Feed control
The Feed Control tab allows you to define the feed control parameters.
Feed zone control
Sometimes more than required material is left on the surface that needs to be removed with lower than the actual cutting feed rate. This lower feed rate is required to minimize the chances of tool breakage or tool wear. The Feed zone control parameter allows you to define a volume to determine an area in which a higher or lower percentage of the cutting feed rate can be set. Select the check box. The Feed control zone dialog box is displayed.
Feed Zone
You can choose the appropriate geometry from
the list or define a new one by clicking New
. The Select
Faces dialog box is displayed. This dialog box enables you
to define the geometry for feed zone.
Offset
This field enables you to put an additional offset value on the feed control geometry in order to let the tool slow down before it enters the actual feed control geometry.
Inside / Outside feed rate %
The Inside and Outside feed rate % fields define the feed rate inside and outside of the feed control geometry as a percentage of the actual cutting feed rate.
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The Feed Control Zone surface must be separate from the Drive surface. You can achieve this by allocating an Offset value. |
Feed rate optimization
You can optimize the feed rate of different segments of the tool path. You define the machining feed rate, and SolidCAM modifies it according to the surface curvature. The surface curvature is calculated at each tool path position where the surface contact point of the tool is known.
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This option is available only on single surfaces and cannot be used on the stitches between surfaces. |
Select the check box. The Feed Rate Control Optimization dialog box is displayed. This dialog box enables you to define the feed rate according to the surface radius. The feed rate is defined as the percentage of the defined Feed Rate of the cutting movements.
The first section enables you to define the feed rate for the Flat tool path segments where the Curvature radius is Infinite.
The second section enables you to define the feed rate for the tool path segments of Large radius (the radius value can be customized).
The third section enables you to define the feed rate for the tool path segments of Small radius (the radius value can be customized).
The fourth section enables you to define the feed rate for the Sharp Corners of the tool path where the radius is equal to 0.
Rapid motion in G1 mode
Some CNC-machines do not support synchronization between axis motors when the rapid movement (G0) is performed. The absence of synchronization causes the deviation between the calculated path and the real tool movements. SolidCAM enables you to avoid the problems described above by replacing all rapid movements (G0) with non-rapid ones using a particular feed rate.
The Rapid motion in G1 mode group enables you to control the use of rapid feed (G0).
When the Rapid motion in G1 mode check box is not selected, the resulting GCode contains rapid movements (G0).
Example:
G0 X-2.942 Y75.567 Z24.402 A-88.436 B-26.482 M116
When the Rapid motion in G1 mode check box is selected, the resulting GCode does not contain G0 commands. The rapid movements are performed using the feed rate defined by the Rapid feed rate parameter.Example:
G1 X-2.942 Y75.567 Z24.402 A-88.436 B-26.482 F9998 M116
First cut feed rate percentage
In some machining cases, the tool load is not uniform along the tool path; the maximum tool load is reached along the first cutting pass. The First cut feed rate percentage option enables you to change the feed rate at the first cutting path in order to optimize the cutting process. The feed rate is changed as a percentage of the defined feed rate.
Tool contact based feed rate optimization
This option enables you to control the tool path feed rate by the actual contact point of the surface and the contact point of the tool that defines the engagement radius.
When you select this check box, you can change the Min. feed rate as a percentage of the defined feed rate.