tracing toolpath. 3. Select 3 Axis Milling -> Pencil Tracing

4. Click on Cut Parameters tab. Set Intol and Outol = 0.001, Stock to leave =0.0, and Cut Direction to Climb.

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5. Switch to Advanced Cut parameters tab and leave the settings at default values.


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6. Select the Entry/Exit tab and switch the Cut Transfer from Skim to Clearance Plane.

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7. Click Generate. The Pencil Tracing Toolpath is now generated and the operation is listed in the MOps browser in Alibre CAM.


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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select Machining Operations from the Mops Browser and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.

Note: As we have not simulated the Roughing and Finishing operations, selecting Machining Operations will simulate all operations in the sequence they were created.


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Creating the 3 Axis Valley Re-Machining Toolpath We will use the same BallMill-0.125 tool and settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane for the re-machining toolpath.

1. From the MOps tab select 3 Axis Milling -> Valley Re-Machining.


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2. From the Remachining Parameters tab set the Intol, Outol = 0.001, and Stock = 0. 3. Set the Reference Tool Diameter = 0.25 (This is the diameter of the tool that was

used for parallel finishing operation), Cut Direction to Climb.

4. Switch to the Entry/Exit tab and set the Cut Transfer to Clearance Plane.

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5. Click Generate. The Valley Re-Machining Tracing Toolpath is now generated and the operation is listed in the MOps browser in Alibre CAM.


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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select Valley Remachining and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.


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End of Tutorial 4!

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Tutorial 5: Hole Making

Using Drilling Toolpaths


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Introduction This tutorial will illustrate machining holes using Drilling operation. Even though we have created a 3-D representation of the part, it will be seen later on that we can machine this using just 2-D curves. The reason we are able to do this is because of the prismatic nature of this model. The stepped instructions are accompanied by explanatory and introductory text. Reading this text will help you understand the tutorial methodology and provide information about additional options available. Don’t forget to save your work periodically! You may want to save the file under a different name so that the original file will be preserved. Strategy to Machine the part

• We will machine part by using a Hole machining operation called Drilling. • The part will be machined out of an 8 x 8 x 1 inch poplar wood sheet using a 0.5”

Standard Drill bit. • The wooden sheet will be held to the machine table or the spoil sheet on the table using

clamps.


• Create the Stock geometry • Set the Machine Zero point or locate geometry with respect to the machine coordinates • Create / Select the tool used for machining • Set the feeds and speeds • Set the Clearance Plane for the non-cutting transfer moves of the cutter • Select the machining regions for containing the cutter to specific areas • Select the machining operations and set the parameters • Generate the toolpath • Simulate the toolpath.




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2. From the Open dialog box, select the HoleMaking.AD_PRT file from the Tutorials folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder. (Default location C:\Program Files\MecSoft Corporation\Alibre CAM\Tutorials)




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Loading the Alibre CAM Browser

1. Select Alibre CAM from the menu bar and click Browser.


Preparing the Part for Machining Selecting this tab displays the Setup Toolbar at the top of the Browser window. Additionally it displays the three types of geometry that are relevant to Alibre CAM: Surfaces/Meshes, Sketches and Stock.

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The Setup tab allows the user can specify Machine Setup, Stock Geometry, Machine Coordinate System (Machine Zero) & Alibre CAM Preferences.

Setup Machine


2. Set the Machine Type to 3 Axis. Click OK to close the Setup Machine Dialog.


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Create/Load Stock

3. Select Create / Load Stock from the Setup tab and choose Box Stock.


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4. Use the following Dimensions. Length = 8, Width = 8 and Height = 1. Click OK to

create the stock geometry.




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Locate Part Within the Stock




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9. Set the MCS Origin to Stock Box, Zero Face to Highest Z and Zero Position to

Southwest Corner.

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Defining Cutting Tools

Alibre CAM supports numerous types of milling and drilling tools. For each tool you can specify standard APT parameters: diameter, corner radius, flute length and tool length. Flute Length is the cutting length, and Tool Length is the total length of the tool up to the tool holder. All defined tools can be viewed in the Tools tab of the Browser. You can also save a set of tools to an external folder that can be loaded in other files.

Create Tools To machine the above part we will now create a ½ inch (0.5”) Standard Drill.

1. Select Create / Select Tools from the Tools tab

2. Set the Tool Type to Standard Drill

3. Set the tool name as Drill-0.5, Tool Diameter = 0.5, Tool Number = 1.

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Creating the Drilling Toolpath “MOps” stands for Machining Operations. All machining operations you create are listed here, in order of creation.

Select Tool

1. Select Create/Load Tool from the Mops tab.

2. Select Drill-0.5 from Tools in Library and Click OK to set this as the active tool.



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4. Set the Spindle Speed = 5000 rpm, Plunge, Approach, Engage Feed = 20 in/min, Cut Feed = 30 in/min, Retract & Departure Feed = 20 in/min.





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2. Select Sketch <3> as machining region.

a. To select Sketch <3> Move the cursor over the hole, right click and choose Advanced Selector.

b. Select Sketch<6> from the selection list. The Sketch<6> is now listed under Selected Regions.


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c. Click OK to accept the selected regions.

Note: If you are unable to select a Sketch, from the Alibre Design Menu bar select Tools->Selection Filters and ensure 2D Sketches are selected. Keeping this unchecked will not allow the user to select Sketches.

Drilling

1. Select Hole Machining -> 3 axis Hole Machining -> Drilling

2. In the Cut Parameters tab, under drill types choose Standard Drill, Drill Depth = 1, Select Add Tool tip to Drill Depth.

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3. Switch to the Engage/Retract tab and set the Approach Distance = 0.1, and Cut Transfer to Clearance Plane.


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4. Switch to the Hole Sort tab and leave the Hole Sort parameters at default settings.

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5. Click Generate to create the Standard Drill toolpath.

The Drilling Operation is now displayed under the MOps Browser and the Toolpath is displayed as shown below.


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Simulate Toolpath


1. Select the Standard Drill Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.

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1. In the MOps tab, select Standard Drill and click Post Process.

This displays the Select Post Processor Dialog.


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End of Tutorial 5!


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Tutorial 6: Machining a Gear

Using 4 Axis Roughing and Finishing

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Introduction This tutorial will illustrate machining the gear using 4 axis-milling operations. This tutorial will introduce the usage of several 4-axis operations such as 4 axis roughing and finishing. The stepped instructions are accompanied by explanatory and introductory text. Reading this text will help you understand the tutorial methodology and provide information about additional options available. Don’t forget to save your work periodically! You may want to save the file under a different name so that the original file will be preserved. Strategy to Machine the Gear

• We will machine the gear completely using 4 axis-machining operations. • The part itself will be machined out of a cylindrical blank. • The stock will be held to the machine table using a rotary chuck. • The part will be machined using 0.25” and 0.125” ball end mills.


• Create the Stock geometry • Set the Machine Zero point or Locate geometry with respect to the machine coordinates. • Set the rotary axis and rotary center. • Create / Select the tool used for machining • Set the feeds and speeds • Set the Clearance Plane for the non-cutting transfer moves of the cutter • Select the machining regions for containing the cutter to specific areas to cut • Select the machining operations and set the parameters • Generate the toolpath • Simulate the toolpath.





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2. From the Open dialog box, select the Gear.AD_PRT file from the Tutorials folder in the Alibre CAM installation folder. (Default location C:\Program Files\MecSoft Corporation\Alibre CAM\Tutorials)


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Preparing the Part for Machining Selecting this tab displays the Setup Toolbar at the top of the Browser window. Additionally it displays the three types of geometry that are relevant to Alibre CAM: Surfaces/Meshes, Sketches and Stock.


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The Setup tab allows you to specify Machine Setup, Stock Geometry, Machine Coordinate System (Machine Zero) & Alibre CAM Preferences.

Setup Machine


2. Set the Machine Type to 4 Axis

3. Rotary Axis to X (A) Axis and the Rotary Center to 0,0,0 in X Y and Z.

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4. Click OK to close the Setup Machine Dialog.

Set Post Options

5. Select Set Post Options from the Setup tab.


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6. Make sure to use the following settings.

a. Folder where post processor files are located is set to the Posts folder in Alibre CAM installation folder.

b. Select – Show Selection Dialog when Post Processing

c. Program to use for displaying output file can be set to notepad or WordPad.

d. Click OK to accept the settings.

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Create/Load Stock

7. Select Create / Load Stock from the Setup tab and choose Cylinder Stock.

This brings up the Cylinder Stock parameters.

8. Use the following Dimensions. Radius = 1.1, Length = 3. Click OK to create the stock

geometry.


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Once the stock model is created, user can move the stock geometry relative to the part geometry and use the stock box to specify the Machine Zero (home position).


11. Set the Z alignment to Center and XY alignment to Center. (This would align the stock to the center of the part in Z and center in XY)

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13. Set the MCS Origin to Stock Box, Zero Face to Mid Z and Zero Position to West.

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Defining Cutting Tools Alibre CAM supports numerous types of milling and drilling tools. For each tool you can specify standard APT parameters: diameter, corner radius, flute length and tool length. Flute Length is the cutting length, and Tool Length is the total length of the tool up to the tool holder. All defined tools can be viewed in the Tools tab of the Browser. You can also save a set of tools to an external folder that can be loaded in other files.

Create Tools To machine the above part we will now create 2 tools.

1. Select Create / Select Tools from the Tools tab.

2. Set the Tool Type to Ball Mill.


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3. Set the tool name as BallMill-0.25, Tool Diameter = 0.25, Tool Number = 1.

4. Create a 2nd Ball End Mill. Set the tool name as BallMill-0.125, Tool Diameter = 0.125, Tool Number = 2.

5. Click Save as New Tool. Click OK to close the Create/Select Tool Dialog. The tools are now created and listed in the Tools tab under the Alibre CAM browser.

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Creating the 4th Axis Roughing Toolpath We will machine the gear using 2 different machining operations – 4 axis Roughing and 4 axis Finishing. The first step in machining the gear will be a roughing operation. In this cut method, the tool cuts the stock in successive levels. The spacing between these levels is specified by the user. This type of machining is very efficient for removing large volumes of material and is typically performed with a large tool. Roughing is typically followed by semi-finishing or finishing toolpaths.

Select Tool

1. Select Create/Load Tool from the Mops tab and select Ball Mill-0.25

2. Select BallMill-0.25 from Tools in Library and click OK to set this as the active tool.


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2. Set the Clearance Plane to Automatic under the 4 Axis Clearance Plane tab.

4th Axis Roughing

1. Select Milling Methods -> 4th Axis Milling -> 4th Axis Roughing


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If the Machine Zero is not set at the center of the part in X, Y & Z, a warning message dialog would be displayed at all times when a 4 axis machining operation is selected. Users can override this message by clicking OK in the dialog.

2. In the Cut Parameters tab Set the Intol and Outol = 0.001, Stock to leave =0.005, Cut Pattern to Along Axis, Zig Zag and Low to High, Cut Containment Low Value = 0 and High Value = 3 (as the Machine Zero is set to the left edge of the stock/ part). Use Step Distance = 25 (% of tool diameter).

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3. Switch to the Step Down Control Tab.

4. Use the Following Settings:

a. Cut Levels: check Top (T) and specify Top (T) = 1.1 (radius of stock material)

b. Step Down Control = 50 (% Tool Diameter).


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5. Click Generate. The 4th axis Roughing toolpath is now generated, and the operation is listed under the Alibre CAM MOps browser.

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Simulate Toolpath

Note: You must switch the simulation model to Polygonal model to run 4 axis simulations. Select Preferences->Simulation Preferences from the Setup Tab and switch the simulation model to Polygonal if set to Voxel.


1. Select the 4th Axis Roughing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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Creating the 4th Axis Finishing Toolpath We will now use 4th Axis Finishing operation to finish the part using a 0.125” Ball End Mill, We will use the same settings for Feeds / Speeds and Clearance Plane. In this method, the tool is always normal to the axis of table rotation (continuous mode). The tool motions can be parallel to or normal to the rotation axis. From the Create Operations tab, select 4 axis Milling -> 4 Axis Finishing.

Select Tool From the MOps tab:

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1. Open the Select/Create Tools window 2. Click the Ball End Mill tab, and select BallMill-0.125. Click OK to make this the active

tool. (You could also double-click the tool name.)

4th Axis Finishing

1. From the MOps tab, Select Milling Methods -> 4th Axis Milling -> 4th Axis Finishing

2. In the Cut Parameters tab Set the Intol and Outol = 0.001, Stock to leave =0, Cut Pattern to Across Axis, Zig Zag and Low to High, Cut Containment Low Value = 0 and High Value = 3 (as the Machine Zero is set to the left edge of the stock/ part). Use Step Distance = 10 (% of tool diameter).


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3. Click Generate. The 4th axis Finishing toolpath is now generated, and the Operation is listed under the Alibre CAM MOps browser.

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Simulate Toolpath

1. Select the 4th Axis Finishing Operation and click to launch the Alibre CAM Stock Simulation window.



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This displays the Select Post Processor Dialog. 5. Browse to the desired output directory and assign a file name for the output. Make sure

that this file name is a valid file name and you have permissions to write to the specified file. Then double-click on the post-processor you want to use (such as Haas).


End of Tutorial 6!

Documents

AlibreCAM GSG net