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die/mold machining strategies NX CAM 9: How to use Cut Region Control for Area Milling

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About NX CAM

NXTM CAM software has helped many of the world’s learning manufacturers and job shops produce

better parts faster. You can also achieve similar benefits by making use of the unique advantages NX

CAM offers.

This is one of many hands-on demonstrations designed to introduce you to the powerful capabilities in

NX CAM 9. In order to run this demonstration, you will need access to NX CAM 9.

Visit the NX Manufacturing Forum to learn more, ask questions, and share comments about NX CAM.

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Hands-on Demonstration: How to use Cut Region Control for Area Milling

This enhancement allows you to interactively create, edit, and manage Cut Regions for Area Milling

Drive Method operations. Cut Regions can be manipulated individually to control the cut pattern specific

to an area of the part. You can determine which cut regions to use for tool path generation, reorder

them, determine collision status, import cut regions from other operations, and edit cut regions (i.e.

divide, merge).

Do you have a question?

Post your questions or comments at the bottom of this Tech Tip article in the NX Manufacturing Forum.

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Prerequisites:

1. You will need access to NX CAM 9 in order to run this demonstration.

2. If you haven’t done so already, download and unzip Cut Region Control for Area Milling parts.7z.

You will find the .7z file attached directly to this Tech Tip article in the NX Manufacturing Forum.

Demo:

1. Open Cut region control for Area Milling.prt.

Create a Contour Area operation

2. Click Create Operation.

3. Select mill_contour in the Type list.

4. Select Contour Area.

5. Specify the following:

Program: NC_PROGRAM

Tool: FRD20XR3L60

Geometry: WORKPIECE

Method: METHOD

6. Click OK.

7. Click Specify Cut Area.

8. Set the Type Filter to Face and the Face Rule to Tangent Faces.

9. Select any face on the top of the part.

All 103 tangent faces on the top of the part should be selected.

10. Click OK in the Cut Area dialog box.

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Specify steep containment

11. In the Drive Method section of the dialog box, click Edit.

12. In the Steep Containment section of the dialog box, select Steep and Non-Steep from the Method

list.

13. Type 40.0000 in the Steep Angle box.

14. In the Steep Cutting section of the dialog box, select Zlevel Zig Zag from the Steep Cut Pattern list.

15. Type 50 in the Zlevel Depth per Cut box and select %Tool from the list.

16. Click OK in the Area Milling Drive Method dialog box.

Create cut regions

Note: Before proceeding, be sure Check Tool and Holder is turned on. This will allow the Collision

Status in the Cut Regions dialog box to display correctly, as red or green indicators. Click Cutting

Parameters, select the Containment tab, click Check tool and Holder to turn it on, and click OK.

17. In the Contour Area dialog box, click Cut Regions.

18. Click Create Region List.

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The system has created ten cut regions based on the tool, part geometry, and Steep Containment

parameters you specified.

The Create Region List indicates the following:

Whether a cut region is use by the operation ( ) or deferred ( ).

When a cut region is out of date with a red box or red check ( or ) because of a change in the operation parameters. For example, the cut region becomes out of date if you change the tool.

Whether a cut region has tool collisions or is collision-free . Collision check will not be

performed if the tool does not have a holder or if Check Tool and Holder is not turned on.

Whether a cut region as steep , non-steep , or flat.

Four cut regions were deferred ( ) due to tool holder collisions. This occurred because the tool was not

long enough to reach the bottom of the cavity.

19. Click OK in the Cut Regions dialog box.

20. Click Generate.

Tool paths are generated for the non-deferred cut regions.

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21. Click OK to complete the operation.

You will copy the operation and import the steep cut regions with collisions so that they can be cut in a

separate operation using a longer tool.

Copy the operation and import deferred steep regions

22. In the Program Order View of the Operation Navigator, Copy and Paste the CONTOUR_AREA

operation.

23. Rename the operation CONTOUR_AREA_STEEP.

24. Double-click CONTOUR_AREA_STEEP to edit the operation.

25. Click Cut Regions.

26. Select Import from the Create From list.

27. In the Filter Deferred Regions section of the dialog box, select Steep from the Steep Type list and

Collision from the Status list.

Collision will import deferred cut regions that contain collisions. Non-collision will import deferred cut

regions that do not contain collisions.

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28. Click Create Region List.

The two previously deferred steep cut regions were imported from the parent operation.

You can now use Collision Status to determine an appropriate tool.

29. Select both regions in the list (using the Ctrl key) and click Tool Collision Avoidance.

30. Select FRD20XR3L175 from the Tool list.

Notice that not all of the tools in the part are listed. Only tools of the same type (ball mill, end mill etc.),

same corner radius (for end mills), and same diameter used to define the region are listed. The tools

listed are basically the same as the one used to define the region except for length.

31. Click OK. The Collision Status is green for both regions.

32. Click OK in the Cut Regions dialog box.

33. Click Generate. Tool paths are generated for both regions.

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34. Click OK to complete the operation.

You will copy the first operation again and import the deferred non-steep cut regions containing collisions

so that they can be cut using a longer tool.

Copy the operation and import deferred non-steep regions

35. In the Program Order View of the Operation Navigator, Copy and Paste CONTOUR_AREA so that it

is the third operation in the program.

36. Rename the operation CONTOUR_AREA_NON-STEEP.

37. Double-click CONTOUR_AREA_NON-STEEP to edit the operation.

38. Click Cut Regions.

39. Select Import from the Create From list.

There should be no need to filter this time because the two remaining deferred cut regions are non-steep

with collisions.

40. Click Create Region List.

The two deferred, non-steep cut regions were imported from the parent operation

(CONTOUR_AREA_STEEP).

You can now use Collision Status to determine an appropriate tool.

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41. Select both regions in the list (using the Ctrl key) and click Tool Collision Avoidance.

42. Select FRD20XR3L175 from the Tool list.

43. Click OK. The Collision Status is green for both regions.

44. Click OK in the Cut Regions dialog box.

45. Click Generate.

46. Click Verify.

47. Set the Animation Speed to 3 and click Play.

48. Click OK to complete the Tool Path Visualization.

49. Click OK to complete the operation.

Divide Cut Regions

This option allows you to split a cut region into two separate regions.

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50. Double-click CONTOUR_AREA to edit the operation.

51. Click Cut Regions.

52. Select CONTOUR_AREA_REGION_10.

53. Click Divide.

54. Select Plane from the Divide Option list.

55. Select XC-ZC Plane from the Specify Plane list.

56. Type 152 in the Distance box and press Enter.

57. Click OK in the Divide Region dialog box.

58. Select CONTOUR_AREA_REGION_10_DIVIDE_1 and CONTOUR_AREA_REGION_10_DIVIDE_2

in the Operation Regions list to see that the cut region has been divided.

Merge Cut Regions

You may combine two regions with adjacent edges.

59. Select CONTOUR_AREA_REGION_2 in the Operation Regions list.

60. Click Merge.

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61. Select the adjacent cut region as the tool region.

62. Click OK in the Merge Regions dialog box.

63. Select CONTOUR_AREA_REGION_2_MERGE in the Operation Regions list to see that the two

regions have been combined into one.

64. Click OK in the Cut Regions dialog box.

65. Click OK to complete the operation.

66. Close the part without saving.

The file die.prt has been provided for extra practice and testing. Open this part file and continue to

explore Cut Regions.

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About Siemens PLM Software

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Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global

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and services with seven million licensed seats and more than

71,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano,

Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with

companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn

more ideas into successful products. For more information

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www.siemens.com/plm.

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property of their respective holders.

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