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ShopCAM Manual - Manufacturing Alliance Associates

1. The Circular Cam pattern generates Circular CAM ay the geometry for a circular cam clockwise or counterclockwise Direction C Cw E COW The command can build the cam one section Stark at a time After the parameters are entered Stark Radice 1 0 Start Angle degr 0 0 and the Draw button is clicked the arc series curve is generated This curve is End based on the number of segments angle End Badis A E SO and cam formula Select an end angle end radius and a motion type Constant O Acceleration Constant Velocity Cycloidal Dwell or a Modified Sin Rise Fal Sweep Angle dear The angle is in decimal degrees starting at 0 Resolution degrees 3 00 as viewed for a clock Positive Segments Degree Seg 2025 angles are counterclockwise from 3 00 while negative angles are clockwise CAM motion Const Acceleratio After the 1 motion is created the start radius ad start angle becomes the previous end Draw Cancel radius angle The end radius and end angle are set the 1 start radius and 1 start angle On the last motion there is no need to enter the values to get back where you started The Difference section of the dialogue box shows the an Rise Fall i e the difference between the start radius and end and the Sweep angle i e the difference between the start angle and end angle Const velocity Cycloidal ler 180 0 Here is an example of a cam that uses all of
2. Either may be typed in or digitized Corner X 3 0 Y 1 0 Opposite Corner X 7 0 Y 8 0 oe Polygon The Polygon generates triangles hexagons and other regular polygons Enter the center the inscribed radius and the number of sides The Radius i Polygon inscribed radius is the size of a circ that would be tangent to all sides of the polygon For a polygon Number of Sides with an even number of sides it is the width of the polygon across flats Cancel Center X 2 5 Y 2 5 Z0 Radius 2 Num sides 8 e gt Page 48 of 90 Technical Reference Ellipse E The Ellipse generates a series of short lines that approximate an 7 ellipse to an accuracy specified by the MAXIMUM CUSP value in Ellipse Radii the info table The system requests the center the radius on X and the radius on Y If the x Radius U ellipse is oriented with its major axis on neither axis then the ellipse must be rotated via EDIT MOVE after it is created All values may be typed in Y Radius E or digitized If the radii are digitized a circular cursor is used to represent each radius Apply Cancel a Gear Gear Details The Gear pattern generate a S gear tooth or an entire gear that is composed primarily of arcs The gear is always created with its center at the Pressure Angle origin but can be relocated via EDIT Uat MOVE if desired L Make Num Teeth Circular tooth thickness CTT hi m Circ
3. Wire Reverse finish Finish Wire Burnout profile Profile Ruff Wire Twoplane Finish Wire Mulipass Finish 3d Positon Move 3d Finish Finish 3d Sweep x sect 3d Mult z rough 3d Swarf x sect Profile Ruff Parallel Pass Ruff Parallel Pass Ruff Contour Position Move Contour Finish Finish Contour Drill cycles Finish Lathe Position Move Lathe Finish Finish Lathe Profile rough Profile Ruff Lathe Rough turn Parallel Pass Ruff Lathe Groove rough Parallel Pass Ruff Lathe Groove finish Finish Lathe Threading Thread Lathe Drill cycles Finish Punch Position Move Punch Bridge hit Move Punch Burn Finish Punch Nibble Finish Punch Nibble punch Punch Punch Move Move Common surface speeds In FPM for various materials These are only a baseline example They are in INCH mode Page 88 of 90 Shopcam User Guide Many factors affect the actual SFM of a material Work piece holding tool rigidity cutting fluids tool coatings temperature tool material etc Material SFM Material T SEU 90 100 225 17 37 100 175 12 32 75 125 11 12 50 75 150 9 100 75 12 12 75 50 11 11 100 125 12 22 75 100 11 17 75 1000 9 725 50 425 9 75 250 10 37 50 200 7 32 75 125 9 22 50 100 9 17 800 100 250 27 250 75 165 15 125 100 225 22 95 75 55 17 150 125 80 13 57 100 10
4. 0 000 dia Total Stock 1 0000 Finish Stock 0 0000 Step gt 0 0000 T Path Finish T1 End Mill 0 000 dia T Pathra Finish T1 End Mill 0 000 dia Skip it Down Up Delete Merge Feedrate 1 0000 Axial Feedrate 1 0000 H 9 M 100 T C Retract 0 0000 COC Lett R FPlane lt 0 0000 Drill Cycle 81 Full Depth 0 0000 Feck 0 7000 Edit Oper Use Oper Close Cancel Page 29 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Saving an Operation Xoe tsave With the operation a dialog open one operation is always Operation Library Current op THIS BUTTON UPDATES active The operation Mill opers Current pe THE OPER LIBRARY summary area will tell e Em ou which operation is ngraving nd Mi U la HI Tah y paia ZigZag 11 End Mil 0 500 dia El T Path currently active You may click on an operation Ce S RT l vcle 681 T5 Center Dril 0 125 dia T Path from the library list or from the current part file Profile Rough T1 End Milk 0 500 dia T Path list and make it active Once active you may Finish T5 End Mill 0 500 dia edit it and save it to the library Finish TS End Mill 0 502 dia x Use the up arrow Save key to move the active Engraving T1 End Mill 0 500 dia This button operation into the library file uly E er ln adds a If the active operation was selected from the Multi Rough T1 End Mil 0 500 dia operation current part list it will be appended to the end of the library list and the file saved If t
5. 15 is a group that will have the toolpath placed on the outside of the shape and the group is on layer 15 See Section Grouping tips Operations The operation is the heart of the CAM system Machining operations act on Groups that have been built in the previous step After selecting an operation type the system will allow setting the machining parameters These parameters include selecting a tool setting the step depth feed amp speeds CDC coolant etc When the operation is created it is labeled and placed on the next open layer The system then displays that layer number in the label For instance a finish path labeled Toolpath 16 is a toolpath placed on layer 16 Some Shopcam operations do not need a group If the system needs a group the dialog shown above will appear See Section How to perform an Operation Processing When the part program has been completed and is correct on the screen a tape can be made to run the CNC machine This is called post processing or posting the part Post processing translates the operations into the numeric code that gets loaded into the CNC machine to make the part Each machine has its own unique code there are thousands of different kinds of NC CNC machines The resultant tape is saved in a file that has the same name as the part program drawing There are a couple ways to get the tap file to the machine You can use a DNC program like Dostek DNC to send the file to the control You m
6. 19 section 6 Geometry Crealo ida 20 A e ERC Aa 20 SA IPC AMAN rent nese emer eerie Steet eet ot erm eens Wee re eee ee tere Renee eee eee 20 QUK Cy SVs O E 20 Page 3 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Pater Sinai ani 21 E A O OT 21 Section 7 Geometry Editing sss eee eee 22 TIAA SANG Seas TT 22 asi ee ETT 22 ST Tle TTT 23 Copying and Ota A da ELO 23 Section Makind GrOU Sacos pda 24 Cleaning Up ISO MEU ariadna dana 25 SECON O ApproachmMelmnod Satan T 26 NONE o a ds do e o 26 OFFSET ien 26 EE AD IN o ee eer ee Oe nr eae ee ee ee 26 A cE se eee as cae aS 26 A AA A E 26 STAR TROSITION Sl o mere ne 27 Miscellaneous COMMANdO TT 27 GRAPHIC CURSOR TYPES ad 27 Section lO THe N C Ed sacra 28 Section 11 The Operation Manager eee eee ee ee e 29 Operation Manager LU OS 29 SUN AN O Ne do do 30 SECON ta TOOL cra s 31 Saving and DelStinga WOON sii de sti cias 31 TEGHNIGAL REFERENCE S6CHO Msc ia 32 Ghapter T The Fle Mens daba 33 Me RILE MSN Dti ti oo allan die io icnda 33 Ghapler2 Me EGit MOEN liada 34 Undo the 1UFkeV osa o a da ba de 34 EG O A ao tenenanssnten 34 GODY ROTATE saisie a A E A 34 Page 4 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide POS nido 34 Delete Ine Delete unid id 34 SIT n aT goacateiel N 34 Unselect All Esc Kev eee 34 Fiter Selec Susi dt dla io lito dial 35 A a e a ea ea ane steele 35 IEEE a O ea Et ae at laa cee te ev tal 35 P dal ad a dle stay an dia 35 NOISE OO PPM Eo
7. El Sak The NC Control instructions are used to communicate with the post Resequence processor or insert text into the tapefile These include SET AXIS and Edit Download File POST CALL functions NC Control E Detach The attachments are TOOLPATH DIRECTION Set Axis always attached to the Insert BEGINNING of move PICK THIS ITEM Post Call Thus when pick along a IA TPATH 2 geometry item the attachment appears at the start point of that move not at the point where it was picked If attempt to pick at an intersection of two items you may select either item resulting in the unexpected attachment to the other end of the item that ended at the intersection To avoid this ambiguity observe the direction of the tool path and pick the move that exits from the desired location These attachment functions can only be attached to geometry items that are part of a tool path tool cycle tool position or a thread All construction geometry and group geometry will be ignored The cursor will appear with a s next to it This shows you the filter pick mode is active If a NC Control is not attached to a move it will build the attachment as a TCONTROL The TCONTROL will be added to the operation list and appear in the RESEQUENCE table so that you may change the order of the operation Page 77 of 90 Technical Reference Detach Detach removes NC Control functions that is attached to a move The system will request the move that must be
8. No 2 aS active e into pr pl YOU width 0 1000 Ball Nose may select a tool trom the l Center Drill current tool list This is a list of Cemer Radius 0 0000 ER the tools in the opened part Tool Ang 0 0000 Tan hd You may also select an l existing tool from the tool Tool 4ng 2 0 0000 Side Left of Geom library list You may edit these No of Edges lo Tool Offset 7 0 0000 values prior to saving them ere ee Use the Save as button to S Tool Offset 2 8 0000 save the existing tool library Feed hate 33 BE T Rad Ctr under a different name R F M 14444 To delete a tool from the Finish Off library highlight the tool and Axial 22 Rough CDC ayy hit the delete button The ID number or Tool ID is Tool Comment Lancel simply a numbered list of the tools in the library Older revision called this the Tool No Since the Tool Changer No is the actual number sent to the postprocessor and output as a T word it was confusing If a Tool ID number exist you will be asked to replace or add Tool library list This is a list of the tools in t he currently loaded tool library Partfile Tool list This is a list of the tools in the current part program Tooling parameters This is where you enter information regarding the tool Tool Picture This is a generic picture to help with tool types and parameters Speeds amp Feeds Theses are the default speeds and feeds for the tool Page 31 of 90 Technical Re
9. Reference Post Mods Toolinto Choro 1 Found Width 0 0000 Comment Oper Comments aaa Cancel Help dialog If the parameters are the same for each shape just define them in the setup file First operation Default button Page 11 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Standard Operation Dialog Here is the standard operation dialog used for mill and 2 axis Operation Dialog There are two Operation Parameters dialog boxes one for lathes and the standard one for all other modes Only the information that effects the operation you are working on can be modified Standard parameter summary Here is a summary of the key parameters Each parameter is described in the operation section of the Technical Manual Used for the XY step in roughing cycles Default Determines how the Z axis values are applied Default will use the R Plane Z and or Full Depth Z from Z0 0 From Group From Group will be the incremental distance from the group Z Approach Methods Approach is how the tool gets on and off the part A summary of _ the currently approach setting is displayed to the right of the Tool and Approach button All the approach methods are defined in the Approach methods Section Approach Approach Mone Tool Button The tool button will bring up the tool dialog From there you can load a tool from the library use a tool that you already used in the current part or define a new tool A
10. Spacing The View all command allows sizing all existing geometry within a part file to fit into the drawing E Lancel Previous J Key This Previous instruction changes the displayed view to the previously displayed view to Jump back to the previous view Redraw R Key The Redraw instruction clears the screen and redraws the same view This is useful after geometry deletions or modifications made that left a cluttered view on the screen Ql Zoom In Enlarge area By digitizing a position in the drawing area the system will enlarge the view and center at the selected location Select the ESC key to cancel this command El Zoom Out Shrink Area By digitizing a position in the drawing area the system shrinks the view and center at the selected location Select the ESC key to cancel this command Page 38 of 90 Technical Reference Tool Bar This Tool Bar allows turning on and off the tool bar directly below the menus 2 Untitled prt ShopCAM Tas File Edit View Geometry Info Group Mill Operations Process Detailing Utilities Help siel qjalmlz sl nls 4 File Menu Icons Edit Menu Icons Geom Menu Icons View Menu Icons Snap to Icons Layers The Layer function allows masking or revealing geometry layers Layer Display Selection Activate all none or pick which layers to view Layers that are not visible cannot be affected by any function unless that layer is Visible Layers specifically
11. an ENDPOINT pick mode is enabled Box Cursor F3 The box cursor indicates a CENTER POINT pick mode is enabled Intersection CURSOR F4 The intersection cursor indicates sequential selections of two geoms whose intersection will be 1 digitized After the 1 geometry is selected the cursor changes to a 2 The s shape indicates that the filter mask is active Page 27 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Sprite Cursor The sprite cursor is the actual shape of all the geometry that is digitize when using the move copy rotate mirror merge or scale commands Section 10 The N C Editor A 3 party editor is provided with Shopcam It is the same editor supplied with the Dostek DNC package we recommend For help on this editor select the help menu from the editor Almost any editor may be used lf you have a text editor you would prefer you can change it Select Info then DNC Command Use the Browse and select your editor and hit OK 8 DEdit32 Dostek DNC Editor Licensed for use with Shopcam 2000 Goodman Part TAP BAX 21 A X 8 File Edit View Tools Window Help dla ojo lale Goodman Part N0001 G90 Nooo2 G70 Nooo3 G84 N0004 GOO X1 0245 1 2622 N0005 G83 11 Tg ale ME NOO06 G41 NOOO M65 N0008 G01 X1 088 Y1 0258 N0009 G01 X0 8044 Y1 0237 N0010 G03 X0 5521 Y0 9076 10 8228 J0 6515 N0011 G03 X0 4563 Y0 7933 10 8844 J0 5317 N0012 G01 X0 7494 Y0 7958 N0013 G01 Y0 8953 N0
12. as to the quality and performance of the Software is with you should the Software prove defective You and not DBS or any authorized dealer assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing and repair Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties so the above exclusion may not apply to you The warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction However DBS ONLY warrants the media on which the software is furnished to be free from the defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of 90 days from the date of delivery as evidenced by a copy of your receipt Disclaimer D Broderick Software LLC your reseller distributor and or dealer cannot be held responsible for the use or misuse of this software Computers programmers and users DO make mistakes Thoroughly test your tapes and analyze the output before running them Furthermore post processors may not behave the same way in all situations When using new cycles or different methods than usual check the tapes even more carefully Duplication of this booklet or any part thereof is strictly prohibited No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from D Broderick Software LLC Information in this manual may be updated at any time without notice D Broderick Software LLC makes no warranties with respect to this documentation It is provid
13. change or for moving the tool into position for machining Finish The Finish operation is used to take a machining pass that follows the contour The system will request groups to be finished Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group The group to be machined is always a BOUNDARY or a FACE The machining will proceed with the tool either to the left of the group or the its right depending upon the selected TOOL SIDE This is determined by viewing the BOUNDARY from the tool s point of view as it cuts For a OD cut with a Right Rear Turning tool this would be toolside right Drill Cycles Use Drill Cycles to center drill drill tap or otherwise cycle the machine The system will request select a location The vertical component of this location Lathe Drilling will be forced to the centerline zero of the part The horizontal location will be used as a reference point for the start of the cycle The RPLANE in the info table will be used for pre positioning off from this location Z Depth 0 If a live drill is selected then its orientation will determine whether it is to be set Operation used for face drilling or cross drilling For cross drilling the RETRACT and RPLANE values are signed measurements on the X axis rather than Z Make Tool Path Cancel The CYCLE value in the info table may be set to 0 Selects system thru drilling 1 Selects system peck drilling a Selects sys
14. detached Pick the geometry item to which the NC Control functions are attached and all attachments will be removed from it The NC Control is always attached to the BEGINNING of a move Thus when pick along a geometry item the attachment appears at the start point of that move not at the point where it was picked You must pick along this same item to DETACH the NC CONTROL SETAX Set Axis Set Axis commands are used to communicate with a post processor This permits attaching a Set Axis values to a tool path move For instance the NC Control Set Axis machine may have codes to move clamps This instruction may be used to release a clamp at one point then reclamp at another The Set Axis values Axis Number 0 always consist of two numbers the axis number and the value eis Value icc Axis numbers vary from one NC CNC machine to another as well as from Selecting one post processor to another If the post has or uses Setax or Postcalls it di will be documented in the help file or documentation that accompanies the post processor 7 Location The system will ask for the axis number its value and whether it should be a Cancel location T control or attached to toolpath move Insert Insert places NC CNC tape output directly into the part program This is useful for putting special codes or machine operator NC Control Insert comments at certain points in the tape T A En The system will ask for the text to be Se
15. entirely inside of the window will be moved Picking By Selecting When picking items with the SELECT method continue picking single geometry items When you have picked all you need click on the done button in the dialog box Selected Picking via Chain Picking with a chain is used when there is contiguous connected end to end geometry When selecting items via CHAIN the system will ask you for the first item After picking the system may ask for a direction If the system can chain in more than one direction the system will ask for a desired direction This will place a bulls eye at the position where it could last determine The programmer cannot indicate a direction by digitizing a location in the desired direction The programmer must pick an item that has an endpoint at the center of the bulls eye The system can ask for a direction in any of the following There is a fork in the geometry where three or more items meet at a common point A chosen a start point from where the chain could proceed in either of two or more directions There is a Z only line hidden in the current view There are two or more identical geometry items that are on top of one another The chain will be complete under these two conditions The chain has returned to the start point No more common endpoints can be found Page 18 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Select chain is the preferred method for creating a group The
16. is more important A smaller x S MAXIMUM CUSP value enforces tangency but can introduce curve x y irregularities bulges or flats The system creates a series of arcs that approximate a very smooth curve that passes through the selected positions The Advantages of ARCFIT Are Generates an extremely smooth curve Passes through all of the given positions Generates a relatively compact output file Tangency is preserved from one arc to the next along the length of the curve in most cases The Disadvantages of ARCFIT Are e Rounding or dimensioning errors can cause minor deviations in the curve e To preserve tangency the system may introduce irregularities Page 46 of 90 Technical Reference fad BOLT HOLE CIRCLE El Pattern Dn GOLE CHID The Pattern menu RECTANGLE 2 POLYGON O ELLIPSE Ss GEAR CIRCULAR CAM E aro Bolt Hole Circle 202 A Bolt Hole Circle is a series of circles that lie along a circle or arc The system ask for the center of the construction circle or arc its radius the start angle to the first hole the end angle to the last hole the number of holes and the hole diameter Te center may be typed in or digitized Angles may be skipped or both specified alike if a full Bolt Hole Circle is desired If the hole diameter is specified as creates various patterns that are composed of several geometry items The following pages explain the various available pattern
17. menu Gels mu op The GROUP Menu nfo Group Outline Groups label a collection of geometry items for future reference For instance to center GE drill drill countersink and tap the same set of holes Rather than identifying the holes mnn i each time the group menu to center drill drill countersink and tap a group that is nace identified as HOLES 1 Holes Stock Groups have another purpose To make multiple copies of a group the original and all of Boundary the copies are still identified as the same single group This minimizes design time Each group resides on its own layer To build a group via the GROUP menu the system finds the lowest numbered layer that is vacant and places the group on that layer The group will be labeled with its type and layer number The group type has significance when the system performs an operation on a group If a group is a closed contour defining the outside of a part it should be grouped as an OUTLINE If a closed contour defines an internal form it should be called a POCKET If it is an open shape then it should be a BOUNDARY or FACE Collections of circles and or points that are to be drilled should be grouped as HOLES The group type determines on which side of the geometry the tool will cut To profile rough an OUTLINE the system would machine the outside based on the specified amount of TOTAL STOCK in the info table To perform the same operation on a POCKET the TOTAL STOCK would be ign
18. method will be invoked instead If the start point is at an outside corner and CAP RADII are enabled then the tool path will begin off the part by extending the start point of the first geometry item back by the TAIL LENGTH The tool path will also be extended past its end point by lengthening the last geometry item by the TAIL LENGTH This allows the tool to wipe on and wipe off the work piece PREDRILL A group of circles will be constructed on the next open layer and labeled HOLES A hole circle will be generated at each plunge point where the approach is started This is useful for selecting with a subsequent DRILL operation to pre drill the plunge points If this is done the DRILL operation needs to be resequenced to precede the machining operation RAMP Ramp is commonly used for pocket roughing when using PROFILE ROUGH ZIGZAG HOG or MULT Z ROUGH The system will attempt to create a three axis ramp cut into the work from the R PLANE Z The XY length of this plunge is specified as RAMP LENGTH The system may need to shorten the RAMP LENGTH in order to fit into the removable material boundary Page 26 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide START POSITION Start Position is used when a start hole is already drilled The system prompts for the start positions Digitize or enter the coordinates of all of the permissible locations The Z values will be ignored Whenever the system needs to plunge the tool into the work
19. path must follow an irregular surface Before using the PROJECT ONTO instruction ORIGINAL TOOLPATH the tool path must be generated at a full depth ra Z level that is below any point on the final surface This is done by setting the FULL Z toa aia large negative value such as 10 before SHAPE performing the machining operation The cross section that describes the surface Re may be drawn below above left or right of the PROVES TION tool path that is to be projected The orientation aaa of the cross section follows standard drawing PROJECTION Y conventions If the cross section is below the FINISHED rt fy py tool path Y direction then it will be handled as SHAPE a front view If it is to the right of the tool path PROJECTED CHAIN AIN BERT X it will be handled as a right side view No IS OFFSET BY 1 2 ALONG CHAIN THE CUTTER DIA tool offset is performed The cross section will be selected as a single chain It must be built of geometry items that have endpoints common with start points of preceding items The start of the chain will be used as a Z 0 reference Note Save your current work before performing a PROJECT ONTO in case of poor results This will make it easy to restore the part program Trim and Break Geometry items often need to be pruned back or extended to another geometry item This is called trimming Sometimes items need a break for various reasons This is called breaking This men
20. the system Basic Geometry commands to create a point line arc or circle Edit commands copying or mirroring to create more geoms Patterns commands to create rectangles ellipsis gear hole grids etc There are three ways to access the basic geometry commands With the command icons Using the Geometry menu on the main menu With the shortcut keys listed below Quick Keys Chart Key Arc though 3 positions Pan or Slide the display intersection Query a geom for F4 Select an Intersect Point information R Redraw or Refresh the F7 Rotates Sprite CCW 5 screen ESC Abort Cancel Rotates Sprite CW 5 T Speeds Posting Graphic Rotates Sprite CCW 1 y Slows Posting Graphic Rotates Sprite CW 1 With the four basic geometry types Point Line Arc and Circle the Operation Icons will appear on the left of the screen allowing you to select the command you need W gt oOlvulo ir ie lt i imio For a complete list of the basic geometry commands see the Technical Reference Manual Page 20 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Patterns Shopcam has several patterns available A pattern may be as simple as a square or rectangle or a complex pattern like a gear or circular cam When a pattern is created it will be a series of individual geometries For a complete list of pattern commands see the Technical Reference Manual Lettering This command creates the simple Lettering geometr
21. values If no approach is selected or if no room for wipe on wipe off moves exists then no approach will be generated Page 63 of 90 Helix The HELIX command is used to spiral using X Y and Z segments The HELIX will be centered at X 0 Y 0 and start at O degrees or the 3 O clock position Use the MOVE command to place it elsewhere if necessary The DIRECTION field determines the course of the tool as it travels around the part The GENDER field will determine on which side the tool is cutting inside or outside The START RADIUS refers to the radius of the thread at its beginning The END RADIUS is assumed to be the same however tapered threads may be machined by providing a different END RADIUS value If the END RADIUS of a tapered thread is unknown provide the TAPER angle instead The PITCH and THREADS per inch fields are also calculated from each Technical Reference Helix Data Direction e Taper Start Radius 2 0000 Tic otar React Radius End Radius 2 0000 Taper 0 0000 Clearance 0 2500 Starting 0 0000 Render f Male C Female Pitch 0 1 250 Clearance End Radius Segments 72 O000 Threads In 8 0000 Degres seo 5 0000 other Provide the value known and when you tab out of the field the other will be calculated appropriately The SEGMENTS and DEGREES per segment fields determine the resolution of the 3D motion around each thread The SEGMENTS refers to how many line segments
22. 0 Power 0 0000 At Posting time modifiers Shift 0 0000 Scale x 0 0000 Shit 0 0000 Scale 0 0000 Shift Z 0 0000 scale Z 0 0000 E Cancel Help Technical Reference Users Guide Standard Lathe parameter summary Here is a pic of the standard lathe parameter box The graphic is not of the part you are programming but shows how the values are used Enter Lathe Operation Parameters Path Total Stock 1 0000 Tool Side Step 0 5000 Tool Ret Finish Stock 0 0000 LDL Of Extra Stack E 000 LOL reg E 000 R PlaneZ 0 0000 Dn Cycle Drill Cycle Coolant Mone lt Peck Depth Below is a summary of the key turning parameters Each parameter is described in the operation section of the Technical Manual Each operation will gray out the boxes it Path Defaults Speeds and Feeds does not need A Material Lib Not Available generic picture will Path ngle 0 0000 Retract S 7 Feed 1 0000 show how the most o important parameters X Step Dew Cap Radi Ral e From Tools oor 20 0000 will be used OF an Wes 2 5 5 100 0000 Tool a Tool info Chor Ha 1 Turning Angle 180 0000 Post Mods Comment Oper Comment Lancel Page 14 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Determining The Tool Side Determining the tool side is very easy Imagine walking along the geometry you wish to cut Is the tool to the right or left of that geometry In the
23. 00 11 175 Inconel 713C 718 Cast FC 75 125 9 125 Inconel 713C 718 Cast RC 50 12 9 100 Inconel 718 Wrought 721 FC 100 10 Inconel 718 Wrought 721 FH 22 250 75 37 17 200 100 25 22 75 75 12 17 50 100 11 22 Page 89 of 90 GMR 235 235D FC GMR 235 235D FH GMR 235 235D RC GMR 235 235D RH Hastelloy B C CFC Hastelloy B C CFH Hastelloy B C CRC Hastelloy B C CRH Hastelloy B C G X WFC Hastelloy B C G X WFH Hastelloy B C G X WRC Hastelloy B C G X WRH Haynes 25 188 FC Haynes 25 188 FH O al al dl So re len Shopcam User manual 5 7 125 375 1000 1250 700 120 90 75 200 110 70 150 120 90 J Common feeds per flute tooth In FPM for various tools Tool Type Lathe Tool Drill Carb Drill HSS Face Mills Finish End Mills large Finish End Mills small FPT 0 008 0 006 0 003 0 010 0 003 0 001 Metal Cutting Saws 0 001 Plain Cutters 0 005 Side Cutters 0 007 Page 90 of 90
24. 014 G01 X1 0245 N0015 G01 Y0 2625 N0016 G01 X0 7494 NOO1 G01 TU 557 N0018 G01 X0 4317 N0019 G03 X0 5272 Y0 2307 I1 2285 J0 6132 N0020 G01 X0 2978 Y0 0804 N0021 G02 X0 2499 Y0 9607 I1 1012 J0 5656 N0022 G02 X0 7204 Y1 2628 10 7174 J0 75 N0023 G01 X1 0245 N0024 G40 N0025 M66 N0026 GOO X1 1949 Y1 4552 N0027 G41 N0028 M65 N0029 G01 X1 3473 Y1 257 N0030 G01 X1 9245 Y1 2551 NO031 602 2 1372 1 1405 11 9133 J0 3758 N0032 Gz 2 1332 FU 9034 11 3435 11 0251 N0033 G01 X2 0696 Y0 8104 N0034 602 12 21 YO 5099 11 954 0 5733 N0035 G02 X1 8944 Y0 2572 11 9054 J0 567 N0036 G01 X1 3473 N0037 G01 Y0 8917 N0038 G01 X1 6224 N0039 G01 Y0 4937 N0040 G01 X1 8385 Y0 495 N0041 G03 X1 9224 Y0 6785 I1 8237 J0 6127 N0042 GOS X1 7981 Y0 7865 I1 6558 J0 4971 N0043 G03 X1 9086 Y0 9107 11 7406 J0 9489 N0044 G03 X1 814 71 0185 11 8105 J0 92 N0045 G01 X1 2856 Y1 022 N0046 G01 X1 3473 Y1 257 N0047 G40 NanaAo CAIL Wi 1040 Wi ACEI ram 2 Normal Line 1 Col 1 aa Page 28 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 11 The Operation Manager The Operation Manager is a dialog box with a list of all the operations in 3 MILL Operations Process Dimensi s l l dale Eten re pal pile Fy ent rr lor SEE Einish El a Toolpath Drill Cycles Manual Path There are two operation libraries Lathe opers and Mill opers These are Ziq Zag Hog located in the default install directory C Program Files DBS Shopcam Lathe ope
25. ESI DBSxSHOPCAMNTOOLSA LUB C PROGRAM FILES DBS SHOPCAM FONTS ERI Learning To Use The System The best way to learn is to try different things and experiment The on line HELP is always available in the system by pointing at the command in question and hitting the F1 key or clicking the icon and then the command in question The Screen Area Command Menus The command menus are the heart of the SHOPCAM system All functions are performed by selecting one of these items Command Icons The command icons are Shortcuts located on the toolbar The command icons perform identical functions found in the Command Menus Page 8 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Operational Icons When a command icon is selected this area displays the icons that show the individual choices within that command For instance the line icon will display all the commands for making lines Command Prompts SHOPCAM displays messages on the Status Bar during each command You should look at this area If you are unsure what to do refer to this prompt If the display is empty this is an indication that no function or command is active El Untitled shopcam Jay File Edit View Geometry info Group a CONTOUR Operations Process Dimensions Utilities Help Pointer Location The pointer njal 8 Nelo ZT R lolol ans RAIS 18 19 location is the current X Y and Z position of your mouse Part Name Command Icon
26. Face Use Face group to identify contours representing the face of a lathe part or a cross section of a Sweep contour Multiple contours may not be grouped together as a single face Page 58 of 90 Technical Reference Holes Use Holes to identify circles to be drilled tapped countersunk etc lf geometry other than a holes are grouped Drilling will occur at every endpoint of arcs lines and points WINDOW Window selects geometry items that are contained within a rectangular window The system will request a selecting of items by indicating two opposite corners of the window These corners may be typed in or digitized All geometry items that are completely contained in the window will be selected If an item crosses the window edge then it will not be selected After you select items with a window the system will clarify the selection with a menu ALL CIRCLES ATL ITEMS SRECIELE DLIAMBTERS All of the circles that are in the window will be selected if All Circles is selected This is the most common approach Then points lines and O O arcs will be selected as well as circles if All Items selected If Specific Diameters is selected the system will wait for a selection of Te Co the smallest hole and the largest hole Only circles that fall into the specified range will be selected TAREE S LARGEST Q Goo In this example only the 0 25 diameter holes are to be selected The window used also enclosed the
27. PA 36 kinana Break TTT 36 SECI eeen cede eta tet TTT 37 SC ell Oss dace a yq A E O NR 37 Chapter s The VIEW Me Usan oda 38 INS View Mea 38 VVINCOW W KOY ari T hanpuuiudahoadunecest 38 DIET A O A 38 A e E EE E E ETT 38 GO DUONG Vista a oli 38 MA A eana ace aa ea Noe altace taste 38 PVC VIOUS SUSAR OW octet tara ii iia 38 Redraw AIK o e O ates 38 ZOOM AN ENTE ANC A a E a 38 ZOOM OU S MINK A aid 38 WO OU IES Mr a sateen THT TT 39 L 39 Labelsispace Da nilo til 39 MIE WO Sara ai va aaa 39 Chapter 4 The GEOM MenU scr 40 TS SEOM Mendieta 40 OMA UI ROY ssa tolasavitanae tou tvesstadaceeutay caveats ressavhlcaarteu teenloidaatelaveresutb adeal aeaea 40 HNG 63 Yt A dE 41 PTS ATE OV cris area A omanen saeeeenentaca 43 A A A 43 UI TT 44 E eee eee ee 47 e T 51 Page 5 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide A NING DT 52 Chapter 5 The INFO menu sese eee eee eee e eee 54 MINO ME eos 54 A o hen aeenteteee 54 Maltenab EIDFARY acallar lalalala 54 t Rere AV A iaa 55 A eer ae COR A en one EE nnn A Oe on E A oe eon en Pee 55 De UINDIECIOne Sesa sysaecesansesctaceagnGraaueedonsdiecencannecaenectuct Gceasadeca ch aaanenacadsededvigatcoasiadecsdeietevammecarte canons 55 Dolau Edr COMING oo 56 QUE OR e ee 56 Edit GEOM ATIMDULCS mesilla 56 Chapter 6 The GROUP menu eee eee eee ee 58 TOS GROUP MENU earranan A 58 OTE o a 58 El a di E did dor 58 CLA 58 A O 59 LOCK TT 59 BO CAA 55 20 a OE O o E 59 Chapter 7 The O
28. PERATION menu eee eee eee eee 60 TNE Operation Melissa ia 60 C ntour2 AXis MOS OPENS ai ces 60 MILE MOde o peral airada iaa 62 EATHE MOOS ODE AU ONS micas olas 66 WIRE EDM mode op tatiOnS iii ti 68 PUNGH PRESs mode Opera okie ee eRe te ee eee 70 3D OPERS mode OPeratiOns cccccccssseccecccesecceccceesseccecaeseceesceeueceeesauuseceeesseaeeeeeessaaeeeesssuageeesessagess 72 Chapter 8 The PROCESS menu eee eee ee eee 76 TNE PROGESS Meicia a a a 76 EO EE A ai dina R 76 Resequence See Operation Manager sse eee eee ee eee 77 CE ROT 77 NOS TT 77 Chapter 9 The DIMENSION saa 80 Page 6 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide DIMENSIONS MENU ta A A il 80 Chapter 10 The UTILIHES Men caia iaa 84 LRS Bine TET 84 Gal CURALOR cias E E E E T sees ee ee 84 HNES Udy omer ee mR RP POR a 84 HRS si eo e O em eaon as aaa tesnee 85 Beie PT 85 Chapter 11 Filter Mask Tool side sss 86 Chapter 12 Tables and Charta sese 87 Tables and Gharle ati A AA ci 87 A O E EN 87 Controlling Cutter Direc a 87 Main Operations and corresponding Material library OPerS ooocccccccccnccnncccnonnconcnononnnonononananennnnnnnno 88 Common surface speeds In FPM for various Materials eee eee eee eee 88 Common feeds per flute tooth In FPM for various ogis eee 90 Page 7 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 1 Getting started You should have the system installed and licensed prior to starting This
29. Page 72 of 90 Technical Reference If the group to be finished is STOCK then the system will machine it from the inside but no tool offset will be performed If the group to be finished is a BOUNDARY the system will preserve the cutting direction and will attempt to start as close as possible Only one contour should be selected and it may be open or closed If several groups are selected for finishing then the outermost contour will be used for a group type Other groups that are internal to it will be handled as nested contours Thus if the outermost contour is a POCKET groups inside of it will be considered to be OUTLINES and will be treated as islands within the pocket SWEEP cross section The Sweep Cross Section instruction wraps one contour the FACE cross section around another contour the plan The system asks for the plan first then the cross section They may be picked along POCKET their geometry or their layer numbers may be entered The system will generate multiple passes around the plan contour each pass stepping in Z generating a swept surface that is defined by the cross section The Tool Side value is used to determine on which side of the plan contour the tool is to cut The plan contour is normally an OUTLINE POCKET or BOUNDARY The cross section contour normally a FACE is always cut with the tool to the physical right of the view The start point of the cross section is the point that traces th
30. Swarf Sections are used to connect cross sectional views together into a single surface A linearly ruled surface is generated between cross sections generating a series of passes that machine the surface of the part The system requires the groups that define the cross sections to be defined in the order to be connected When all of the cross sections have been selected click the DONE button to perform the SWARF The MAX CUSP value in the info table is used to set the allowable cusp height determining the number of passes that are generated The specified Z STEP value is ignored The system CANNOT swarf any surface that contains a vertical wall that rises or drops in Z with no movement in X or Y If need to machine such a surface introduce a small amount of taper in that wall such as 0 001 This allows the system to determine which side of the wall to machine Note that the tool path shows the path of the tip of the tool not the center of the ball nose Multi Z Rough Z als Passes will be taken at a Z level working toward the finish contour then repeated Default at the next Z level This is similar to performing a PROFILE rough several times From Group while stepping the FULL Z value down T C Retract 0 0000 The system will ask for the contours to be machined These may be picked along R Plane Z 0 0000 the geometry or selected by layer number When the DONE key is hit the system will PROFILE rough recognizing the TO
31. T STOCK and STEP values multiple di 0 0000 times using FULL Z and Z STEP at stepped Z levels Z Step 0 0000 If the Z axis section is set to Default the FULL Depth Z is used for a final Z depth With From Group the actual Z values of the group must describe the bottom of the part If the group is a POCKET then TOT STOCK is ignored and the entire inside of the pocket is machined This is consistent with the approach used in PROFILE ROUGH If the group to be machined is marked HOLES and it contains only circles no arcs points or lines then they will be cut in a spiral fashion recognizing the STEP TOT STOCK FIN STOCK TAIL LGT and Z STEP values If no approach is selected or if no room for a wipe on wipe off move exists then no approach will be generated When doing this it is wise to machine only one hole at a time to avoid extra tool movements between holes Page 74 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 8 The PROCESS menu The PROCESS Menu Process Dimensions Ukiliti E ao ad S This menu includes facilities Tor manipulating the completed part program lt offers a control of the processing sequence special control capabilities for NC CNC Edit Download File machines and the ability to generate the NC CNC tapes NC Control K ms Process Dimensions Utilities Help Post Process cg Bost process K HC Code Only E Post Process generates the NC CNC file When the part Resequence Draw 2D Animation program has been comple
32. Technical Reference Users Guide ShopCAM Shopfloor programming at it s best Users Guide Section 1 through Section 12 Technical Reference Chapter 1 through Chapter 12 Copyright 2007 D Broderick Software Auburn Michigan Page 1 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Notice The software and documentation are protected by the copyright and patent laws of the United States of America and other nations It is a federal crime to make unauthorized copies or to alter the software in any way License Agreement This text is printed in various locations throughout the software program hereafter called SHOPCAM or the Software itself including the Installation Program and About Box found under the Help Menu IMPORTANT Read this license agreement before removing the Software from its protective cover Removing the Software will constitute agreement to the conditions of this license If you are not willing to be bound by the terms of this license agreement promptly return all materials to D Broderick Software LLC hereafter called DBS PROGRAM LICENSE AGREEMENT SHOPCAM is provided under license from DBS You assume responsibility for the selection of the Software to achieve your intended results and for its installation and subsequent use DBS grants to the buyer a nonexclusive license to use the Software and documentation that accompanies it in accordance with this agreement You may use the Software on one s
33. Tooth Major Diameter The system requests vital information Pitch Diameter to define the gear number of teeth i l Minor Diamet Major dia the pressure angle pitch diameter valeas Radius Minor Dia A and circular tooth thickness If the Tip Radius an dia circular tooth thickness is unknown Filet Rodis enter the per side clearance value here as a negative value and the system will calculate a circular tooth Ste H STE eh thickness If an internal gear is to be made then the circular tooth thickness is actually the circular space thickness Outside Pin Diameter ANS Write to File 0K Cancel The system will then request the number of teeth to be made Specify 1 to create a single tooth or the total number of teeth to create the entire gear Then it will request clearance values major radius minor radius tip radius fillet radius and modification to the addendum If a negative value is entered for the modification to the addendum then additional clearance will be generated along the top portion of the face This is commonly known as a negative involutes i K 5 y rs Num Teeth 20 Pres angle 14 5 Pitch dia 5 Cir T thk 0005 specifies a clearance per side value Make num teeth 20 Major dia accept default Minor dia accept default Tip Rad accept default Fillet Rad 01 Modify addendum Printout Outside Pin Dia Inside Pin Dia Page 49 of 90 Technical Reference Circular Cam
34. a group NOTE If unable to select items check the selection filter Most geometry can be filtered by its geom type point line etc or its group type Be carefully about turning Every off and checking a group type on but leaving all the geom types masked Every On Every ot Cancel Tool Side Tool Side determines on which side of the contour the tool will cut The drop down list contains the following selections CENTERED LEP T OF GEOM RIGHT OF GEOM If climb mill this means that the tool is on the LEFT On lathes if you turn with a rear tool you will be cutting on the RIGHT To determine the TOOL SIDE imagine your sitting on the tool looking forward Is the tool riding to the LEFT or the RIGHT side of the contour Page 86 of 90 Shopcam User Guide Chapter 12 Tables and Charts Tables and Charts Hot Keys Many commands have shortcut keys These are keys that may be hit to go directly to the command bypassing unnecessary menu selections For instance the shortcut key for VIEW ALL is the letter V Whenever you wish to change the view to VIEW ALL hit the V key Arcthough3positions S Panor Slide the display _ _ Break two geoms at the intersection U Undo Last Command Create a Circle View Previous Jump Back Z SetZDepth gt F1 Hep _Set a temporary Origin F2 T SelectanEndPoint CreateaPoint_________ F3 SelectaMidorCenterPoint_______ Query a geom forinfo______ F4_ SelectantntersectPoin
35. ain experience with the system you will find that these steps may be automated or revisited multiple times during a programming session Note Some toolpaths generation does not require groups Engraving Threading Facemill to name a few These are covered in the Technical Reference Manual Setup The SETUP file presets the parameters for a given machine e post processor tool library and various defaults A part can be built without a SETUP file but having a setup file loaded can make each session run faster Most users will have a setup file saved for each unique machine The system will load the last used setup file for each new part Geometry aka Geoms Geometry is the collection of lines and arcs that compose the part Geometry can be created from within the system or imported from cad drawings via DXF files See Section 6 Creating and editing Geometry This Page 10 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide manual may call geometries Geoms There are basic geoms the lines points and arcs you create group geoms and toolpath geoms Groups Groups are a collection of geometries that define pockets contours drill patterns and any other machine able features Once the base geometry has been built you must group together geometries to be machined When you define a group it is labeled and placed on the next open layer The system then displays that layer number in the label For instance a group labeled Outline
36. allows you to create a manual path over the surface of the path by Snap to Grid digitizing or dragging a circle over the part surface The tool used must Grid Spacing MEN be specified before selecting START When finished select COMPLETE Clicking on the Snap to Grid box will force it to use one axis moves when Set Uperation it falls within the grid spacing The cursor will change to a circle to represent the cutter width and lines will appear to assist in digitizing the cutter path Create the Tool Path like a normal roughing cycle Page 65 of 90 Technical Reference Mpartsv1w000man Fart prt LATHE mode operations 2 PATHE Operations Process Llmen The LATHE menu is available only when selected by the OPER MODE Position This is a system option and may not be present on your system This menu ES Finish L contains the cycles used for turning centers Drill Cycles l l Manual Path When LATHE mode is selected the system is affected by these and do not Profile Rough affect any other modes Rough Turn DIAMETER VALUES setup File Determines whether the X Threading values are to be measured in radial or diameter units Groove Rough Groove Finish TOOL REF Determines whether the tool paths are to reflect the theoretical tool tip position or the Operation Manager position of the tool radius center Position Position drives the machine to a particular position at a rapid feedrate This is useful for a home or park position a tool
37. am Files DBS 4S hoplAM dedits2 exe Browse to the DEDIT32 exe Browse OK Cancel located in the installed Dostek folder Query Geom Q Key Query Geom allows the selection of a geometry entity and review coordinate data about that item By selecting another geometry l i Radius 3 0484 entity the system will also provide a distance from the one ous previously selected ie Z 1 8171 5 3628 0 0000 If a Setax Insert or Postcall is attached or listed as a T Control and the item is selected the Attached text will display the 1 4402 5 31 Ou 0 0000 values 2 0041 3 6225 0 0000 The Selection Filter button and the Layer Mask button may be O 14402 E 3100 0000 used to qualify your picks 11 44 24 3 9377 0 0000 Radius Value 3D dist 4 3060 Attached Text Color Light Green y M Style Temporary Filters Selection Filter Layer Mask View Attributes Layer a Text Height Edit Geom Attributes Edit Geom Attributes allows you to change the information about geometry after it has been created If you are changing base geometry you will get this dialog box Place a check next to the attributes you want to change If you are changing a toolpath geometry you will get the operation dialog Note if you want to change a toolpath parameter other than feeds RPM post mods or CDC use the Operation manager Page 56 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 6 The GROUP
38. an error to be reported when operations are attempted Chapter 7 The OPERATION menu sW000Mman Falt prt ILL Operations Process Dimensions Utilities He The Operation Menu E gnes r The OPER menu contains selections for performing specific Finish HU machining operations There are two types of operations Drill Cycles Manual Path 1 Operations performed on Groups Roughing passes Zig Zag Hog drilling finishing 2 Operations that don t need groups Engraving Manual path position Plunge Rough Hog rea Clear Profile Rough See the Shopcam Users Guide for a detailed explanation Helix Engraving b Horizontal The generated tool movements will be placed on the lowest Facemill On a Radius numbered layer that is vacant The number of the layer will be displayed following the label As each operation is Operation Manager completed it will be added to the operation list The operation list is the table that lists all operations the layer on which each is stored and the group on which the operation was performed See the RESEQUENSE command in chapter 9 The operation list guides the system in sequencing the operations when the part gets post processed Many selections Like Finish and position appear in more than one of the OPER menus and will be explained in more than one place in this chapter Refer to the usage under the OPER MODE selected as the selections vary in usage depending on which of the OPER MODE you ar
39. as islands within the pocket Drill cycles Use Drill Cycles to center drill drill and tap at a location or a set of locations The cycle number and operation type will be selected based on the tool type Manually fill in these values before picking the group that is to be machined Manual Path See CONTOUR MANUAL PATH Zig Zag Hog Zigzag Hog generate multiple parallel passes to hog out the inside of a contour Each pass reverses direction taking the specified STEP until the desired FINISH STOCK remains This Command will only work with Pocket groups If the Z Axis is set to Default then the resultant tool path will begin and end at the RPLANE Z level and machine at the Full Depth Z level If the Z Axis is set to From Group the tool path will begin and end ata Z level that is the RPLANE distance above the group and machine along the Z level of the geometry in the group Page 62 of 90 Technical Reference PLUNGE ROUGH Plunge Rough removes stock from a large area with drilling This is useful as a pre operation to ZIGZAG or PROFILE ROUGH The system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the tool number Z values and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation See roup to uld be DO LLL L contains multiple contours or if multiple groups are chosen then
40. ation If the group to be machined is an OUTLINE the system will machine it from the outside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a POCKET the system will machine it from the inside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a BOUNDARY the system will preserve the cutting direction and will attempt to start as close as possible Only one contour should be selected and it may be open or closed 3D OPERS mode operations 1 SD Operation Operations Process Dimen du a Z The 3 D OPS menu is available only when selected by the OPER pamase MODE in the info table This is a system option and may not be present on your system This menu contains the cycles used for multiple axis machining center work Sweep Cross Section Swarf Sections Multi Z Rough Operation Manager Position Position drives the machine to a particular position at a rapid feedrate This is useful for a home or park position a tool change or for moving the tool into position for machining The system will ask for a location The location may be typed in or digitized A POINT will be placedbuilt at the selected locatio
41. aximum speed disabling any screen display Draw No Tools 2D Animation This generates a solid filled screen and a tool that erases the solid fill as it moves This is useful for checking stock removal The speed of the drawing can be controlled using the up and down arrows on the keyboard not the Num Pad Hit the arrow keys to adjust the speed before posting during or after Page 76 of 90 Technical Reference Tool Chain Tool Chain shows a series of tool shaped sprites as the tool moves along the tool path This is useful when checking visually for tool interference The speed of the drawing can be controlled using the up and down arrows on the keyboard Hit the arrow keys to adjust the speed before posting during or after This figure shows the part with TOOL CHAIN selected during post processing Resequence See Operation Manager Edit DNC Post Processing Edit selection allows editing the tape file manually in a note pad format or using the Dostek Editor program included with the software For more information regarding the Dostek Editor go to HELP then USER GUIDE in the Dostek Editor program The system can be configured to use almost d Edi DNC PZ any editor See Info then DNC Command to browse to the editor If you s purchased the Dostek DNC software you may want to browse to the DEdit32 exe file installed in the Dostek folder COMPLETE Process Dimensions Utilities Help NC Control Post process K Aa
42. ay save the file to a floppy disk Section 2 Operation Dialog How to perform an Operation Since most people want to make a part right away we put the operation section in the beginning You will want to read the following Sections prior to making a part from scratch Shopcam will either need groups or can generate a toolpath based on your parameters Once an operation is generated you may choose to save all the information in the Oper Library for use on another part We will cover that in Section 11 Operation Library For now we will cover operations the regular way Regardless of the operation you will have an Operation Parameters dialog box to use This dialog is presented when the Set Operation button is hit NOTE Foam Cutting and some 2 axis users may not need to open the Set Operation Enter Mill Operation Parameters Fath Total Stock Tool Side Step 0 0000 Coc Off Finish Stock 0 0000 CDC reg 0 0000 Z avis E Default Logar None y Tab Length Drill Cycle f From Group T C Retract 0 0000 F Plane Z 0 0000 Full Depth z 0 0000 Dril Cycle Z Step Peck Depth Path Defaults Hole Sort May Hun 0 0000 Cap Radi Rall Path Angle 0 0000 Step Dev 11 0000 Max Cusp Tool and Approach A Step Finish Stock Speeds and Feeds Maternal Lib Mot Available Feed Rate 00 0000 l From Tools RPM 100 0000 LST ayia Feedrate 0 0000
43. by digitizing using any of the available pick modes hd Tangent to 3 Geometries The Tan 3 Geoms selection allows the create an arc that is tangent to three lines three arcs three circles three points or any combination of three geometry items It is possible to create an arc that is tangent to a line a circle and passes through a point The system will ask for the three geometry items to be selected Select near the point of tangency with the desired arc It is easy to select all geometry items at points that are independently possible tangent points Yet no arc can be created that is tangent near all three picks The system will not be able to create the arc if this occurs Circle C Key Circles are a special case of a counter clockwise arc starting and ending at the three o clock position Several definitions follow CENTER amp RADIUS L 1 Center 8 Radius C Key default Center amp Radius creates a circle at a center point with a known radius The center point and the radius ES may be digitized Tangent to Two Geometries The Tan Two Geoms creates a circle that is tangent to two geometry items The circle can be tangent to two lines two arcs two circles Page 43 of 90 Technical Reference Tangent to 3 Geometries The Tan 3 Geom creates a circle that is tangent to three geometry items The circle can be tangent to three lines three arcs three circles through three points or any combina
44. cutting direction and will attempt to start tangent to the given start point if possible Only one contour should be selected and it may be open or closed Manual Path See CONTOUR MANUAL PATH Reverse Finish Reverse Finish is identical to the FINISH operation except that the resultant tool path will travel in the opposite direction It is useful for taking a second pass after FINISH was used for a first pass The resultant tool path will not be added to the FINISH path but will be put on its own layer with its own label and entry in the operation list TWO PLANE The TWO PLANE operation allows the system to drive a four axis wire EDM around a ruled surface The surface is described by a top contour and a bottom contour The system will ask for the two contours They may be picked along the geometry or typed in by layer number It does not matter which is selected first there Z values are used to determine which is top and which is bottom This means that the groups must be moved to a different Z levels This is done through Edit Move command The system generates a tool path along the bottom group only The tool path will appear as any other tool path The difference lies in the tool vectors that are applied along this tool path The tool vectors cause the tool in this case a wire to tilt as it follows the path To see this you will need to post process and look at the tool drawing on the screen The resultant tool pa
45. done to build geometry that Offset 0 28 represents wall thickness or an inside and outside form E The system will request the offset distance After eraut Bahid selecting the Apply a button select a chain of geometry items and an offset direction or side Tao by clicking on the screen to offset The distance is an unsigned E positive value The offset direction is always measured relative to the first geometry item in the chain This is not necessarily the same as picking the inside versus the outside of a contour Instead the operation requires which way the first item in the chain is to be offset Lettering The Lettering command creates geometry representing the shape of letters of the Lettering alphabet Do not confuse this with Direction Starting Point Engraving le Foward Revere w 0 Keming M Fill out all fields indicated and click on the Scale y I Spacing OK button to execute the command All fields will be filled with system defaults Text Text goes here except for the TEXT and FONT FILE These must be selected for the function to Font File Font_Qutline_Modern_caps prt Browse IEA Set Operation Hake Tool path Cancel Some fonts may not include all of the Page 52 of 90 Technical Reference upper and lower case letters of symbols found on a standard keyboard If the item is not available in the font then it will not appear when the command is terminated Kerning is the spaci
46. e the TOOL ANGLE in order to insure that each will remove approximately the same amount of material If the NC CNC machine has a built in threading cycle G76 G92 etc and the post processor supports it the system will make use of them This may result in a slightly different tool path than that shown graphically and may affect the estimated cutting time and path length Note that the thread normally shown except when a tool drawing is shown during post processing does not display the multiple passes Groove Rough Groove Rough generates multiple passes to plunge a contour using a groove tool Each pass takes the specified STEP until the desired FINISH STOCK remains The system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER STEP and other factors in the info table before hitting the DONE key to complete the operation The group to be machined is always a BOUNDARY The system will assume that the stock begins at the outermost position on the BOUNDARY Machining will begin at a distance of RPLANE from that stock Optionally the STOCK may be defined and selected as well The tool type is used to determine the plunge direction In this cycle unlike any other the AXIAL FEED value has a special usage It determines the depth to feed between chip breaks During plunges whenever this distance is traveled a one revolution dwell will
47. e in OPER MODES parts Goodman Part The Operation menu has different selections depending upon the OPER 1 ee erations Proc MODE The following MODES are available The available oper modes g Contour depends on the options ordered when the system was purchased y Mill Lathe Wire EDM Punch Press 3 D Operations 1 LS II he BP Contour 2 Axis Mode Operations CONTOUR Operations Process Lime This menu contains the basic cycles used for general two axis machining p Position a where a Z value is not used ze Hh Finish F Dril Cycles A typical Contour application would be for Foam Cutting Waterjets and Manual pate Burning tables and Plasma cutters Operation Manager Page 60 of 90 Technical Reference Position Position drives the machine to a particular position at a rapid feedrate This is useful for a home or park position a tool change or for moving the tool into position for machining The system will ask for a location The location may be typed in or digitized A POINT will be built at the selected location The POINT will be labeled T POSITION and placed on the next available empty layer It will also be added to the operation list Finish The FINISH operation is used to take a machining pass that follows the selected group If several groups are selected for finishing then the outermost contour will be used for a group type Other groups that are internal to it will be handled as nested contours Thus if the outermost co
48. e plan contour generating the resultant swept surface The tool is offset to the right side of the cross section view regardless of its orientation when attached to the plan The cross section may be defined anywhere on the screen When sweeping it will be relocated so that its Y values are translated to Z values and its X value represents a radial offset distance from the plan contour If the 3D PLANE is set to Z FROM INFO then the cross section will automatically be positioned to set its start point at a Z of zero Thus the FACE should begin at its upper left corner If the 3D PLANE is set to Z FROM GEOM then the cross section will be positioned to set its start at the Z value of the start of the plan contour This allows the sweep to be applied to a plan with a varying Z If the plan is an open contour the path will be reversed on alternate passes making zig zag style cuts This is done to optimize the cutting time A ball nosed tool is normally used with this operation The tool path shows the path of the tip of the tool not the center of the ball nose This figure shows a plan POCKET and a cross section FACE that are used to generate the sweep MAX CUSP The MAX CUSP value in the info table is used to set the allowable cusp height determining the number of passes that are generated The specified Z STEP value is ignored The post processed view is shown below Page 73 of 90 Technical Reference SWARF sections
49. e system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER TOOL SIDE and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation If the group to be machined is an OUTLINE the system will machine it from the outside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a POCKET the system will machine it from the inside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a BOUNDARY the system will preserve the cutting direction and will attempt to start as close as possible Only one contour should be selected and it may be open or closed Page 71 of 90 Technical Reference Bridge Hit The BRIDGE HIT operation is used to punch along the edge of a contour returning along the path to punch out the remaining webs The system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER TOOL SIDE and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the oper
50. e user access to the CALCULATOR the TIME STUDY function and J Time Study LICENSING to register the software Licensing Custorn Calculator This selection gives you the option of either a standard calculator or a scientific calculator To change between calculator types click VIEW on the menu bar The EDIT choice on the menu bar allows you the options to copy or paste Click on HELP for more information on using the calculator Time Study The Time Study function looks at each operation in the part to calculate cycle times and path lengths Output Filename C TsReport twt E Time Study Operations Rapid feedrate erate Rapid Feedrate 400 Rapid Feedrate is the inch per minute speed f Calculate for All items Chip to Chip oT the machine rapids at at GOO C Calculate for Selected item 0 Chip to chip Drill Cycle 0 L S ak ID 0 Finish Opler5 Outline PthLyr 1 Chip to Chip is the average time it takes to ID 1 Finish OpLyrb6 Outline PthLyr 2 ID 2 Finish Opler Outline PthLyr i complete a tool change Drill cycle ID 3 Finish OpLyr8 Outline PthLprd Drill Cycle is the average time it takes per drill cycle drill the hole Step through Step Through is selection will tell the system Step Through Summary Orio Full Report to pause at each end point L Do one step Do De Step WiteTo Fie o Cancel Do One Step is selection will tell the system to do the study in one step Summary only Summary Only tel
51. ed as a means of assistance only and D Broderick Software LLC shall not be liable for any errors in its contents or examples Copyright 2003 D Broderick Software LLC Tel 989 662 2623 SHOPCAM is a registered trademark of Auburn MI 48611 Fax 989 662 2640 D Broderick Software LLC i All Rights Reserved Worldwide www shopcam com Revision date 02 28 2007 Page 2 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section GETING SLATS coat 8 Eno ONPE AP o H 8 Noise ete 8 Learning TOUSE The Sy St Misteri a 8 INe SCENI TTT 8 T E E AEE E T A ET 9 CONAN AOS A A 9 A AN 9 FIVE Steps of Parnt ProgramMiINg secas 10 Section Operation Dial OG asas o 11 POW 10 PERDON AO a os 11 Standard Operation Dial src ii died staat einai 12 Operation DIO coi eo eee ene 12 Standard Paramotor SUI dla 12 Standard Lathe parameter SUMMAPY coincida did 14 Determining The Tool SIde sss sees 15 Section 3 Setup File Tool Material libraries oocccooccconncorncoronoroso 15 Re SSO UU E e oia o ido E E A EET 15 Section 4 Making the Machine Code ile 17 POST FOCCSSOlS idol edo etica ies 17 Section o PICKING EOMSIY seriada e 18 AAA eee eee ade a el baad a le teed lel DN ua eee 18 PIEKNO WINA WIN WE dai 18 PICKING BY Selec cta o oia 18 AN eT eC Re ne RN Ce PCR PRS a 18 PICASSO idad do cool 19 Sie And U A O ear ea Ce ery ere een Te ct my tte Per nena ener nent ae eee en eeor ere Ter 19 CISC AVC HHT 19 Query Geom into Mala A
52. ernal Library VAS Browse Clear Tool Library SS Browse Clear Operation Mode Units Inch Metric Decimal Display 4 Forgivance 0 0001 Tool Change location Toolchange 1 0000 Toolchange Y 1 000 W Auto 1st T position r r First Operation Default End Mill Width 0 5000 Z avis Mill T C Retract 3 0000 A Plance Z 0 4500 Full Depth Z 0 5000 Save Save As UK Cancel Help Sel Operation Defaults Mas Run U 500 Step Deviation Cap Radi Rall 17 0000 Page 15 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Setup File The setup file being used Post Processor The post processor to be used Use cad E l the Material Library The material library to be loaded optional Bro Tool Library The tool library to be loaded optional wse l ae l butto Inch or Metric This is for the post processor output Most but not all posts support metric output Sto If you are in metric mode and the output is about 25 times to small metric isn t chan supported Contact your dealer to have metric output added If you normally work ge in inch and receive a metric CAD file use the Scale command to make your the geometry inches file Radius value or In Lathe mode it determines whether the X axis values you enter are diameters or or Diameter value radial the Clea Decimal Display How many places to the right of the decimal do you want to display on the screen r Most people set this to
53. f 90 Technical Reference second selection point Note Note places text on the part drawing Text is always placed in a horizontal attitude using the specified TEXT HEIGT from the info table Text Line Then the system will prompt for the text location by asking digitize the drawing area to note by clicking on it then asks to digitize where you want the note placed Edit Attributes Cancel LABEL Labels are used to place text with pointer arrows on the part drawing The text is always placed in a horizontal attitude using the specified TEXT HEIGT from the info table The system will prompt for the text location by asking you to click on the drawing area to label The system will then ask to click on the screen where you want the label and the end of the desired arrowhead The system will ask for the text which is typed in CROSSHATCH Crosshatch generates parallel lines that fill a defined group The group type OUTLINE POCKET BOUNDARY is ignored It must be a closed shape The STEP value is used to determine the spacing i X between the crosshatching gt EXA If a contour is entirely enclosed within the outer contour it will be treated as an island The crosshatch lines will not pass through the island but be broken at either side of it Page 82 of 90 Chapter 10 The Utilities Menu Chapter 10 The UTILITIES menu Utilities Help The Utilities Menu Calculator This selection gives th
54. f either of the first two are chosen the mirroring occurs around the origin If you select to mirror over a line the system will ask to select the line The entities may also be duplicated meaning the originally selected entities can be kept in place and a duplicate mirrored Asis horiz L Y Asis vert C Move Ik f Specify Line Copy lt Cancel Rotate The ROTATE command allows you to rotate select geometry from the XY plane When finished selecting click Rotation Axis the DONE button and a Rotation Axis dialogue box will appear You have a choice of rotation on the X Axis the Y Axis the Z Axis or an axis defined by the user Click on the OK button and the Enter Angle dialogue box will appear Enter the counterclockwise degrees of rotation and click the oboe APPLY button If digitized the sprite can be rotated around the start point using the F7 amp F8 for 5 degree increments or the left and right arrows for 1 degree increments If the end point is typed in without digitizing it then the system will ask you for the angle of rotation This is measured f User Axis counter clockwise degrees User Aviz Points D Avis start e Z Aus Do Not use Rotate for a simple moves such as a 2 D or top view geometry Use the Edit Move command Page 35 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Project Onto The PROJECT ONTO instruction is used for editing the Z level of a tool path where the tool
55. ference Users Guide TECHNICAL REFERENCE Section This section of the manual will step through each menu and command Page 32 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Chapter 1 The File menu The FILE Menu The File menu will be familiar to most people who have used Windows programs New Use the NEW menu selection to start a new part program Load or create a Setup file any time new part is started Setup Files can make programming a part much easier y Open Use the OPEN menu selection to open an existing part file The Part File menu will appear Open a file by clicking on the desired part file and then click the open button When an existing part file is loaded the setup file tool library material library and post processor will also be loaded Save When SAVE is selected from the FILE menu the file will be updated to the current state of the part program Save as When SAVE AS is selected from the FILE menu the system will for a filename A identical file will be created Import The IMPORT menu selection will merge an existing file or part of an existing file with the current part program When merging CAD files is sure the file contains only individual geometry points lines arc or circles If your geometry is grouped as a single entity polyline or spline the geometry must be exploded or ungroup from within the cad program before merging into Shopcam The following types of files can be i
56. four A WEDM user may prefer 5 while a router user may butto only need 2 This has no effect on accuracy n if you Forgivance Normally this is set to the minimum move of your machine or 001 for a mill or lathe don t It will also help with chaining This has no effect on accuracy want a librar Toolchange X This serves two purposes It is used to ensure compatibility with older posts and it y file Toolchange Y makes sure the 1st move squares properly on a 3 axis machine These values and should be set to coordinates off the table Check the Auto 1st Toolchange and Prior Auto 1st Toolchange program a simple part If the coordinates on the first couple moves are correct to leave it checked If these coordinates are output at every Toolchange uncheck tt savin ga setup file set the machine mode on the Command Menu at the top of the screen The mode is located between the Group and Operation menus Contour mode is the same as 2 axis mode If you use a Foam cutter Waterjet Plasma Cutting torch or any two axis select Contour Setup File parameter summary How you set the system defaults will depend on what you are writing programs for Below is a list of the key parameters and suggested settings First Operation Default With each setup file you can and should set the default operation parameters This is especially important if you don t use a tool library 2 Axis users foam cutters water jet and burning tables should
57. gitize button At this point a dialog box will appear with the start and end fields In this example we simply want to rotate the toolpath around the center of the shape Rather than entering the center point we can snap to the center of the arc After the OK is hit the dialog mesero eens ee E for degrees will Sie S lel else le appear If Digitize is selected the picked geometry will turn into Make Selections hit 0K to complete a sprite that can be Set Celor Cancel moved with the E mouse The F7 and i je s F8 keys will rotate the y LE han sprite five degrees a sf a J CW and CCW Saat 4 A respectively The E right and left arrow will rotate it one degree I o _ o S Page 23 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 8 Making Groups We have touched on groups earlier in this manual Since groups are critical to generating operations and a bad group will cause an error message when trying to generate an operation we will soend some time on them The type of group is important when the system performs an operation on a group If a group is a closed contour that defines the outside of a part it should be called an OUTLINE If a closed contour defines an internal form it should be called a POCKET If it is an open shape it should be a BOUNDARY or FACE Collections of circles and or points that are to be drilled are called HOLES The group type determines o
58. gle refer to tool charts e Angle 2 refer to tool charts e Rough CDC CDC to be used when roughing e Finish CDC When finishing Details on the usage of these values can be found in Chapter 11 LOAD The Load command loads and edit the tool library The system requests the name of the tool library Unload Unload removes the current Tool Library that is being used Apply Apply instruction permits modifying the contents of the currently loaded tool library A menu is shown that contains the values that are stored in the library The changes are not saved by this instruction To make the changes permanent select SAVE AS explained in an earlier section SAVE AS The Save As command saves the current library as a different name Done Click on the DONE button to resume when editing is complete Current Files This shows the current files being used in the part Default Directories Default Directories set the default directory path for specified file types For instance storing parts in various directories depending on the customer or type of work The following directory paths may be changed Part Setup Material Tool Tape Post CAD and Fonts Page 55 of 90 Technical Reference Default Editor command This allows selection of the editor to use Click on the Browse button to change the editor We supply DEdit32 exe as the default Note If you have the full Default Editor Dostek DNC package Editor Program C Progr
59. gle is measured counterclockwise from the 3 o clock position Distance from Origin E Circle Center Angle from 3 Anis 19 Use this Point 3D dialogue box to put a point at the center of a circle G Point 3D can place a point at the center of an arc or the midpoint of a aee Pll Lanez line box will appear Enter the X value hit the TAB key to enter the Y value then hit the ENTER key XY px When the XYPOSITION is selected a Point 3D dialogue If you are in lathe mode the boxes will be labeled Z and X Polar Page 40 of 90 Technical Reference Breakpoint Breakpoint can break an entity and insert a point at that specific location This command is useful for interrupting a tool path The system will prompt for a location Select a location along an existing geometry item If a location is selected beyond the endpoint of an arc or line the point will be created at that endpoint If a location that is selected along a line arc or circle then the system will break the line arc or circle at that location then create a point at the break This is useful for several purposes e Breaking a geometry item at a given location A stop point along a contour where you wish to stop a forthcoming CHAIN pick such as a BOUNDARY definition e Creating a sync point on a group for syncing together two groups in a two plane Wire EDM operation e Inthe last two cases above pick an item on a specific layer and place the new
60. he tool into position for machining Operation Manager The system will ask for a location The location may be typed in or Page 68 of 90 Technical Reference digitized A POINT will be built at the selected location The POINT will be labeled as a TOOL POSITION and placed on the lowest numbered empty layer It will also be added to the operation list Finish The Finish operation is used to take a machining pass that follows the contour The system will request groups to be finished Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER TOOL SIDE and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation If the group to be finished is an OUTLINE the system will machine it from the outside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be finished is a POCKET the system will machine it from the inside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be finished is STOCK then the system will machine it from the inside but no tool offset will be performed If the group to be finished is a BOUNDARY the system will preserve the
61. he X axis between two locations pa The system will ask for a start location an end location and the arrow location The start location is the datum or first point on the object to be dimensioned The end location is the gauge or second point on the object to be dimensioned The arrow location indicates the approximate position of the arrowhead that contacts the first extension line Vertical Vertical places a dimension that measures the distance along the Y axis between two locations The system will ask for a start location an end location and the arrow location The start location is the datum or first point on the object to be dimensioned The end location is the gauge or second point on the object to be dimensioned The arrow location indicates the approximate position of the arrowhead that contacts the first extension line Slanted Slanted places a dimension at any angle that measures the distance between any two locations ae A The system will ask for a start location end location and the arrow location The start location is the datum or first point on the object to be dimensioned The end location is the gauge or second point on the object to be dimensioned o The arrow location is the endpoint of the arrowhead where it contacts the extension line from the first location The text will be displayed as the distance between the datum location and the reference location perpendicular to the extension line The orie
62. he active operation was selected from the library list you ae will be asked to replace or add to the end of the _Dejete iis SA library list The file is saved automatically Building your own custom library consist of either editing an exist operation from the library and adding to the end of the list or selecting a operation from a part and adding to the library Operation Summary Finish Using an operation from the library To generate a operation in Shopcam you can do it the traditional way by selecting a operation from the menu or from the operation manager Select Operation Manager from the bottom of the operation menu When the operation dialog opens select a operation from either the operation library list or from the current part file list Once selected click on the use oper button If the operation requires a group the Operation Inputs dialog will appear and allow you to select some groups and hit Make Toolpath to create the toolpath Operation that don t require groups Engraving facemill threading etc will go directly into their dialog box Editing an operation Editing a operation is pretty straight forward After opening the operation manager select an operation from either list make the changes and save it Part programs generated with the new version of Shopcam will contain all the information needed to regenerate a toolpath or save to the library If you are editing a operation from the cu
63. identified See Layers in the Users Guide Wi Geom Labels space bar Every On This Label command allows turning on and off the labeling of the layers on the screen A check mark in front of Labels the feature is Every Off turned on and labels will appear on the layers as they are built If this feature is turned off the layer will not have a label Use the space bar to toggle between on and off Cancel Viewports j Using this command allows you to select a rel perspective view of the part This can be done by Select from the side bar using the menu or by using the icons on the side bar The viewports do not affect the geometry location but TOP simple allow a different perspective Shows the top view of the part FRONT Shows the front view of the part RIGHT Shows the right view of the part PERSPECTIVE Shows the isometric view of the part TOP FRONT Shows the top and front view of the part TOP RIGHT Shows the top and right view of the part FOUR VIEWS Shows the part from top front right and from the perspective views Page 39 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 4 The GEOM Menu ed shopcam The GEOM Menu View Geometry Info Gro The GEOMETRY menu provides the ability to generate points lines arcs circles Ses e curves and patterns The geometry created can represent a part fixture clamp d G N stock boundary tool and construction geometry It is possible to define geome
64. in New automatically But the following values should be verified or adjusted when using this operation Page 61 of 90 Technical Reference Ar YOUU UI110911 F79T L pra MILL mode operations MILL Operations Process Dimer J Position The Mill operations are active when in Mill mode The operating machining ar Finish L mode is set by the menu located between GROUP and OPER This is a system option and may not be present on your system This menu contains E yee the cycles used for machining centers and mills Manual Path ig Zag Hog a Plunge Rough Position Hog Area Clear Position drives the machine to a particular position at a rapid feedrate Profile Rough The system will ask for a location The location may be typed in or digitized A Helix POINT will be built at that location The POINT will be labeled as a TOOL Engraving POSITION Tool position placed on the lowest numbered empty layer and be Facernil added to the operation list Operation Manager Finish The FINISH operation is used to take a machining pass that follows the selected groups shape If a tool width is specified the path will be offset by half the tool width If several groups are selected for finishing then the outermost contour will be used for a group type Other groups that are internal to it will be handled as nested contours Thus if the outermost contour is a POCKET groups inside of it will be considered to be OUTLINES and will be treated
65. ing instructions previously performed This function may be repeated up to 9 times Redo The UNDO instruction can be undone by using the REDO instruction This instruction is performed when an UNDO command was executed by mistake It undoes the UNDO command The REDO command can be repeated up to 9 times Copy Rotate Edit View Geometry Info Undo Ctrl Z Redo Copy Ctrl Paste Ctrl V Delete Ciel Select Unselect All Filter Selections Move Mirror Rotate Project Onto Trim Break K Stretch Scale The copy rotate instruction copies and or rotates selected items while retaining the original items in the part drawing See Move The COPY instruction is used to duplicate selected geometry items to one or more new locations See the Shopcam Users Guide for a detailed explanation Paste The PASTE function retrieves geometry stored in the clipboard and allows placement at a specific location within the part drawing x Delete the Del ete The delete selections allow removal of selected geometry items from the part program Group and toolpath layers may be deleted EN Select Choosing SELECT from the EDIT menu will allow picking items When a command is selected it will be performed on these selected items i e DELETE COPY GROUP MOVE etc If the DELETE key is hit all picked geoms will be deleted Unselect All Esc Key Choosing UNSELECT ALL from the Edit menu will undo the picked i
66. ingle workstation at a time or as many workstations for which you have purchased licenses You may produce one 1 copy of the Software for backup purposes You may transfer only the entire Software and license to another party if the other party agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this Agreement and only after receiving written consent from DBS If you transfer the Software you must at the same time either transfer all copies of the Software to the same party or destroy any copies not transferred You may not copy rent distribute sell license or sublicense or otherwise transfer the Software or this license or any program which is based on the Software or which incorporates the Software or a portion of the Software to another party without written consent from DBS This license is effective until terminated You may terminate it at any time by returning the Software together with all copies and documentation in any form to DBS It will also terminate automatically and without notice from DBS if you fail to comply with any term or condition of this agreement You agree upon such termination to erase the software from any PCs on which it is installed and to destroy any copy made by you for backup purposes Limited Warranty THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE The entire risk
67. it will select the nearest start point as the plunge position However the system does NOT validate the move from that plunge point to the pickup position on the contour Thus if not entered a start position that can be clear of the work near the start of a contour the system may need to make a long cut from the plunge point to get to the contour This move may interfere with the finish contour so be sure to visually check for such conditions before post processing The parameters listed below are used with the approach commands Clearance Clearance is used as a Safe startup distance from the finish work piece When approaching the work or retracting the tool the system will attempt to move the tool to a position that is this distance away from the contour This has to be entered with an OFFSET approach This is usually at least half the tool width Arc Radius If LEAD IN is chosen this is used to specify the radius of the arcs Ramp Length When the RAMP approach method is used the system will make the three axis moves a length in the XY plane of RAMP LENGTH If this cannot be accomplished the system will make the moves as long as it can without gouging the work piece Miscellaneous Commands GRAPHIC CURSOR TYPES The plus shape indicates an XY or Z must be entered or digitized on the screen Crosshair Cursors The X shape indicates that a pick of the geometry can be chosen Round Cursor F2 amp The round cursor indicates
68. ks for two opposite corners of a rectangular window This window must encompass the geometry items that are to be ale moved stretched This instruction acts somewhat like the MOVE instruction except that any lines that cross the edges of the window will Y Value be stretched The geometry endpoints outside of the window will remain anchored where they are Arcs and circles are not Z Value stretched l UK Cancel After selecting the geometry to stretch a reference dialog box will sult appear You can do two different stretches A incremental stretch or digitized stretch a Incremental Stretch Enter a incremental shift amount No reference point is used as the values are a displacement not a new location b Digitized Stretch Use the snap to F2 endpoint F3 mid point or F4 intersection commands to pick the reference point then pick where you want it to go Scale This instruction allows scaling or skewing selected geometry Geometry can be scaled from INCH TO METRIC METRIC TO INCH or by Scaling specifying a scale factor for X Y and Z By entering different values in each coordinate the geometry will be skewed Scale Factors Center Point x lt L 0 If the X amp Y scale factors are different only lines are skewed Arcs and circles will not be affected To skew a circle or arc break it into line Yf Y T segments first An easy way to break a arc into line segments is to rotate them then rotate it back and pe
69. l the system to summarize the report Full report Full Report tells the system that you want a full report Write to file Write to File all write to the printer or to a file Cancel Cancel exits the TIME STUDY function without saving the information Page 84 of 90 Technical Reference LICENSING The software must be licensed before it can be used This is done by creating a site code which ShopCAM Security can be sent to the system software provider for authorization To license the system open Site Code oF 34 B11 8300 7BF DE SHOPCAM ignore the warnings go to UTILITIES on the main menu and select LICENSING When A cee eee the Shopcam security dialogue box appears click Authorization Code PO on the CREATE button On your company cover Enter the number vou recieved from your dealer sheet or letterhead fax or mail the alohanumeric Soft oe ET code to the software provider DBS for PAP aay ea a eae tee authorization Please print clearly software subscription expire warning 365 days remaining on Software subscription Only the numbers 0 9 and letters A F will be used There are four groups of four and one group Start waming 30 days before Software subscription To enter the authorization code you receive back of two A typical site code would look like this Verity Terminate Exit open SHOPCAM go to Utilities on the main menu and select Licensing When the Shopcam security dialogue box appears Ente
70. larger hole The Specific Diameters option is used and the small circle is picked both for the smallest and for the largest circle Select Use Select to pick geometry items that are to be individually selected The system will request the items Click the DONE button when complete The first item selected will become the first item in the group The second will be the next and so on Stock This is primarily for turning Use this type of group to identify contours that represent the rough stock before machining For instance the shape of the rough casting may be used to limit cutting air when performing ROUGH TURNING Multiple contours may be grouped together if desired Boundary Boundaries are the primary group when doing lathe work Use this type of group to identify contours that represent an open contour or any contour that must be machined from a given start point cutting in a given direction When a boundary is machined the system always starts from the defined start point and proceeds in the direction that the group was built This means that it is the programmer s responsibility to define the contour in the correct sequence and control the TOOL SIDE Page 59 of 90 Technical Reference Only one continuous contour may constitute a boundary A boundary can be an open contour one in which the end of the contour does not touch the start Attempting to create a boundary with more than one continuous chain of geometry will cause
71. lecting inserted When entering the text begin it Move with a split vertical bar use the split bar S to force it out on its own block For instance eee Cancel place a MO1 block into the tape ES Enter the text as MO1 This tells the system to output the M01 on its own block The output generated in the tape might be NO325 MO1 To insert operator comments assuming that the NC CNC machine supports them they should be enclosed in the characters for comments usually parenthesis For example MOO Flip the part Post Call The Post Call is used to communicate with a post processor like a SET AXIS This instruction is used to control special cycles that are unique to the NC CNC machine or the post processor Page 78 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 9 The Dimension menu E Dimensions menu ss Dimensions Utilities Use this instruction to place linear dimensions on the part i HORIZONTAL l Ji Horizontal R es drawing When selected via the command icons the icons will vertical VEERTICAL appear on the left antes SLANTED When dimensioning you will usually be selecting a geometry Angular q ANGULAR ome ct Use the snap modes to get the end middle or intersection of the S RADIUS geom Diameter eee c DIAMETER Y Ornate Y ORNATE X ORNATE Moke Label HOTE Cross Hatch Horizontal Horizontal places a dimension that measures the distance along t
72. lower right side of circle Page 41 of 90 Technical Reference Angle 45 Pick reference item pick top left side of the arc Chamfer The Chamfer instruction asks for the chamfer width and the two geometry items to be chamfered The width is measured from the Enter Width intersection of the two geometry items along the items to the ends of the chamfer Width 0 25 More than one chamfer is possible between the selected geometry items i i Appl L and then the one nearest to the picks will be selected The selected S geometry items will be trimmed back to the chamfer as well or Horizontal Hor The Horizontal line instruction asks for the location of the line s midpoint The line will be given a length proportional to the view width The midpoint may be typed in or digitized via any pick mode E Vertical Ver The Vertical line instruction asks for the location of the line s midpoint The line will be given a length proportional to the view height The midpoint may be typed in or digitized via any pick mode 5 EA Position amp Angle to a Line This Pos and Ang to Line allows defining a line that passes through a specific location and that is at a given angle to another line The system will ask for a location a reference line and an angle The angle is measured counter clockwise from the reference line ra Parallel Line The Parallel line instruction is used to construct a line that is offset
73. manual will try to demonstrate most of the features in the system Shopcam is very flexible with several different ways to complete the same task This Users Guide is provided as an example of ways to use the system Commands and Menus are covered in detail in the Tech Ref Chapters of this Manual If you are new to CAD and CAM read Section 6 Geometry Creation amp Section 7 Geometry Editing before proceeding File Types The following file types are used in Shopcam PRT Shopcam part program that contains a drawing or tool path TAP The G code text file for the machine control MCH The post processor Post Creates a tap G code file from the part file SET Setup file contains the post tool amp material libraries amp default settings TLB Tool library For storing tool information MTL Material library For information about the material being machined Most controls use their own extension for the G code file You may need to rename the tap file for the control to recognize it Folders Or Directories The programs and files are organized in folders on the computer Folders are also referred to Directories amp subdirectories The system will be stored in a directory named SHOPCAM The files listed above can be accessed as ES PROGRAM FLLES DBS SHOPCAM PARES FEEL Ce PROGRAM FILES DBS SHOPGAM TAPES LAR ESAPROGRAM FLEES DEBSXSHOPCAM POSIS MCH C PROGRAM FILES DBS SHOPCAM MTRL ME Ls CSNAPROGRAM FID
74. mported CAD files dxf CAD files igs DXF FILE The DXF file format is an accepted standard used by many CAD and CAM systems All points lines arcs and circles will be read from the DXF file IGES FILE All points lines arcs and circles from the IGES file will be read Use caution when picking chaining and editing the geometry from an IGES file IGES files often contain multiple occurrences of geometry Export The EXPORT menu will ask for a file name Shopcam support the DXF format which is standard used by many CAD and CAM system Print To send a file to your printer selects print The print dialogue box will appear with information showing your default printer Click on the OK button to send the information to the printer Exit Use this to exit the system If any changes have been made to the part since it was loaded the system will ask if wish to save the part and the Setup is changed you system will ask to save it Page 33 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Chapter 2 The Edit menu The EDIT menu changes the geometry directly The edit menu should not be used to change a displayed view the VIEW menu has selections for that function 5 Undo the U key The UNDO key restores the part program to the way it was before the last instruction was modified If the last instruction created a group this deletes the group The UNDO instruction may be repeated multiple times continually delet
75. n The POINT will be labeled as a TOOL POSITION and placed on the lowest numbered empty layer It will also be added to the operation list The system will force the machine to the RETRACT Z level before making the move to this position Finish The FINISH operation is used to take a machining pass that follows the contour The system will request groups to be finished Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the tool number Z values and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation If the 3D PLANE is set to Z FROM INFO then the resultant tool path will begin and end at the RPLANE Z level and machine at the FULL Z level If the 3D PLANE is set to Z FROM GEOM then the tool path will begin and end at a Z level that is RPLANE above the part and machine along the Z level of the geometry in the group If the group to be finished is an OUTLINE the system will machine it from the outside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be finished is a POCKET the system will machine it from the inside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table
76. n arcs generating a larger output file e Does not pass through the intermediate positions e Start and end points of the generated curve are not easily controlled aT ARC SERIES Arcs This Arc Series requests a series of positions Typing in the X Y and Z values or by digitizing the positions using any of the pick modes The MAXIMUM CUSP value in the info table will be used to determine the required number of segments to obtain the desired precision The system creates a series of arcs that approximate a curve that passes through the selected positions The arcs are piecewise approximations of a normalized cubic curve This is the same as the NORM CUBIC curve except that arcs are generated rather than line segments Advantages of ARC SERIES e Curve is relatively smooth e Passes through all of the given positions Disadvantages of ARC SERIES e Rounding or dimensioning errors can cause pronounced deviations in the curve If the positions are closely spaced then irregular corners can be created on the curve e No four position sequence may deviate 180 degrees or more or erratic arcs or lines will be generated Arcfit ArcF This Arcfit requests enter a series of positions Typing in the X Y and Z values or by digitizing the positions using any of the pick modes Click on the cancel button when complete The MAXIMUM CUSP value in the info table determines which tangency of lt 2 the arcs or smoothness of the overall curve
77. n which side of the geometry the tool will cut To profile rough the outside of a part group it as an OUTLINE To rough out the inside of a part group it as a POCKET With a BOUNDARY the tool can cut on either side of the contour depending upon the value in the tool SIDE With Pockets and Outlines the group must start and end at the same place lt needs to be a closed shape Some operations can only be performed with certain groups MODE OPERATION GROUP MILL ZIG ZAG HOG POCKET MILL PLUNGE ROUGH POCKET MILL DRILL CYCLES HOLES LATHE ROUGH TURN BOUNDARY LATHE PROFILE BOUNDARY LATHE GROOVE BOUNDARY LATHE FINISH BOUNDARY WIRE EDM MULTIPLE PASS POCKET or OUTLINE 3D OPERS MULT Z RUFF POCKET 3D OPER SWARF BOUNDARY In the examples below we want to machine a raised letter B The 1st group we created is Pocket 1 around the box Then we do the top inside of the B Pocket 2 and the bottom inside Pocket 3 The outside of B is grouped as an outline and is automatically placed on layer 4 Outline 4 Pocket 1 Toolpath5 Pocket 1 Pocket 2 po a N e Qutline 4 When selecting one of the group types the pick icons will appear on the left Any of the pick modes may be used it is good practice to always use chain to create a group If you use chain to create a group it guarantees the group to mathematically correct prior to gene
78. nce the curvature To connect Bezier curves together the last two positions of the first curve must be along the same line as the first two positions of the second curve They also share a common end start position advantages of Bezier CURVE e Generates an extremely smooth curve e A standard predictable mathematical function e Rounding or dimensioning errors are compensating for by the averaging nature of the curve Disadvantages of Bezier Curve e Line segments rather than arcs generating a larger output file e No more than four positions may be used to construct the curve e Does not pass through the intermediate positions u B Spline Esp This B Spline requests the system to enter a series of positions Typing in the X Y and Z values or by digitizing the positions using any of the pick modes The MAXIMUM CUSP value in the info table will be used to determine the required number of segments to obtain the desired precision The system oe creates a series of line segments that will approximate a very E x smooth curve that is controlled by the selected positions The curve will not pass through or even interconnect to the first and the last positions The intermediate positions will strongly influence the curvature Page 45 of 90 Technical Reference Advantages of B Spline e Generates a fairly smooth curve e A standard predictable mathematical function Disadvantages of B Spline e Line segments rather tha
79. ng between the characters An example of kerning would be the letter W and I The letter T doesn t need as much space as the letter W If exact spacing between the characters is required turn kerning off If readability and looks are important use kerning Since all characters are 1 inch tall by default the scale can consider the text height For characters 175 tall enter 175 for the scale On a Radius Lettering Direction Center Point aa Y Forward Revere w R Cale Positioning Tf Radius L In f Out Z Starting Angle Kerming Iw Spacing Text Font File Font_0 utline Modern caps prt Browse Set Operation Make Tool path Cancel Page 53 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 5 The INFO menu The INFO Menu The INFO menu is used to set values in a library files and configure the editor Setup File A setup file consist of default values and resource files specific to one machine You may want to save a Setup file for each different machine in your shop A setup file may contains the following values e Setup File Name of the setup file to be loaded e Post Processor Name of the post processor to be used e Tool Library Name of the tool library to be loaded e Material Library Name of the material library to be loaded e Info Table ltems as detailed in chapter 11 See the Shopcam Users Guide for details on the setup file Material Library The following values are in the O
80. ntation of the extension lines and the arrow lines will be determined by the line from the first location and the arrow location Page 80 of 90 Technical Reference Angular Angular places a dimension at any angle that measures the distance between two locations The dimension arrow lines will be built parallel to an imaginary line between the two points dimensioned If the two points to be dimensioned are not aligned in this manner use the ARBITRARY Dimension instruction The system will ask for a start location an end location and the arrow location The start location is the datum or first point on the object to be dimensioned The end location is the gauge or second point on the object to be dimensioned The arrow location is the endpoint of the arrowhead where it contacts the extension line from the first location Radius z Radius inserts the RADIUS of a selected Arc or Circle 1 5000 F Diameter mt Diameter inserts the DIAMETER of a selected Arc or Circle 3 0000 Y Ornate Es Y Ornate places a dimension that measures the distance from YO O A horizontal dimension line will be generating from the first selection point The Y dimension will be place at the second selection point X Ornate tht A vertical dimension line will be generate from the first selection point The X dimension will be place at the X Ornate places a dimension that measures the distance from X0 0 2136 A079 Page 81 o
81. ntour is a POCKET groups inside of it will be considered to be OUTLINES and will be treated as islands within the pocket DRILL CYCLES With Drill Cycles center drill drill tap or bore the system will ask you to select the group to be machined Enter the layer number of the group or select it by picking it on the screen The CYCLE value in the Operation Dialog may be set to 0 Of System thru drilling o 1 System peck drilling e 2 50 System tapping cycles fro 2 to 50 TPL e 50 999 Selects an NC CNC machine cycle G81 G83 etc Manual Path This instruction permits to drive the machine through a series of moves lt is the equivalent of manual tape preparation However you can see graphical results of what is to be machined This is useful for slot machining or tool positioning table that is incorrect This may include the tool number Z values etc Then enter the positional moves by typing them in or digitizing LE 0 The system will ask to enter the locations First set any values in the info T T S 0 Set Operation The system will build a tool path that starts from Positions the first location that entered and proceeds along the succeeding locations Arcs The generated tool movements will be placed on the lowest numbered layer that is vacant The number of the layer will be displayed following the TOOL PATH label The operation will be added to the operation list The values in the info table will be filled
82. o be machined is a POCKET the system will machine it from the inside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a BOUNDARY the system will preserve the cutting direction and will attempt to start tangent to the given start point if possible Only one contour should be selected and it may be open or closed Page 70 of 90 Technical Reference Punch Use this instruction to corner punch hole punch or otherwise cycle the machine tool at a location or a set of locations The system will ask you to select the group to be machined Before selecting the group properly set the tool number and other values in the info table You may then enter the layer number of the group or select it by picking any geometry item in it Normally a group to be machined by this instruction will be labeled HOLES and contain circles and points only The PUNCH cycle will occur at the center of each circle and at each point It is also acceptable to select any type of group that contains any collection of geometry However for geometry other than circles the punch cycle will occur at the end point of each geometry item The generated tool movements will be placed on the lowest numbered layer that is vacant The number of the layer will be displayed following the TOOL CYCLE label The operation
83. occur to allow for chip break GROOVE FINISH Groove Finish generate along a contour that always proceed in an inward direction Each pass travels along a portion of the contour until the tool reaches the middle of the lowest valley retracts then positions over a high point and travels inward again The system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER RPLANE and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation The group to be machined is normally a BOUNDARY The system will assume that the stock begins at the outermost position on the BOUNDARY Machining will begin at a distance of RPLANE from that stock Optionally the STOCK may be defined and selected as well The tool type is used to determine the plunge direction Aparts Yooo dman Fart prt l D Wire EDM Operations Process Dime WIRE EDM mode operations E _ The WIRE EDM menu is available only when selected by the OPER Posit K E d a L MODE This is a system option and may not be present on your system Pb This menu contains the cycles used for wire electrical discharge Manual Path Machines Reverse Finish Two Plane 7 Multiple Passes Position Burnout Profile Position drives the machine to a particular position at a rapid feedrate Blanks This is useful for a home or park position a tool change or for moving t
84. ol or the part Of course the contour will not be completely machined because the small area under the back angle has been avoided Threading The Treading command is not performed on a Thread values group Threading is an operation that takes multiple passes along a given line engaging a thread cycle to synchronize the passes for z 0 0000 Start Point radial thread cutting The system will need the start v and end points of the thread These are specified as the full thread depth start and end End Point radial They are usually beyond the start and end of the Z 3 0000 stock to avoid leaving dwell and acceleration marks The system also asks for a cycle point A l _ Root This is the location that the tool should start at oe Hamain Cycle Point radial and return to between passes Pitch number of 03000 leads and thread depth are also needed Ep Start Point e Cycle Point sf 3 4000 The pitch is a true pitch value or distance from End Point one thread cut to the next The number of leads eee is normally 1 unless a multi lead thread is to be machined The depth of the thread is used to Root Diameter 6 0000 Pitch 0 2500 set Operation determine the number of passes required The j E Finish Passes Depth 0 2500 Make Tool path first pass takes the depth of cut specified in U STEP No of Leads 1st Step 0 0000 Cancel Subsequent passes are shallower based upon Page 67 of 90 Technical Referenc
85. ons Punch Press Operations Process Dime The PUNCH PRESS menu is available only when selected by the OPERS SS he Position MODE in the info table This is a system option and may not be present A Burn on your system This menu contains the cycles used for punch presses Punch lasers flame cutters and for plasma waterjet machines Nibble Nibble Punch Bridge Hit Operation Manager Position Position drives the machine to a particular position at a rapid feedrate This is useful for a home or park position a tool change or for moving the tool into position for machining The system will ask for a location The location may be typed in or digitized A POINT will be built at the selected location The Point will be labeled as a T POSITION Tool position and placed on the lowest numbered empty layer Burn The Burn operation is used to take a machining pass that follows the contour The system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER TOOL SIDE and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation If the group to be machined is an OUTLINE the system will machine it from the outside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group t
86. or post processor and has a mch extension The machine code file it creates is called a tapefile with a tap extension The system will save the part prior to posting If an error message or warning appears during posting it is usually generated by the post program Refer to the post processor s instructions for an explanation of the message The instructions will have the same name as the post with a txt extension Page 17 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 5 Picking geometry Pick Modes JT The pick methods are used to select single File or multiple geometry items for any command that needs geometry Almost everything you do will need to pick Window something first Included Select You need to pick geometry to copy delete 7 Chain group edit trim rotate stretch and create geoms based on other geoms Last Layer Select Layer Picking with a Window Lasso To use a window to pick items only the items that are ENTIRELY INSIDE of the window Selection Fie Wl be selected This means both ends of a line must be enclosed for the line to be election Finer picked To use a window to select items first indicate one corner Any of the four corners of the window can be selected When asked to indicate the other corner it must be the diagonally opposed corner Here the cursor changes to a WINDOW to indicate the area enclosed Exception When using a window to STRETCH items via the EDIT MENU Lines lying
87. ored and the entire internal area would be machined On a BOUNDARY the tool can cut on either side of the contour depending on the TOOL SIDE and the specified amount of TOTAL STOCK Outline Use this type of group to identify external contours The outside of a rectangular part could be termed an outline For example three projections that need to be machined around a perimeter can be selected as a single outline or each could be a separate boundary OUTLINE 1 Do not use the window selection method for this group type o Use Chain to select geometry items that are a closed shape The ar system will request the start of a chain When any forks intersections or ambiguities arise in the chain the system will stop and ask you for the next move Click on the DONE button when complete Every geometry item in the chain must be found on the same layer Pocket Use this group to identify internal machining operations Multiple cavities that need to be machined inside of their contour can be selected as a single pocket or each can be a separate pocket If a pocket contains multiple contours then each will be evaluated by its relationship to the outermost contour If several independent shapes are part of a pocket each will be treated as an internal contour However if one contains another shape that is completely enclosed within its bounds that contour the contained one will be treated as an outline or an island within the pocket
88. ould be Text Text here s S SEETHE Font File Font_Outine_Modem_caps prt Browse Set Operation Make Tool path Cancel Fill out the fields indicated and click _Set Operation path Cancel on the OK button to execute the command All fields will be filled with system defaults except for the TEXT and FONT FILE These must be selected for the function to be performed Some fonts may not include all of the upper and lower case letters or symbols found on a standard keyboard If the item is not available in the font then it will not appear when the command is executed ON A RADIUS Engraving on a radius adds three Lettering selections Text Location is inside the Bieta Toten steer radius or outside Start angle at zero is 3 a A o clock Positioning Also can create the text off the part Cn Y Out Starting Angle 0 someplace and then use the MOVE command to place and or rotate the path keming I Spacing Since this is a tool path the tool number and Z levels need to be set in Set Text Text Here Operation before select OK Font File Font_0 utline_ Modern caps prt Browse The generated tool path will be placed on the lowest numbered layer that is vacant _ Set Operation Make Tool path patie The number of the layer will be displayed following the TOOL PATH label The operation will be added to the operation list Facemill Facemill Options Facemill is useful if you want to FACEMILL the top surface of a part It
89. parallel to Enter Distance another line The system will ask for the reference line the distance to offset the new line and for an offset direction Distance MA The distance entered is an unsigned positive value The offset direction is a Angl a digitized location that is offset on the same side of the reference line as the new line _ Cancel is to be offset Page 42 of 90 Technical Reference FILLET way Arc A Key k Several methods for defining arcs are explained here THRU 3 POSITIONS TAN TO 3 GEOMETRIES Fillet F Key The Fillet instruction places a corner radius between two lines two Pitan ATIN arcs or an arc and aline The system asks for the radius of the fillet and for the two items to be filleted The radius value may be skipped to Radius 10 28 use the last radius entered Peal The two geometry items should be picked close to where the fillet will be tangent Several different fillets may be possible between the two items There are four possible fillets between two crossing lines The points where they are picked are used to determine which fillet is the desired one Through 3 Positions A Key default To construct an arc through three given positions use the Thru 3 Pos command The system asks for the three positions before creating the arc If the three positions all lie along the same line an error is generated The positions may be entered numerically by X Y and Z or
90. per Tool Mtrl section of the info table Material Library files end with the MTL extension This is only used for speeds and feed rates e Operation Selects the type of operation e Max Step Maximum cut allowable e Feed per Flute Calculate the feedrate e Percent Feed Axial Percentage of feedrate for axial cuts Z Axis e Max RPM Spindle soeed RPM limit e Coolant Coolant type to be used e FPM or CMPM Constant surface speed 0 if none Details on the usage of these values can be found in chapter 11 Save As button The Save As command saves the current library as a different name The system will request the name of the file To overwrite an existing material library click on the SAVE AS button then select a file from the menu Done Click on the DONE button to resume when editing is complete Load button Allows you to select a different material library Unload Unload removes the current Material library that is being used Page 54 of 90 Technical Reference Tool Library The Tool Library section of the info table contains the following values e Tool No Select the level e Tool Type Determines a tool type refer to tool charts e Changer No In case it is in a different position e Side Centered no offset left or right e Number of Edges Number of cutting edges flutes e Tool Width Overall width of tool e Corner Radius Corner radius of tool edge e Offset 1 refer to tool charts e Offset 2 refer to tool charts e An
91. point on that layer as well First set the layer mask and the layer to the desired value Line L Key A S There are several methods for defining a line geometry TAN 2 GEOM ANGLE amp GEOM 2 End Points i CHAMFER These dialogue boxes ask for two positions to be entered These can be HORIZONTAL entered as specific coordinates digitizing a location on the graphics screen or using VERTICAL the pick modes to select positions on existing geometry The line shown was defined using POS amp ANG g CNAE l Tangent to 2 Geoms The Tan 2 Geoms command asks for the selection of two geometry elements If there are more than one solution the system will choose the solution nearest to where the picks were made Angle amp Geom KA This Angle amp Geom command asks the desired angle for the Enter Angle line and to select a geometry item that the new line is referenced from The angle is entered in degrees counter clockwise Counterclockwise Degrees og from the selected geometry The geometry item should be selected near the tangency point If more than one tangency point is possible the one nearest the pick position will be used Cancel You can make the line pass through to a point tangent to an arc or a circle or pass through the endpoint of another line Note that this is not really tangent but there is no such concept as a line tangent to a line Angle 45 Pick reference item pick
92. previous FINISH example the Tool Side Left of Geom performed a Climb Cut Though the OUTLINE was defined in the opposite direction the computer knew on which side and in which direction to cut from the TOOL LEFT TOOL RIGHT TOOL RIGHT TOOL LEFT Group Type and the Tool Side Cutter Compensation is also a factor It can be performed either by computer or machine tool In determining the preferred method consider the following Allow the computer to compensate for all roughing cycles Specify the tool side tool width and corner radius if any and set CDC to OFF which disables the machine compensation TOOL LEFT TOOL RIGHT Allow the computer to compensate for most finishing cycles Mill and Wire Enable CDC on the machine and set the machine compensation to correct for variations due to wear and cutting conditions You do not want to double compensate by having Shopcam offset the cutter and the machine do the same Section 3 Setup File Tool amp Material libraries The Setup File A Setup file allows you to set and save preferences Normally you would have a setup file defined for each unique machine tool Since the machine Post processor is the most important part You may want to save as a filename that incorporates the machine and control Change it from default set so it doesn t get stepped on incase you ever reinstall Files Setup File Anilam Indexer SET i E Postprocessor A Browse Mat
93. r for masking certain types of Jedne Center 1 1628 24503 0 0000 wale 2 7009 0 5709 0 0000 2 The Layer Mask for selecting specific layer Pick sk 0 0000 0 0000 0 0000 The coordinates for the selected geometry will appear in the a dialog box If a line is selected the angle will be displayed an dist 0 0000 with the start and end coordinates With an arc or circle the Bo Hadi alos a radius start and end are displayed H Temporary Filters To view attributes of the selected geom click on the View Attribute button The Attributes for display only dialog box Saleen tiber Layer Mask will appear Refer Section 11 of the Technical Reference manual for Attribute Table information View Attributes In lathe mode a check box for displaying the X axis as a radius or a diameter Page 19 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 6 Geometry Creation There are two ways to get geometry into the system You can import merge a CAD file from another package or create geometry in Shopcam CAD Files To merge a cad file go to the Files menu then Import The system recognizes two different CAD formats DXF and IGES We use the AutoCAD standard DXF format as a baseline A couple notes about CAD files Avoid CAD files that consist of surfacing or a wire frame Use basic geometry If the DXF won t read use the Explode feature of your CAD software Shopcam Geometry There are three ways to create geometry in
94. r the alphanumeric code that you received back from us Then click on the VERIFY button When the message Authorization Accepted appears click on the EXIT button then close and restart SHOPCAM NOTE If you have the Windows NT XP or 2000 operating systems that may need to run the file SETUPEX exe located in the installation folder The default install directory s C program files dbs shopcam You must have Administrative privilege prior to running SETUPEX exe The Help Menu Help Topics Selecting the HELP TOPICS from the HELP menu will bring up the HELP window There are three ways of accessing help The CONTENTS tab contains information about SHOPCAM and an explanation of the SHOPCAM menu A h m a About ShopCAM for Windows This selection will tell the version of the system copyright information and the revision shopLAM Release Version date g Copyright 2006 D Broderick Software LLC Sep 26th 2006 rey 6 9 26 g Visit ww ShopLAM com for updates Page 85 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 11 Filter Mask amp Tool side Selection Filter TYPE MASK Type Mask allows certain geometry items to be selected jel ella Lewes act Unlike the LAYER MASK this mask does not limit the e Dimensions E i drawing of items only the picking of items If an item has no check mark in the box you will not be able to select that kind of item Geometry can have two atrributes such as being a line as well as
95. rating an operation with it A group has to be correct for the path processor algorithms to calculate the passes and offsets If a chain stops for no apparent reason you shouldn t just click to get the chain going again When a chain stops and displays a bull s eye there is always a reason There is something in the geometry causing it This is especially true if you receive CAD files from outside sources Page 24 of 90 Technical Reference amp Users Guide There are several reasons for a chain to stop for no obvious reason Gap The endpoint and start point of two geoms are not connected Overlap There are two geoms on top of each other Mismatched layer Part of the geometry is on a different layer Miniscule geom There is a geom that is very small Z only line A line has the same XY start end but different Z depth Since each one of the cases is not always obvious to the eye there is a simple procedure to go through to clean up the geometry If you are curious as to why it stopped try to chain after each fix If you dont care why it stopped assume it could be any one and just do all the steps Cleaning up geometry In this example the chain stopped on the corner of this shape See Figure 1 Line 1 Arc BREA na Let s eliminate each reason for the al d a stoppage First hit the OK button then the a a E U key to undo the group Over the years we have found this procedure to work the line 3 Line 3 best Gap these
96. reason to always use the chain to create a group is that it guarantees the group is mathematically correct prior to generating an operation with it After entering one chain the system will ask for another chain If selected the new chain will be appended to the first This can be repeated any number of times Pick lasso The lasso is similar to window except you will create an irregular pick area by digitizing points around the selected items Use this when you have to snake around geometry you don t want to include in the picked items The start and end points must overlap to close the lasso Once the lasso is complete select the icon again to execute the pick All other Pick Windows terms apply Pick last layer Pick last layer will select the last layer used that contains information By clicking on the icon again it will select the next to the last layer and so on This makes it easy to delete completed layers Select layer Select layer icon will ask for the layer number to select Query Geom information The Query command is used to gather information about Query geom dist to previous geometry The Query command can be selected from the info menu or with the Q key After selecting a geometry item the Query dialog box will appear showing the geometry Angle 24 3532 data R E Two temporary filter buttons are located on the Query dialog H pe ran 0 8789 0 0000 Dox 5 0814 41017 0 0000 1 The Selection Filte
97. rform the scale Z Z 0 Inches to MM MM to Inches Cancel Page 37 of 90 Technical Reference Chapter 3 The VIEW menu The View Menu This menu provides instructions allowing the view to change This does not affect machining orientation or the location or scale of the geometry None of the VIEW menu selections affect the part program in any way They only affect the way it is shown on the screen E Window W Key The Window instruction allows changing the view to encompass any portion of the part to see Two opposite corners of a rectangle must either be typed in or digitized The area enclosed in this window will be resized to fill the graphics area of the screen Center The Center function allows digitizing a position on the current screen that will be moved to the center of the drawing area The geometry s coordinates are not altered merely the perspective on the part has changed El Pan S Key This Pan graphically shifts the displayed view to a new position Digitize a position on the screen slide the part in a direction to view click the mouse again and the part will be redisplayed without changing the scale Grid Options This Grid Option command opens the grid option Enter the Grid Options information and click on the OK button to show the selected GRID OPTION on the screen Anes v This is useful when digitizing locations on the screen Ticks Tick Spacing i i H View All V Key Grid Grid
98. rim both is the X key Disig E gt Ihe xaM 2 When trimming the system will look at where you digitize to determine what you want to keep and Trim Both l Trim Break Icon what gets trimmed off You will select the geometry Trim Modal to keep o 7 Break Both When breaking two geometries it is not that critical where you pick because the all the geometry will Break Modal remain When you break two geometries nothing appears to happen but you will have four s geometries instead of two Break Window X Is the pick position This circle example is often iS confusing The circle doesn t Pa x appear to trim on the first trim T Notice in the two examples on the left Notice which part of the Before trim After trimming geometry gets trimmed off and what geometry remains Before trim After trimming Before trim After trimming Trim Modal This instruction is used to trim off geometry items where they intersect another item The system will ask for the trimming item first then the items to be trimmed off Unlike the TRIM BOTH instruction this one requires that you pick the geometry items along the portion to be trimmed off not the portion to be retained Page 22 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide In this example the vertical lines must be trimmed at the horizontal line as shown Using the TRIM MODAL command the horizontal line is selected as the trimming item The vertical line
99. rrent part list and want the toolpath to reflect the changes you will need to hit the Make Toolpath button If the operation requires a group the Operation Inputs dialog will appear and allow you to select some groups and hit Make Toolpath to create the toolpath The layers that originally generated the toolpath will be checked Operation that don t require groups Engraving facemill threading etc will go directly into their dialog box You can see that it is important not to delete group layers if you might want to make changes to an existing toolpath If you are editing a operation to save in the library make sure to use the up arrow to save your changes to the library Page 30 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 12 Tool Library Using the new tool library dialog is much like using the Tool Dialog i operation dialog There are Tool Library CC Hb Current Tool list two list the current library and ID 1 Char 1 End Mill Width 0 7250 1 Tool Chor Ho 1 znam width 0 0000 the tools used in the part ID 2 Chgr 2 Tapered Mill Width 0 0000 program The new tool library GE ee H de eave hae dialog has been expanded to ID S Char 5 BallNose width 0 2500 included a picture default ID 6 Char 6 Round width 0 0500 speeds and feeds and a spot for tool comments Save as X Del Save Saving and Deleting a Tool information Tool Tool ID E Bound End Hill Use the up arrow to save the Tool Char
100. rs is used for Turning Lathe and Mill opers is used for everything else The first time you save an operation this file is created This dialog is used for three purposes Saving retrieving or editing an Helix operation Engraving E The Operation Manager selection is located at the bottom of the Operation Facemill menu Plunge Rough Hog 4rea Clear Profile Rough Operation Manager Operation Manager Layout The operation manager dialog consist of three Operation Manager main areas Operation Library This ts a list of the operations stored in the operation library file Control buttons are located at the bottom of this list This is the list on the left Current operation list This is a list of the operations in the current part This is on the right Operation Summary This is summary of the most important parameters of the selected operation This is at the bottom Operation Library Mill opers Engraving T4 End Milt 0 050 dia Current operation list Current part file Goodman Part T Path 5 Finish 11 End Mill 0 000 dia Zig ag 11 End Mill 0 500 dia Cycle G61 T5 Center Drill 0 125 dia Profile Rough TT End Mil 0 500 dia Finish TS End Mill 0 500 dia Finish TS End Mill 0 502 dia Engraving 11 End Mill 0 500 dia Finish T2 End Mill 0 000 dia Finish TS Round 0 700 dia Mult Rough T1 End Wil 0 500 dia Delete aa Operation Summary Finish Group Layers 2 Tool T1 End Mill
101. s ES Bolt Hole Circle Radius 20 Number of Holes fo start Angle Hole Diameter 0 0 End Angle zero then points will be created rather than circles This is not normally desirable Center X 2 25 Y 2 25 Z 0 Radius 2 Start Angle 0 E End Angle 0 LO Num Holes 6 a Hole diam 25 oa Center X 2 25 Y 2 25 Z 0 Radius 2 Start Angle 10 C1 L Finish Angle 180 G L Num holes 6 O Hole diam 25 O Pag e 47 of 90 Technical Reference HOLE GRID The Hole Grid pattern generates holes that are located along linear Bolt Hole Grid patterns in row and column form The system requests for a corner position for the first hole the X and Y offset values the number of holes Vertical columnas 133 horizontally the number of holes vertically and the diameter of the holes Horizontal The first hole corner position may be digitized The offset can be digitized keeping in mind that it represents both an X and Y offset The location Diameter E must be digitized to the hole diagonally adjacent to the first hole If the hole diameter is specified as zero then points will be created rather than circles DK a This is not normally desirable Corner X 1 Y 1 Z 1 Offset X 5 Y 75 Num holes across 7 Num holes vert 5 Hole diam 125 oo Fo oo oO Rectangle The Rectangle pattern generates four lines that define a rectangle The system prompts for two diagonally opposite corners
102. s Layers If you are familiar with using CAD you should feel comfortable working with layers Layers are a way to associate common geometry For instance when you group some geoms to create an Outline that Outline geometry automatically goes on the next available layer It will be labeled as Outline X where X is the next open layer number The same rule holds true with Toolpaths It doesn t change the base geoms Command Prompt j into a group it creates new geometry When you want to delete a group the system needs ne press vne Y 2 9481 2 0 0000 to know what layer that group is on If you want to delete only a group or toolpath you should use Select Layer or Last Layer for your pick selection If you use Window to pick you will also delete the base geometry underneath it Command Menus Operational Icons NOTE use the space bar to toggle between displaying the labels or hiding them Coordinates Cartesian Notation The Cartesian coordinate system is a method of identifying any point in space It uses three axis called X Y and Z to map a grid of cubes The Y system identifies the three axis on the screen in the following manner ee Cartesian 7 Notation X axis The X axis is the horizontal axis Positive X is to the right negative to the left Y axis The Y axis is the vertical axis Positive Y is upward negative is downward Z The Z axis is perpendicular to the screen A posi
103. s are selected as the items to be trimmed They must be picked along their portion that lies below the horizontal line as that is the portion to be discarded Breaking The most common use for breaking a geom is to specify a starting point for a group Take a simple rectangle for instance lf you group a rectangle without breaking one of the four lines the group will start on one of the corners This may or may not be what you want If you want to sweep onto the shape with a arc the start and end geometries must form a 180 degree included angle The easiest way to accomplish this is by breaking a line or circle Another common use for breaking a geom is to specify a glue stop for a Wire EDM Copying and Rotating With the copy command you must select the items to copy then Move Copy Positioning specify the start point and the end point You may think of the start point as the Reference Point or Anchor point and the end point as Start Point End Point the Destination Point If the start and end points are the same the Stat Point _EndPoint system assumes you want to rotate and will display a dialog box to enter degrees In this example we have to rotate the engraved toolpath 15 degs counterclockwise After invoking the copy command we are present with the pick mode dialog Since we know Toolpath 1 is the last layer we can select Last Layer The Toolpath will turn blue and we can then hit the OK Lancel Di
104. set the these parameters as you do on all shapes That is usually tool ID number and changer set to 1 and the tool width set to 0 Also set the tool to round and set a federate to something other than 0 Page 16 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Section 4 Making the Machine Code file After the toolpaths are defined you are ready to translate the part program into a file your machine can use This is called post i a tions Process Dimensions Utilities Help processing or posting There are two ways to post process with the menus or the icons Hue aja E NE Code Only E d zx G Resequence Draw ZD Animation S With post processing you may chose a Edit Download File Tool Chain couple different ways to visualize the posting 3D Simulation NC Control K Posting Icon NC Codes only Just makes the machine code file Draw 2D Animation Fills the screen with different color then blackens where the tool visits Draw Tool Chain Snakes an outline trail of the tool as it travels around the part 3D Simulation Runs the optional 3D modeling program Mill amp Turning only Post Processors Every machine requires its own unique codes to cut a part There is a standard RS 274D but for some reason many Control Manufactures rely on their own modified version Plus some Machinist just prefer to see the machine code a certain way The program that writes the machine code file is called a post
105. summary of the current tool is displayed The tool dialog is defined in detail in Section Toolinto Char No 1 Round Width 0 0000 Comment Oper Comment You may add a description of the operation This will show up in the Operation Manager dialog summary and in the report Page 12 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Operation Image This is a image based on the operation you are using lt shows how the different parameters are used Post mods Modifications and more Reference The post mod dialog contains parameters that may or may not be used by the post processor Mae Marg If there are special instructions for a post it will nr be in a txt file with the same filename as the post For instance as a general rule if a post supports a 4th axis table it will use Cycl as the radius Offset 1 and Offset 2 could be used on an old lathe or maybe something totally different The Power field is often used on Wire EDM and as a Fixture offset on mills The At Posting time modifiers do just that they change the G Code output when you post process These At Posting time modifiers should be used with caution It s not obvious on the screen that the toolpath will be shifted or scaled You are better off shifting with the Move command Page 13 of 90 At posting time Modifiers Postprocessor information Crell 0 0000 Offsets 0 0000 Lucl B Y 0 0000 Offset 0 0000 Coce 0 000
106. t F8 Redraw the screen Rotates Sprite CCW 5 Abort Cancel Rotates Sprite CW 5 Speeds Posting Graphic Rotates Sprite CCW 1 Slows Posting Graphic Rotates Sprite CW 1 A B Eo i b Create a Line oO P Q Esc Controlling Cutter Direction e OUTLINE OUTLINE TOOL SIDE LEFT TOOL SIDE RIGHT oe PES gt POCKET POCKET TOOL SIDE LEFT TOOL SIDE RIGHT NOTES ON CONTROLLING CUTTER DIRECTION Outlines and Pockets must be closed shapes It doesn t matter which direction Outlines and Pockets are chained the cutter direction is determined by the Tool Side specified in the Info Table See the examples above Boundaries are for open contours Page 87 of 90 Shopcam User manual The boundary must be chained in the desired direction of cut The cutter will follow the direction of chaining and will be Left or Right of boundary depending on the Tool Side specified in the operation Main Operations and corresponding Material library opers Operation from the main menu Corresponding Material library Oper drop down menu operations Mill Zigzag hog Parallel Pass Ruff Mill Position Move Mill Finish Finish Mill Profile rough Profile Ruff Mill Plunge rough Parallel Pass Ruff Mill Hog area clear Parallel Pass Ruff Mill Drill cycles Finish Mill Helix Finish Mill Engraving Horizontal Finish Mill Engraving Arc Finish Mill Facemill Parallel Pass Ruff Wire Position Move Wire Finish Finish
107. ted use this instruction to verify Edit Download File Tool Chain the tool path graphically and to generate a machine code 3D Simulation file NC Control K Freedom is given to the post processor in determining the user interaction and the tool path taken by the NC CNC machine This manual can only explain the actions taken by the system in post processing The author of the post processor or an accompanying help file should clarify any additional actions taken by the post processor itself The following actions are performed automatically by the system during post processing in order to do a better job of processing the part If the OPER MODE is set to LATHE and a T POSITION is omitted between cycles the tool will automatically be positioned RETRACT away from the end of the current tool path before moving RPLANE away from the start of the next tool path If a portion of an arc is to be cut that is short enough to cause movement on only one machine axis within the specified TOLER value the system will convert it to a linear move The post processor may prompt the user for information Operation real number This could be almost anything from a customer name to a SS machine specific anything Many posts will prompt for a Enter program number program number If you just hit OK most posts will put a 1 for the number Cancel Draw No Tool causes the post processing to proceed at its m
108. tem tapping cycles from 2 50 TPI 50 999 Selects an NC CNC machine cycle by number Manual Path See CONTOUR MANUAL PATH Page 66 of 90 Technical Reference Profile Rough Profile Rough generates multiple passes that follow the contour Profile Rough is often used for castings or forgings as well as for most common facing operations Each pass takes more stocks until only the desired FINISH STOCK remains The group to be machined should be a BOUNDARY or a FACE The system will machine it from the specified start point if possible The cycle will take the specified STEP depth per pass starting from the specified TOTAL STOCK Rough Turn Rough Turn generates multiple parallel rough passes to hog off stock from a contour Each pass takes the specified STEP until the desired FINISH STOCK remains Normally use this operation for turning and for boring but NOT FACING Instead the PROFILE ROUGH operation is usually used for facing This is because the ROUGH TURN operation removes all stock from the group and a face is normally a flat group with no stock to remove PROFILE ROUGH allows you to enter a TOT STOCK value to specify the amount to be removed The tool angles are used to determine tool interference and correct for it If a plunge is too steep for the tool to cut then a shallower angle will be chosen The illustration above shows how the system would modify a tool path to make a shallow angle to avoid damaging the to
109. tems Page 34 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Filter Selections sft FILTER SELECTIONS identifies entities that are Selection Filter ae allowed to be selected It determines what type of geometry can be selected These entities include Points Lines Arcs Circles Dimensions and Text The search can be narrowed to only groups tool paths or geometry on a single Z level Keep in mind a geometry can have two different attributes associated with it It could be a circle and a group Selectable Laver Types Dimensions When the filter is active the cursor will have a S next to it Note If unable to select an item check the selection filter Make sure you turn it off The Cursor will have a S next to it Hit the E to enable all items to be selected Every On Every ot Cancel The MOVE instruction is used to move selected geometry items from their present location to a new location See the Shopcam Users Guide for a detailed explanation of this command Move Mirror Mirror Method and Result This instruction is used to make a mirror image of selected geometry entities If a tool path is mirrored then any CDC cutter compensation will also be mirrored This means that a CDC LEFT will be mirrored to become CDC RIGHT and vice versa The system will ask to mirror the geometry on the X Axis mirror horizontal on the Y Axis mirror vertical or around specified line I
110. tend to be rare and with good graphics are usually obvious Since Figure 1 Figure 2 trimming is so easy let s eliminate it first Hit the X key quick key for trim both and pick line 1 and arc 2 see figure 2 nm H n vi Miniscule geom and Z only line The best thing to do with this is just delete with a window around the area it stopped Hit the jeunes Line3 Delete key and select the Box pick method on the left icons Make sure you don t include all of the arc see figure 3 Since these two reasons cause about 70 Figure 3 Figure 4 of the problems would try a chain again If it still stops at the same point continue to C Overlapped Geoms These are hard to catch and rare The best way is to just delete the geom it stopped at and see if another geom or part of a geom remains Figure 4 If a line remains try grouping again If a partial geoms remains trim the line to the next line and then group Mismatched Layers If none of the above methods worked it has to be this Hit the Q key and select the geom the chain stopped at Note the layer and select the adjacent geom When the oddball geom is determined use the Info Edit Geom Attributes command select the geom with the different layer and change the layer number to the same as the rest This may seem confusing but if you use CAD files from different customers you will encounter each one of these conditions eventually Page 25 of 90 Technical Reference Users G
111. th that is generated will be smooth to the accuracy specified in the MAX CUSP value in the info table The generated path will consist of a series of very short moves in order to preserve this value However setting this to a very small value can degrade the curve smoothness by causing the concentration of short moves to pronounce fluctuations in the NC CNC machine s servos Page 69 of 90 Technical Reference Tool offset is not performed on TWO PLANE paths because it must be done at the NC CNC machine in order to compensate for the wire guide spacing Multiple Passes This Multiple Passes operation prompts to select a group to be machined It then displays an info table allowing you to hit CONTINUE to take another pass or COMPLETE to take a final pass If the CDC is not the same as the TOOLSIDE then the pass will be taken in reverse Generally an odd number of passes should be taken so that the final pass can remove the tab If a TAB LGT has been specified Burnout Profile Burnout Profile generates multiple passes that follow the contour Each pass takes more stocks until only the desired FINISH STOCK remains The system will request geometry that is part of the group Verify that all variables are properly set in the info table before completing the operation The group to be machined must be a POCKET The TOTAL STOCK value will be ignored and the entire inside of the pocket will be roughed totalidad oil PUNCH PRESS mode operati
112. the XX CY XXX XX t t cont ill b idered to be th ket The i contours wil be treated as islands AAAA AAA The group to be machined should be a POCKET If the group Hog Area Clear Points Hog Area Clear Hog Area Clear manually removes areas of stock from a part even though a set Operation group does not define areas Don t perform this operation on a group digitize an area to zigzag rough The system requires you to digitize the area to rough out Click on the Complete Complete button when the area is defined The system will generate zigzag roughing passes in each of the defined areas Cancel Profile Rough Profile Rough generates multiple passes that follow the contour Each pass removes stock until the desired FINISH STOCK remains The system will request groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group If the 3D PLANE is set to DEFAULT then the resultant N tool path will begin and end at the RPLANE Z level E and machine at the FULL Z level If the 3D PLANE is set to FROM GROUP then the tool path will begin and end at a Z level that is RPLANE above the part and machine along the Z level of the geometry in the group If the group to be machined is marked HOLES and it contains only circles no arcs points or lines then they will be cut in a spiral fashion recognizing the STEP TOT STOCK FIN STOCK FIN PASSES and TAIL LENGTH
113. the CAM motion n Modihesin Accelerati After generating the geometry create an outline or pocket Dani 330 group and then a toolpath 225 Dwell Page 50 of 90 Technical Reference JH corner BLenps Series L CORNER BREAKS The Series menu contains instructions to generating a series of new PPa geometry items that are based on a series existing geometry items ya HOLE TRAIN iad Sy OFFSET CHAIN Corner Blends The Corner Blends command will generate fillets on all corners of an existing series of geometry items The system will ask for Blending Radii the clockwise and counter clockwise fillet radii then it will ask you to chain the desired series of geometry items 0 24 Clockwise Counter Clockwise p 25 The geometry series is scanned At each common endpoint if the items are not BEFORE tangent a fillet will be constructed Lancel If the contour is closed then a fillet AFTER will also be put on the closure start end point of the chain lf a fillet will not fit into a portion of the chain then that fillet will not be generated at all Radius 5 Pick start of chain pick top end of the upper vertical line Pick next move pick the upper vertical line itself Radius 5 Pick start of chain pick upper right corner Pick next move pick vertical line at Right side Corner Breaks The Corner Breaks generates chamfers on all corners of an L existing series of geometry items The system
114. tion The system will asks for the three items that the circle is tangent to The items should be selected near the point where the circle is to be tangent The pick should be made slightly off from the point in a direction toward the center of the circle lt is easy to pick all geometry items at points that are independently possible tangent points yet no circle can be created that is tangent near all three picks The system will not be able to create the arc if this occurs ET Center 8 Tangent to a Geom The Center amp Tangent Geom prompts for a center point and then an item to draw the circle tangent to Ses seGmenTs Curve A The Curve creates a series of Nea ee E geometry items that are defined Curve Points an by a sequence of positions or Bez BEZIER coordinates f Add Point Point B Sp B SPLINE ARC SERIES FE Sf ARC FIT k Cancel ArcF a Segments Seg The Segments ask for series of positions to be entered The segments may be entered by typing in the X Y and Z values or by digitizing the positions using any of the pick modes i The system will create a series of line segments that connect the a positions The points shown were all digitized on the screen Then click the Draw Curve button to complete the definition 7 Normal Cubic m This Norm Cubic asks for series of positions to be entered Typing in the X Y and Z values or by digitizing the positions
115. tive Z is toward you negative is away X Zero Degrees The 3 o clock position is always considered to be a zero degree angle All angles are reference from 3 00 or 0 degrees This means that a horizontal line is a zero degree or a 180 degree line depending upon its direction Two Dimensional Angles A positive angle means a counter clockwise rotation For instance a line going straight up on the screen is ninety degrees but one going toward the lower right is a negative angle All angles are normalized by the system Page 9 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide meaning a 270 degree angle is the same as a 90 degree angle Angles are entered in decimal degrees Enter the value as you would any other number to enter decimal degrees to specify a 22 5 degree angle enter 22 5 Units of measurement Units of measurements refer to the intervals used to measure distances Normally coordinates are either in inches or millimeters however centimeters are also supported The part program is not in any particular unit system lt consists of values that may represent inches or millimeters In order for the system to generate a tapefile for the NC CNC machine it must know what units are to be used The info table contains a selection for units It is important that this is properly selected so that a tape can be generated correctly EXPRESSIONS AND VARIABLES Expressions are permitted in any numeric response These expressions are eval
116. to create in a 360 degree cut The greater the segments the finer the resolution NOTE In order to get a smooth finish it might be tempting to enter a large number in this field This may actually cause problems First it will make your machine code file longer Second it s possible for a move to be too small for the machine s resolution Most post processors are setup to ignore redundant moves A redundant move is usually defined as a value less than 0001 of an inch between the current and previous move This is especially true of the Z axis move with a small pitch or the XY move with a taper The STARTING Z is the Z depth to begin the thread The depth of the thread is determined by the Full Z value found by selecting the Tool Attributes button This button will bring up the Tooling Info Table The Full Z value is found under the CUT tab The CLEARANCE field refers to the offset or approach distance of the tool as it moves in to cut the thread A zero taper will do a straight thread A positive value will make the tool path increase as it goes A negative value will make it decrease Page 64 of 90 Technical Reference Engraving HORIZONTAL Engraving creates tool paths that diek represent letters of the alphabet No Direction starting Point tool offset is performed The path is f Forward C Reverse s O Keming I to the center of the geometry Scale Y 0 Spacing Normally the font files with engraving in the name w
117. try ae E by using the cursor position by entering specific coordinates or by building in arc relation to existing geometry Circle K Curve K When entering geometry for machining be sure that the elements are properly Pattern F trimmed and defined as tangent if applicable The screen resolution sometimes Series causes elements to appear tangent or trimmed that may not be This could cause Lettering gt unexpected results when machining or chaining a boundary The coordinate values for defining the geometry can be entered in many forms The system will recognize mathematic functions as well as entering the coordinates via a pick mode Either key in the information digitize graphically or with a snap mode Many of the definitions require coordinate values If a three dimensional OPER MODE is selected when the coordinates are entered then a Z value will also be required The default point definition is XY Position PE xYPOSITION Point P Key LA POLAR ae The Point Menu defines a point Points are displayed as a X on the screen E LEEN TER When the P key is hit the point icons will appear on the left side of the screen BREAK POINT You may change to one of the other point definitions by selecting the icon Position 3D Point Edit Attributes Ene E This Polar Point dialogue box will ask for polar distance to be entered polar Point lA from an angle This is always the origin and an angle The an
118. u has selections for various forms of these functions See the Shopcam Users Guide for a detailed explanation of this command Trim Both X Key This instruction is used to modify two geometry items so both ends are exactly at their intersection Selection must be along the portion to be retained when selection items to trim If trimming two lines that crossed pick each line on the portion to keep The other portion Separated from this portion at the intersection will be discarded Trim Modal This instruction is used to trim off geometry items where they intersect another item The system will ask for the trimming item first then the items to be trimmed off Unlike the TRIM BOTH instruction this one requires that you pick the geometry items along the portion to be trimmed off not the portion to be retained See the Shopcam Users Guide for a detailed explanation of this command Break Modal B Key This instruction permits breaking several geometry items each at their intersections with a breaking item The system asks you for the breaking item Break Window This instruction breaks all of the geometry items that are completely within the selected window Each is broken at its intersection with any other geometry item that was within the rectangle Page 36 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide Stretch This instruction is used to move parts of a shape or extend geometries Ref Pt for Editing The system as
119. uated immediately and the result is used in the answer For complex problems use the CALCULATOR Basic Operations In expressions the following operations are permitted Addition e g 2 2 Is 4 Subtraction e g 5 3 Is 2 N Multiplication e g 3 2 is 6 Division e g 6 2 Is 3 Power e g 2 3 is 8 Notice that the asterisk is used for multiplication The letter X is never used for multiplication on computers because that would cause confusion about a variable X and multiplication itself The slash indicates division Be careful not to use the backslash by mistake Five Steps of Part Programming Although it is not required to name your part until you save the file it is good practice to name your file as soon as possible You can give your part program any name but it must follow the Windows standard for file naming refer to Windows documentation for more information Your file will be saved with the extension PRT Making a part program to run your machine is done in five steps Setup Load a setup file Geometry Either import a DXF or create geometry Groups Group geometry to perform operations on Operations Use the operations to make toolpaths Processing Translates the partfile into a tapefile G code These steps are listed below with more detailed descriptions No matter how many part programs you create with ShopCAM you ll find that these five basic steps are repeated with each As you g
120. uide Section 9 Approach methods The approach is how you get on and off the part If starting on an arc you can not apply CDC without a line move It is a good idea to use an approach on finish operations where you would use a CDC offset The approach and pull off is not used by lathe drill cycle or 3D operations NONE None approach indicates that the tool should move directly into tangency with the finish work piece before beginning its machining path OFFSET Offset approach method to cause the tool to move to a position that is the CLEARANCE distance away from the finish work piece and then feed perpendicular to the 1 move Upon completion the tool will move away from the finish work piece until it is the CLEARANCE distance away before retracting On an open group boundary the offset will extend the 1 move by the clearance amount LEAD IN The Lead In method causes one of three methods to be used depending upon the location of the start point on the group to be machined If the start point is along a tangent move then a ninety degree arc will be constructed tangent to the start point and used to wipe onto the work piece Another ninety degree arc will be added to the end of the tool path to wipe off These arcs will have a radius of the Arc Rad If the start point is at an inside corner then the same approach is used as OFFSET If methods two or three are expected but generate gouging tool interference then this
121. using any of the pick modes Click on the Draw Curve button when complete The MAX CUSP value in the info table is used to determine the required number of segments to obtain the desired precision Page 44 of 90 Technical Reference The system creates a series of line segments that approximate a smooth curve that passes through each positions Advantages of Normalized Cubic Curve e Passes through every given position oe A standard predictable mathematical function E Disadvantages of Normalized Cubic Curve el o Line segments rather than arcs generating a larger output file o If the positions are closely spaced then irregular corners may be created on the curve o No four position sequence may deviate 180 degrees or more or erratic line segments will be generated o Rounding or dimensioning errors may be exaggerated by pronounced deviations in the curve s Bezier e This Bezier requests a series of four positions Typing in the X Y and Z values or by digitizing the positions using any of the pick modes Click on the Draw Curve button when complete The MAX CUSP value in the info table will be used to determine the required number of segments to obtain the desired precision The system will create a series of line segments that will approximate a very smooth curve that is controlled by the selected positions The curve will pass through the first and the last positions The intermediate positions will merely influe
122. will ask for the Enter Width chamfer width then it will request a chain the desired series of geometry items Width 028 The geometry series is scanned At each common endpoint if the items are not tangent a chamfer will be constructed If the contour is closed then a chamfer will also be put on the closure start end point of the chain cae If a chamfer will not fit into a portion of the chain then that chamfer will not be generated at all Page 51 of 90 Technical Reference Hole Train The Hole Train generates a series of holes along a given contour Step distance Holes can be offset from another contour Use OFFSET CHAIN in Hole Train this case first to offset the contour Then generate the HOLE TRAIN gt The system will request a step length and a hole diameter After selecting the Apply button select the chain of geometry items The step length is the Hole Diameter 0 25 spacing between hole centers If the given spacing does not work out to generate equal spacing over the length of the contour then its value will be Apply Panes adjusted slightly This means that the system may change the given step if MM Cancel the overall length of the chain is not a multiple of the step Step Distance 5 ee Hole diameter 25 Pi Offset Chain The Offset Chain generates a series of lines and or arcs Enter Offset Distance A specifying the distance away from an existing series of lines and or arcs This is
123. will be added to the operation list Nibble The NIBBLE operation is used to nibble along the edge of a contour The system will request the groups to be machined Type in the layer number of the group or pick along any geometry that is part of the group Properly set the TOOL NUMBER TOOL SIDE and other factors in the info table before clicking on the DONE button to complete the operation If the group to be machined is an OUTLINE the system will machine it from the outside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a POCKET the system will machine it from the inside It must consist of one or more closed contours Individual contours may be reversed in cutting sequence to preserve the sense of TOOL SIDE RIGHT or TOOL SIDE LEFT from the info table If the group to be machined is a BOUNDARY the system will preserve the cutting direction and will attempt to start as close as possible Only one contour should be selected and it may be open or closed Nibble Punch The NIBBLE PUNCH operation is used to nibble along the edge of a contour It differs from the NIBBLE instruction in that it generates a series of punch locations rather than a tool path for the machine to nibble This causes a longer NC CNC tape to be made but permits you to edit or delete individual hits Th
124. y that representing the Direction Starting Point alphabet Do not confuse this with S Foward E Reverse te 0 Kerning R engraving which will actually generate a tool path Use lettering Scale Y 0 Spacing for raised or recessed shapes T ext TEXT GOES HERE Font File Font_Outine_Modem_caps prt Browse Set Operation Make Tool path Cancel Page 21 of 90 Technical Reference Users Guide You need to group the shapes then perform a operation on the groups Only select a font file that starts with Font Outline Fill out all fields indicated and click on the OK button to execute the command All fields will be filled with system defaults except for the TEXT Hit the Make Tool path button to create the geometry Some fonts may not include all of the upper and lower case letters of symbols found on a standard keyboard If the item is not available in the font then it will not appear when the command is executed The part files contain various fonts Section 7 Geometry Editing Geometry editing may be used to create more geometry via copy or mirror You may also edit geom by trimming it or breaking it Trimming and Breaking After creating geometry you may have to trim it to pa a different geom to form a sharp corner You may Untitled shopcam have to break it to select a start point for a group File Edit View Geometry Info Group MILL Operations The most common trim command is Trim Both The quick key for t

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