Loading Templates

The Load Template enables you to load an already existing template into the current operation. The Template Manager dialog box is displayed.

This dialog box displays only the templates of type/technology suitable for the current operation.

Choose the required template and click OK. You can also double-click the template name to choose it for the operation. When the template is loaded, all the current operation data is substituted with the data from the template.

Tool search

When an operation template is loaded, SolidCAM checks for tool data in the template. If the tool data was saved in the operation template, the tool search is performed as follows:

• When a tool used in the operation template is defined as Permanent, the tool search is performed according to the tool number only. The tool search is performed in the Part Tool Library.

• When the tool in the operation template is not defined as Permanent, the tool search is performed according to the tool parameters defined on the Tool search page of the SolidCAM Settings dialog box. The tool search is performed in the Part Tool Library. If it is not found, a new tool with the parameters defined in the template is being added to the Part Tool Table and automatically assigned the first not used tool number.

When you load a template with tool data into an operation in which the tool is already defined, the following message is displayed:

When you confirm this message, SolidCAM replaces the tool defined in the operation with the tool defined in the template.

Creating a new operation from an existing template

SolidCAM enables you create a new operation from an existing template. Right-click the Operations header or an operation entry in SolidCAM Manager and choose Add Operation from Template from the menu.

The Template Manager dialog box is displayed.

This dialog box enables you to choose an existing template. In this case, the Template Manager dialog box displays all the templates existing in the SolidCAM Templates Directory regardless of their type/technology.

If you select the Use template name as operation name option, the specified name is used for the new operation.

When you confirm the dialog box by clicking OK, the Template Common Data dialog box is displayed.

This dialog box enables you to define a Coordinate System, a Geometry and Upper/Lower levels for the inserted operation.

• The CoordSys list enables you to define the Coordinate System for the operation. The combo box enables you to choose the relevant Coordinate System from the list. The button enables you to define a new Coordinate System using the CoordSys Manager dialog box.

• The Geometry list enables you to define the geometry for the operation by choosing the relevant geometry from the list.

• The Upper Level and Lower Level edit boxes enable you to define the machining levels for the operation. The corresponding buttons enable you to pick the levels on the model.

When you confirm the dialog box by clicking OK, SolidCAM inserts the chosen operation template into the CAM Manager tree, and its dialog box is displayed so that you can check and edit its parameters, if necessary.

If the initial operation template used for the operation definition did not contain tool data, the inserted operation has no tool defined, and its definition is therefore incomplete. Incomplete operations are marked with red color in SolidCAM Manager.