Surface Machining

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Surface Machining

Recent trends in component design have resulted in an increased need to incorporate complex shaped geometry in production machining. Previously, such requirements were limited to short run, or one-off machining environments such as the mold, die and prototyping industries. EdgeCAM offers a full range of surface machining functionality that can be used by the production machinist equally effectively to machine large quantity batches. Solid models are machined using innovative, reliable and gouge free cycles. Intelligent approach strategies provide improved surface finish while optimizing machining times and maximizing tool life. Adaptive leads and links ensure collision free entry and exit on and off the job.

Parallel Lace

Perhaps the most popular finishing cycle, Parallel Lace can be controlled by stepover, cusp height, cut increment and minimum and maximum angle of cut. This intelligent cycle takes parallel cuts along the part, and allows for optimum, climb or conventional approaches. Used in combination with profiling, a consistent surface finish can be maintained by defining the cut angle. This angle specifies where the strategies meet on sloping shapes.

The user can select an option to ignore external edges that prevents the tool from rolling over the edge of a pocket or boss. This is of benefit to many applications, and results in precisely defined edges on machined cavities and avoids the need to create boundaries.

Parallel cut with angle control

Constant Cusp Finishing

This cycle generates a 3D toolpath that maintains a constant surface stepover from one pass to the next. It produces a toolpath that can be defined from a drive curve or boundary.

Projection Finishing

Projection machining is a method of finish machining a part according to its design. It applies the required surface finish and cut pattern quickly and easily over the whole model or discreet features.
EdgeCAM's Projection Finishing strategies allow

  • A 2D toolpath to be projected onto a 3D surface
  • A circular, radial, concentric or spiral pattern to be projected for finishing bosses or pockets
  • A pair of flow curves to drive a lace toolpath along or across a surface

Pencil Milling and Rest Finishing

Pencil Milling and Rest Finishing cycles are used to clean up material remaining from a previous finishing cycle with a larger tool. Pencil Finishing executes this as a single pass along internal edges and intersections, whilst Rest Finishing consists of a series of passes and is typically used to machine internal radii.

Flat land finishing

Pencil cut milling

Flat Land Finishing

This cycle automatically detects the flat areas on the model and applies a lacing or concentric clearance pattern on these areas. Combined with the Parallel Lace cycle for the machining of steep areas, it provides the most efficient strategy for the machining of free-form components, by ensuring that the most appropriate tooling is used for the machining of different areas of the model.

EdgeCAM's Flat Land Finishing cycle also incorporates rest machining that allows you to finish areas that have been left by a larger tool in a previous machining cycle.

Multi-Axis and Multi-Plane Machining

EdgeCAM supports the machining of holes, pockets and surfaces on different faces of the part, reducing total setup time and taking advantage of multi-axis machine capabilities. EdgeCAM offers full support for multi-axis milling, including 4-axis rotary machining, 3-axis machining plus 2-axis simultaneous indexing and 5-axis machining for trimming, and de-flashing of single surfaces.

When machining multi-faced parts, or multiple parts mounted on a tombstone fixture, EdgeCAM can easily position to any face to allow full use of both prismatic and surface machining cycles. Machining sequences and toolpaths can be merged into a single sequence and rationalised by tool, index position or datum to produce an optimal program. EdgeCAM Simulator displays all the multi-axis and rotational multi-plane moves for realistic process simulation and collision checking.
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