Surfcam ProductNotes

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SURFCAM 2003 PRODUCT NOTES

This document summarizes new features for SURFCAM 2003. For more information click Help > Contents to open the help. The “What’s New” section in the online help links to more detailed information.

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2New “.SCPRT” file type replaces .DSN and .ICD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 23-Axis Milling Associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3Turning Associativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3EDM Associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3SURFCAM Solids Associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4SolidWorks Associativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4Point Associativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 53D Offset Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6Flat Surface Finishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 7Chamfer Milling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 7O-Ring Groove Milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 8Calculation speeds dramatically increased . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 9Steep-Shallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 9SRM “Do Not Plunge Straight” setting added. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 9SRM and 3Axis Z Rough, Intelligent removal of “tabs”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 10Work Offset with Cview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 11Configurable NC Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 11Integrated Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12Verification Options > Edit Tool List enhanced. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 13Face Milling enhanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 14Turn off “Check for publisher’s certificate revocation” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 154/5 Axis GUI changes for associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 15Import Catia Version 5, STEP, and Unigraphics UGF files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 162D Free. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 16Past Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 16

2 SURFCAM 2003 Product Notes


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Operating SystemMicrosoft® Windows NT® 4.0 (Service Pack 6), Windows® 2000 (Service Pack 2), or Windows® XP is required.Note Well

Microsoft dropped support for Windows NT on June 30th 2003. The next major release of SURFCAM will cease to support Windows NT. Please upgrade your operating system to Windows 2000 or XP, before the change.

NEW “.SCPRT” FILE TYPE REPLACES .DSN AND . ICD

SURFCAM no longer creates the .ICD file. This affects many file-related functions. For example, when you click File > Send To > Mail Recipient, SURFCAM now sends only the .SCPRT and SystemInfo.txt files. Previous versions sent the .DSN, .ICD, and Systeminfo.txt files. You can still open .DSN files.

Other minimum requirements RecommendedIntel® Pentium® III, 300 MHz Intel® Pentium® 4, 2 GHzCD-ROM Drive CD-ROM DriveGraphics Card: capable of 800x600 Colors: 64K colors

Graphics Card: capable of 1280x1024 Color: True Color

500 MB free disk space 1 GB free disk space128 MB RAM 512 MB RAMWindows®-Compatible Mouse Windows®-Compatible Mouse with WheelMicrosoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or greater Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or greater

SURFCAM 2003 Product Notes 3


3-AXIS MILLING ASSOCIATIV ITY

All 3-Axis Milling operations now have associativity. Notice that 3-Axis Milling operations in the Operations Manager have a green, yellow, or red circle next to them, but never a white circle.Associativity Review: Associativity is the dynamic relationship between an operation and geometry, which lets you,

1. Change any operation settings, including settings that change the tool path, and instantly update the operation as follows. In the Operations Manager, right-click on the operation in the Operations Manager and select Regenerate Toolpath with Original Geometry.

2. Instantly reapply the same operation to modified geometry as follows. Modify the geometry used to create the toolpath (change a radius, for example), then right-click on the operation in the Operations Manager and select Regenerate Toolpath with Original Geometry.

3. Reapply the same operation to completely different geometry as follows. Right-click on the operation in the Operations Manager and select Regenerate Toolpath and Reselect Geometry.

A yellow circle indicates the operation supports associativity, but the operation was created with an earlier SURFCAM that did not support associativity for the operation. The toolpath may be current, or it may be out of date due to changes to the geometry. Regenerate the toolpath so that SURFCAM knows all the geometry and can track it for future changes. A red circle indicates that the operation is associated with the geometry, but the geometry has changed since the operation was generated. Regenerate the toolpath to make the toolpath current with geometry. A green circle indicates that the operation is associated with the geometry, and the toolpath is current with the geometry. There is no need to regenerate the toolpath.

TURNING ASSOCIATIVITY

All Lathe operations now have associativity.

EDM ASSOCIATIV ITY

All EDM operations now have associativity.



SURFCAM SOLIDS ASSOCIATIVITY

When you export a modified SURFCAM Solids file to SURFCAM, the Operations Manager recognizes the change and lets you regenerate the operation for the modified part.

1. Design a part in SURFCAM Solids, then export to SURFCAM.2. Create a cutting operation on the imported geometry, and save the file again.3. Change the part in SURFCAM Solids, then export to SURFCAM again, and

click YES in the dialog box to “Overwrite Existing Geometry.”4. In SURFCAM, open the Operations Manager. The green circle next to the

operation is now red to indicate the geometry changed. Right-click on the cutting operation and click Regenerate with Original Geometry.

5. Click the Continue Regeneration button. Change any settings and click OK to exit the operation dialog. The toolpath changes automatically to accommodate the changed part.

SOLIDWORKS ASSOCIATIV ITY

Like a SURFCAM Solids file, you can now export a modified Solids Works file to SURFCAM. SURFCAM recognizes the change and lets you regenerate the operation for the modified part.To install the SURFCAM export utility, insert the SURFCAM 2003 CD. This autoruns the SURFCAM Installation Manager. Click the button next to SURFCAM SolidWorks OneStep and complete the installation instructions.

1. Design a part in Solid Works, then export to SURFCAM.2. Create a cutting operation on the imported geometry, and save the file again.3. Change the part in Solid Works, then export to SURFCAM again, and click YES

in the dialog box to “Overwrite Existing Geometry.”4. In SURFCAM, open the Operations Manager. The green circle next to the

operation is now red to indicate the geometry changed. Right-click on the cutting operation and click Regenerate with Original Geometry.

5. Click the Continue Regeneration button. Change any settings and click OK to exit the operation dialog. The toolpath changes automatically to accommodate the changed part.



POINT ASSOCIATIV ITY

When using sketch mode to define a plunge point, clearance point, etc., the system will create an actual point to create associativity between the point and the operation. For example,

1. Click NC > 2-Axis > Pocket > Plunge > Sketch, and select the plunge location, but not a geometry point. SURFCAM places a geometry point at the selected location.

2. Click Edit > Transform > Move and move the created plunge point to another feasible location.

3. Open the Operations Manager, right-click on the Pocket operation and click Regenerate with Original Geometry.

4. Click the Continue Regeneration button. Change any settings and click OK to exit the operation dialog. The Pocket operation automatically adopts the new plunge point location.



3D OFFSET FINISHING

3D Offset finishing is available only with the 3-Axis Plus option. Click NC > 3-Axis > 3D Offset. The 3D Offset operation allows 2D or 3D boundaries, and creates concentric, offset cutting passes. The shape of the cutting passes matches the shape of the outer contour of the part. The 3D Offset operation measures the step Increment three dimensionally on the selected surfaces. Some of the benefits of 3D Offset finishing are as follows.

• The toolpath maintains a constant scallop height, for a consistent finish.

• The tool can climb cut or conventional cut throughout the toolpath.

• Steady tool engagement accommodates maximum speeds and feeds.

• Cut from the outside in, or from the inside out.

The 3D Finish operation successfully cuts a variety of challenging parts.



FLAT SURFACE FINISHING

Click NC > 3-Axis > Flat Surface. You can select all surfaces and the Flat Surface operation cuts only those areas that are perfectly flat. The Minimum Area setting lets you exclude flat areas that are too small. This value determines what areas are too small to cut, and the tool path ignores those areas.

CHAMFER MILLING

Click NC > 2 Axis > Chamfer Mill. The new chamfer milling operation lets you easily cut chamfers to match a model drawing, or to trim burrs or sharp edges. The Chamfer Mill dialog contains only settings that apply to chamfer milling.



O-RING GROOVE MILLING

The Groove Mill operation cuts O-Ring Grooves that lie on a face of a part. This includes grooves that have undercuts produced with a dovetail cutter. From the SURFCAM menus, click NC > 2-Axis > Groove Mill. The Groove Mill operation dialog contains only settings for groove milling. You set just a few items, such as the Groove Width and Groove Depth. The Groove Mill operation lets you quickly create industry standard grooves to your specifications.Among other features, you can cut the groove with one pass. Or if the groove width is larger than the tool, you can turn Finish Walls on. After it cuts the center line rough pass, the operation inserts a radius transition move to the first wall. Then another radius transition move to the second wall. Set Plunge Type to Ramp to maintain a high quality floor finish.To automatically create an entry hole for dovetail cutting, turn on Mill Hole for Dovetail Cutter. The Geometry is The setting lets you use any wireframe edge from a solid model to create the cut. Or you may use the top or bottom center line.

NoteIf you want to use the same profile geometry for both a straight endmill tool path and a Dovetail tool path, set Geometry is The to Center Top or Center Bottom for both operations. Since the two tool paths are independent, this is the only way to ensure that the two tool paths align correctly. If you set Geometry is The to something other than Center Top or Center Bottom for either tool path, and you select the same profile geometry for both, the paths will not align correctly. This is because the Dovetail cutter diameter is wider than the straight cutter and both tool paths are calculated from the same selected profile.



CALCULATION SPEEDS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED

You will notice increased speed for tasks that require intense computer processing, such as shading, toolpath verification, complex toolpath calculation, such as 3 Axis toolpaths, particularly for multiple surfaces. The speed increase is roughly double the previous version.

STEEP-SHALLOW

The new SteepShallow operation replaces the Planar operation’s Shallow Cutting Options and the Z Finish operation’s Steep Cutting Options. The new SteepShallow operation also reorganizes the settings to simplify the process.You control the overlap between steep and shallow cuts, for a smooth transition. Check boxes let you turn off steep or shallow cutting.

SRM “DO NOT PLUNGE STRAIGHT” SETTING ADDED

To access the Plunge Dialog, click the Plunge Button from the Cut Control tab. The Plunge Information dialog appears. The Do Not Plunge Straight check box appears at the bottom of this dialog.



Do Not Plunge Straight appears only when you set Plunge Type to Ramp or Helical. Do Not Plunge Straight determines whether or not to allow straight down plunge moves when the last tool reaches areas too small to perform a Ramp or Helical plunge.If Do Not Plunge Straight is not checked, the tool plunges straight down in areas too small to perform the Ramp or Helical plunge. If Do Not Plunge Straight is checked, the last SRM tool will not plunge straight down. Instead, those areas are left uncut and a message appears to inform you of those uncut areas.

SRM AND 3AXIS Z ROUGH, INTELLIGENT REMOVAL OF “TABS”

In the previous version, the tool avoided areas between the part and any material boundary smaller than the tool radius. This left “tabs” of uncut material. For example, in the following picture, you can see the tool avoids the areas on the cap ends of the part.

In SURFCAM 2003, ZRough always engages the material using the X-Y step size and therefore no longer leaves tabs in most cases. Set Material Cut Mode to Contour Cut to eliminate tabs in all cases. The Z Rough operation now also features the same high-speed feed between used in SRM to guarantee consistent climb/conventional cutting.High Feedrate on the Tool Information tab now also determines the feedrate of the high speed feed between for ZRough operations with Material Cut Mode set to Contour Cut.

previous version

SURFCAM 2003



WORK OFFSET WITH CVIEW

You may now include the Work Offset value (G54-G59) when you create a Cview. For example, suppose you set the value to 55. The Work Offset value for operations created with this Cview will default to 55.

CONFIGURABLE NC MENU

Click Tools > Customize > NC Toolbar/Menu, then click the machining type to customize.



A dialog appears that lets you choose which buttons to keep on the toolbar, or insert separators, or reorder the buttons. For example, imagine you do only 2-axis drilling. Click Tools > Customize > NC Toolbar/Menu > 2 Axis. Remove all buttons except Drill. The next time you click NC > 2 Axis, only the Drill button appears.

INTEGRATED OPTIONS

It is now easier than ever to customize SURFCAM. From the SURFCAM menus, click Tools > Options. The dialog appears, as shown. Click the small + or - boxes to expand and collapse options. Click an option to display its settings. For example, expand the Colors option and click Palette. Settings for the Color Palette appear on the right.This replaces the SURFCAM Config Tools, which was accessed from the Windows Start menu, as well as many of the selections from the previous Options menu.

SURFCAM 2002 Plus SURFCAM 2003



VERIFICATION OPTIONS > EDIT TOOL LIST ENHANCED

In the SURFCAM Verify window click Options > Edit Tool List.

Click any of the tabs, starting at the upper left, to display tools of that type used in the cutting operations. Click the Cycle Colors option to automatically change the verification tools to a variety of colors. Click Default Color to revert all tools back to the original color. Or double click under the Tool Color column to change an individual color. The Custom Colors option becomes selected after you change a color in this way. Click the Apply Colors button to see color changes before you exit the dialog. To quickly test the verification of different tool dimensions, click the tool from the list, then click on the dimension in the tool picture to change it. Click OK to return to verification



and apply color and dimension changes. After you exit SURFCAM Verify, the tool dimensions revert back to their original values.

FACE MILLING ENHANCED

Maximum Side Step now accommodates radius toolsIn the previous version, the Face Mill operation did not automatically check if a radius tool left scallops between passes.In this new version, if you set the step greater than the bottom flat area of the tool, the Face Mill operation warns you, and asks if you’d like to reset the value automatically. If you answer NO, the operation leaves the Maximum Side Step alone. If you answer YES, the operation changes the Maximum Side Step to the largest value that will not leave a scallop.

High speed machining addedWhen you check High Speed Machining, the Face Mill operation now inserts radii wherever the tool changes direction, to enable high speed machining. This includes horizontal or vertical tool movement, or movement in other planes.

Geometry selection simplifiedThe intelligent optimization of the cutting passes makes it impossible to apply the Face Mill operation to more than one chain at the same time. Therefore the Face Mill operation lets you select only a single closed chain of elements. The Face Mill dialog now opens immediately after you select a chain, without the extra click of the Done button.

Tip If you wish to quickly apply the Face Mill operation to more than one chain, use the Copy and Paste buttons in the Operations Manager to copy the operation. Then right click on a copy operation and select Regenerate Toolpath and Reselect Geometry. Then select the new geometry to apply the operation.



TURN OFF “CHECK FOR PUBLISHER’S CERTIF ICATE REVOCATION”

If you are running SURFCAM on a computer that is not connected to the internet, this can cause SURFCAM Verify to start very slowly. To turn this off, from your Internet Explorer menus click Tools > Internet Options, then click the Advanced tab. Scroll down to the Security heading and clear the “Check for publisher’s certificate revocation” option.

4/5 AXIS GUI CHANGES FOR ASSOCIATIV ITY

This version consolidates the operation dialog for 4 and 5 Axis > Cut, Project, and Swarf operations to accommodate associativity. In the previous version, the dialog box shown right appeared prior to the operation dialog. This dialog box no longer appears, and these settings are inside the operation dialog. This consolidation allows associativity to take place because associativity depends on the operation as represented by one dialog box. Additionally, to improve clarity, Lead Type is now called Tool Vector Control and Lead Angle is now Lead/Lag Angle.



IMPORT CATIA VERSION 5, STEP, AND UNIGRAPHICS UGF FILES

From the SURFCAM menus, click File > Open. Then choose the new file type from the Files of type pull-down, select the file, and click Open. The CATIA V5, CATIA V4, STEP, Pro/E, and Unigraphics file translators are optional in the SURFCAM product line.

2D FREE

The “2D Free” promotional version of SURFCAM, which successfully expanded SURFCAM’s recognition, is no longer available. Thank you for your participation.

PAST UPDATE

Please see the SURFCAM 2002 Plus Product Notes.

Documents

Surfcam ProductNotes