Direction

This feature is used to control the direction of the tool along the surface when machining using the Surface cycle. Tool direction can be Longitudinal, Transverse, or Both. When Both is specified, tool motion is first computed in the longitudinal direction, then the tool is moved away from the part and machining proceeds in the transverse direction.

Note

The longitudinal direction of a surface is indicated by a small arrow at the first surface point.

Important

Be aware that concave corners in a surface may not be machined correctly, and are likely to cause gouging. While proper machining of such surfaces is not guaranteed, most cases can be handled successfully by EZ-MILL. Convex edges can be present in any part of a surface. If sharp, concave corners exist between patches then cutter motion should be perpendicular to the intersection of both involved patches. If tool motion is parallel to the concave patch boundary, then gouge checking must be selected.

Concave edges may exist between longitudinal, or transverse links, or both. In all three cases, if tool motion is parallel to the converse patch boundary, then gouge checking must be selected to avoid damaging the part. If the surface is closed (i.e., the first and last surface patches share a coincident boundary) then the look-ahead gouge checking will not compensate for a concave edge across the boundary between the first and last patches.

See also:

Machining Convex Edges

Machining Concave Corners