3D Machining Strategies
Roughing
The Roughing methods use a horizontal slicing strategy to create machining regions in which a conventional 2.5 axis toolpath is generated.  The selected Cut surfaces are offset in 3D by the specified tool then sliced at each Z Step interval.  Intersection boundaries resulting from cavities or depressions are treated as pocketing areas, and intersections resulting from protrusions as islands.

  • Pocketing – Creates a 2.5 axis offset pocketing toolpath.

  • Parallel – Creates a 2.5 axis linear toolpath along a specified angle.

  • Plunge –Creates plunge-drilling moves to the underlying surface along a series     of rows at a specified angle.

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    Roughing – Pocketing Toolpath

    Solid Model Verification
    Re-Roughing
    The Re-Roughing methods use a specified, previously created, refer-ence Roughing work step to automatically calculate and create a 2D Rest Curve identifying the uncut regions remaining from the refer-ence work step. A conventional 2.5-axis curve roughing work step is then created and assigned to the Rest Curve and toolpath generated inside each region at the roughing Z Step intervals
  • Pocketing – Creates a 2.5 axis offset pocketing toolpath.

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  • Parallel – Creates a 2.5 axis linear toolpath along a specified angle.
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    Finishing
    The Finishing Methods use three distinct toolpath generation tech-niques as described below.
  • 3D Equidistant – Creates 3D toolpath consisting of a series of on-surface offset passes similar to a pocking style toolpath that propagate from the selected Cut surface edges. Each pass is positioned at a uniform distance from the adjacent pass, regardless of surface slope.
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  • Constant Z – Ceates 2.5-axis contouring passes at successive Z levels. The selected Cut surfaces are offset in 3D by the specified tool and sliced at each Z Step interval.
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  • Projection – Creates 3D toolpath by generating a 2D pattern and segmenting it into polylines based on the specified tolerance, then projecting each point to the selected Cut surfaces using the tool shape.


    •  - Pocketing – Creates a 2D offset pocketing pattern.


     - Parallel – Creates a 2D linear pattern along a specified angle.
     - Radial – Creates a 2D linear pattern between an outer boundary and inner boundary or point.
     - Longitudinal – Creates a 2D pattern that follows an outer boundary while transitioning into an inner boundary or point.