Using Intermediate Stock

Input and output intermediate stock is created and visualized for all types of machining operations (mill, drill, and turn).

The intermediate stock is taken into account to optimize and compute a collision free tool path in the computation of roughing, axial, prismatic, and selected mill-turn machining operations.

The intermediate stock capability is enabled by selecting the Activate the Intermediate Stock check box in the Options tab of the Part Operation dialog box.

Activate the Intermediate Stock deals with:

Input Intermediate Stock

Solid corresponding to the machined part before the machining operation.

Output Intermediate Stock

Solid corresponding to the machined part after the machining operation.

Input Stock Contour

Profile corresponding to the maximum turning envelope of the Input Intermediate Stock.

Output Stock Contour

Profile corresponding to the maximum turning envelope of the Output Intermediate Stock.

Stock Synchronized with the Operation

To manage the lifecycle, the rough stock is linked to a specific version of the tool path of the machining operation. If the tool path is changed, the rough stock is no longer synchronized.

Using several settings improves the visualization of intermediate stock.

They are:

• Me > Preferences Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Machining > NC Machining Apps Common Services > General to manage the color and the transparency of the intermediate stocks.
• Me > Preferences Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Machining > Display > Performance:
  • The Transparency Quality must be defined as High (Alpha Blending) to visualize the transparency variations,
  • The Pixel Culling (Static and While Moving) must be defined as 0 for a correct display of the intermediate stock contour that is computed while editing turning machining operations.

When Activate the Intermediate stock check box is clicked in the Part Operation, several icons appear at the bottom of the Machining Operation dialog boxes.

• Update Input Stock .
• Update Output Stock .
• Ignore in Tool Path Computation : Ignores the input intermediate stock while computing the tool path (for the machining operations taking into account the intermediate stock in the computation of the tool path). If this option is activated, Update Input Stock turns to .
• Deactivate the Output Stock Computation : If this option is activated, Update Output Stock is not available.

The various stages of these commands are as follows:

• : Input stock computed but not displayed.
• : Input stock computed and displayed.
• : Input stock not computed or not up-to-date.
• : Input stock not computable. One or more previous machining operations may be incomplete.
• : Output stock computation.
• : Output stock computed and displayed.

Input and output stock is computed on any turning operation.

• An input stock contour is used as the default rough stock of the machining operation.
• The stock contours are created by computing the maximum turning envelope of the intermediate stock, ensuring that stock contours are computed from nonsymmetrical stock bodies.

All axial machining operations (Drilling, Spot Drilling, Circular Milling) support intermediate stock.

Drilling Point

A drilling entry point is computed on the stock.

• If this computed drilling entry point (1) is above the selected one, it replaces the selected one (Stock (2), Part (3)).
• If a Top element is selected and the computed point is above the Top element, the Top element is not taken into account.

Linking motions

• The linking motions (1) between drilling points are computed according to the intermediate stock (4). (Clearance distance on stock (2), Approach clearance (3)).
• The linking macro motion is done up to the intermediate stock.
• Collisions are checked with the tool along the linking motion.
• The Stock clearance defined in the Part Operation is used to define a motion without collision with the current stock.

Intermediate stocks are supported by milling operations.

The top plane of the intermediate stock is automatically computed in the machining area by relimiting the input stock with the machining area:

• If there is no user-defined plane, the automatically computed plane defines the top plane of the machining operation.
• If a user-defined plane is defined, it is taken into account if it is higher than the automatically computed plane along tool axis direction.

All milling operations support intermediate stock. However, the following machining operations support intermediate stock and automatic top plane computation:

• Pocketing
• 4-Axis pocketing
• Facing
• Profile contouring
• Prismatic roughing
• Roughing
• Plunge milling
• Cavities roughing
• Trochoid milling

The following machining operations support intermediate stock and tool path optimization:

• Pocketing
• 4-Axis pocketing
• Facing
• Profile contouring
• Prismatic roughing
• Roughing
• Plunge milling
• Cavities roughing
• Trochoid milling
• Multiaxis curve machining

Intermediate stock is used in Pocketing Operations, 4-Axis Pocketing Operations, and Multi-Axis Curve Machining Operations to avoid air cutting.

On each level, the machining area is delimited by the stock, to avoid air cutting passes.

The tool path is optimized to avoid air cutting.

Intermediate stocks are not computed in the same way when manufacturing programs are synchronized between multiturrets.

When manufacturing programs are sequential, the input intermediate stock is computed from the tool paths of the previous machining operations.

The previous machining operations for a given machining operation are:

• All the machining operations in the previous programs.
• All the machining operations between the program start and the given machining operation in the current program.

For example:

• The computation of the input intermediate stock of Groove Turning.1 takes into account the tool paths of Rough Turning.2 and Rough Turning.1.
• The input stock of Profile Finish Turning.2 is computed from the tool paths of Profile Finish Turning.1, Groove Turning.1, Rough Turning.2, and Rough Turning.1.

If several manufacturing programs are synchronized between multiturrets, the manufacturing programs are no longer sequential but run in parallel. For example:

In this case, when synchronization occurs in the process, the computation of the intermediate stock:

• Takes into account all the previous machining operations of the same program (red arrow),
• Considers the last synchronization before the current machining operation and takes into account all the machining operations defined before this synchronization (blue arrow). According to the type of synchronization, the synchronized machining operation is taken into account, which is when the synchronization targets the end or the retract macro. Or when the synchronized machining operation is not taken into account, which is when the synchronization targets the start or the approach macro.
• The previous machining operations for Groove Turning.1 are:
  • Rough Turning.2 and Rough Turning.1 (in the manufacturing program corresponding to turret T1).
  • In the program corresponding to turret T2:
    • Profile Finish Turning.1 and Profile Finish Turning.2 (if the synchronization S1 targets the end or the retract macro of Profile Finish Turning.2).
    • Profile Finish Turning.1 only (if the synchronization S1 targets the start or the approach macro of Profile Finish Turning.2).

When there are several synchronizations, only the initial synchronization of the machining operation is taken into consideration. For example:

In this case, the initial synchronization is synchronization S3. Thus, the previous machining operations for Pocketing.1 are:

• Groove Turning.1, Rough Turning.2, andRough Turning.1 (in the program corresponding to turret T1).
• In the program corresponding to turret T2:
  • Profile Finish Turning.1, Profile Finish Turning.2 and Facing.1 (if the synchronization targets the end or the retract macro of Facing.1).
  • Profile Finish Turning.1, Profile Finish Turning.2 only (if the synchronization targets the start or the approach macro of Facing.1).

Intermediate stock is processed within macro motions.

There is no RAPID motion inside the intermediate stock. Macro motions are managed to avoid RAPID tool motion inside the material.

Macro motions are automatically updated when a collision (in RAPID mode) is detected with the cutter during tool path computation by:

• Automatic extrapolation of macro motion
• Automatic feedrate modification.

In the examples below, the various feedrates are represented as follows:

• RAPID - Red arrow
• Approach - Yellow arrow
• Retract - Blue arrow.
• Machining - Green Arrow.

	Update Approach Macro Motion Feedrate to avoid RAPID Motion inside the Stock. The first column is defined by the user, and the second column is computed by the system. The clearance distance
	An Axial macro motion (in Approach Feedrate) is added to start outside the stock.
	Specific Case of Ramping and Helix Approach Macros: The macro motion parameter (height) is automatically computed to start outside the stock. This is done while computing the tool path. The macro motion parameter is not modified on the macro specified by the user.
	Update Retract Motion Feedrate to avoid RAPID Motion inside the Stock Clearance .
	An Axial macro motion (in Retract feedrate) is added to finish outside the stock.
	Linking Motion (1) between Retract and Approach: As for axial Machining Operations, linking motions are computed according to intermediate stock (2). The linking macro motion is done up to the intermediate stock. Tool collisions are checked along the linking motion Clearance distance on stock . The Stock clearance defined in the Part Operation is used to define motions without collision with the current stock.

• This is supported by the following prismatic machining operations:

  • Roughing
  • Plunge milling
  • Cavities roughing
  • Pocketing
  • Facing
  • Profile contouring (all modes)
  • Curve Following
  • Groove Milling
  • Sweep roughing
  • Sweeping
  • Contour driven
  • Zlevel
  • Spiral milling
  • Pencil
  • Advanced finishing

To get valid linking motions in all machining operations (except in rough turning operations), activate intermediate stock to manage the stock in the tool path computation.

The lifecycle of intermediate stocks is followed by their status.

Status of the input intermediate stock

The input intermediate stock status is up-to-date:

• If the input intermediate stock is already computed.
• If all previous machining operations have a tool path and are up-to-date or have a locked tool path.
• If all previous output Intermediate stocks are synchronized with the machining operations.
• If the stock assigned in the part operation has not changed.

In all other cases, the input intermediate stock is not up-to-date.

Status of the Output Intermediate Stock

The output intermediate stock status is up-to-date:

• If the output intermediate stock is already computed.
• If the machining operation has a tool path and is up-to-date or has a locked tool path.

When the intermediate stock has two positions to machine on both sides, you must create two part operations with one setup position. In this case, you must automatically specify the computed output intermediate stock of the last operation associated with the previous setup position as input stock of the setup position.

Part and Stock Defined

When the result of material removal is exported at the end of the first setup position, the material removal must be defined as starting stock in the second setup position even if the intermediate stock is activated.

There is no restriction on the number of setups that you can have if you define them on same NC Assembly. There is also no restriction on the number of programs you can have in setups since it allows all operations from all programs.

In this case, the output stock of the last operation is the input stock of the setup position.

If the previous operation has output stock deactivated, the system searches for the last valid output stock on previous operations.

Part Defined Without Stock Defined

Sometimes the intermediate stock is activated and no stock is selected in the setup position. In this case, the computed intermediate stock of the last operation associated to previous setup position is used as stock of the next setup position.

If no valid operation is found in the other previous setup position (in case there are no operations or operations have locally deactivated the output stock computation), then the stock defined in the previous setup position is used if available.

In case of several NC Machines, the previous intermediate stock is searched also on previous NC Machine programs, with respect of NC Machine ordering created in machining cell.

As no stock is defined on SetupPosition.2, the intermediate stock is retrieved from end of Machining Operation.1

This behavior is only available in the following scenarios:

• If the intermediate stock is activated on all part operations.
• If at least two setup positions have been created in the same machining cell in one or several part operations.
• If the NC assembly selected in setup position is the same reference, where there is one instance of the same reference for each setup position.

Activated Stock with Stock Selected in Setup

If the intermediate stock is activated and the previous setup position is on the same NC Assembly and has a stock defined, then the stock selection is optional. In this case, an icon is displayed to compute and display the input intermediate stock inherited from the previous setup position.

If any operations from the first setup are modified, then all operations of next setup position are defined as not up-to-date. In this case, you must recompute the Tool Path based on the new input stock.