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EZCAM Help |
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EZCAM Help |
The Curve Step parameter is located in the 3D Cycle Data Tab and is available to all projection type of machining cycles. This parameter controls the resolution of the tool path by setting the distance between points which are projected onto the surface. It is important to set this parameter correctly for two reasons.
The resolution of the tool path determines how
smooth the finished surface will be. If the surface is curved in the Z
axis, such as a cylinder or sphere, then the Curve Step affects how far
the tool moves in each linear move it makes to approximate that curved
surface. The smaller each linear move, the smoother the finished surface
will be. If the machining surface is flat, such as a plane, the Curve
Step parameter has no noticeable affect on the surface finish.
The second consideration in setting the Curve Step parameter is that the post-processed part program is greatly increased in length when the Curve Step is made very small. Because the tool movements are very small, it takes many more of them to cut a surface, greatly increasing the length of the part program. It is important to consider this before posting a program which has a very small Curve Step.
Important
The default value for Curve Step is 0.1, which is fine for most roughing applications. With parts which have very small tolerances, or finishing surfaces with very small features, a smaller value may be used; however, the part program length is increased greatly. Also be aware that the Verify and Verify All commands take significantly longer to draw the calculated tool path on the screen if the Curve Step value is decreased below the default value.
