Creating and Editing Milling, Drilling, and Probing Tools

You can create milling, drilling, and probing tools using Resource Creation from the action bar. Once created, you can edit them from the manufacturing cell. To use NC programming capabilities from other machining apps, add a manufacturing cell to the PPR context before creating any resources.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
Tool Resources for Milling and Drilling
About Feeds and Speeds

Create Milling, Drilling, and Probing Tools

You can create tools such as end mills, spot drills, and ball stylus tools. This task illustrates the creation of an end mill tool. Dialog box names depend on the type of tool you create.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Resource Creation .
    The Resource Creation dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:
    • Milling Tools
    • Drilling Tools
    • Probing Tools
  2. Optional: In the Resource Creation dialog box, click to search a tool from the Tool Search panel. For more information, see Tool Search
  3. Expand the Milling Tools area and select Creates End Mill Tool .
    The tool appears in the work area with values corresponding to the default tool dimensions.

  4. Optional: In the NC Resource dialog box, enter a new name and comment for the tool.
  5. In the work area, double-click a value to modify it.
  6. In the Edit Parameter dialog box, enter a new value.
  7. Click OK to update the tool with the new value.
  8. Modify other values in the same way.
  9. To specify other parameters of the tool, click Edit parameters in the End Mill Tool area of the NC Resource dialog box.
    A dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:
    • Geometry
    • Technology
    • Feeds & Speeds
    • Compensation
    • Attachment
    • Part Body Color
  10. To select a holder, click Add Holder then choose a holder selection option.
  11. Modify the required parameters and click OK.
  12. To finish, click OK in the NC Resource dialog box.
    You created the end mill tool and it appears in the tree under the manufacturing cell.

Note: You can add a user representation to the tool. See User Representation for the Tool.

Create Mill Insert Holders

You can create an empty mill insert holder for milling and drilling items. This task illustrates the creation of an insert holder with an end mill tool.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Resource Creation .
    The Resource Creation dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:
    • Milling Tools
    • Drilling Tools
    • Probing Tools
  2. Optional: In the Resource Creation dialog box, click <image> to search a tool from the Tool Search panel. For more information, see Tool Search
  3. Expand the Milling Tools area and select Creates Mill Insert Holder , then Creates End Mill Tool .
    The insert holder appears in the work area with values corresponding to the default tool dimensions.
  4. Optional: In the NC Resource dialog box, enter a new name and comment for the insert holder.
  5. Select the nocut user representation of the insert holder. This contains the axis systems where the inserts can be mounted. For more information, see Define User Representation.
  6. Define the gauge insert REF to specify the compatible inserts that can be mounted.
  7. Click OK in the NC Resource dialog box.

The end mill tool insert holder appears in the tree under the manufacturing cell.

Note: To mount inserts to the tool holder, create a tool assembly.

Create a Multi-Diameter Drill Tool with Multiple Stages

You can create a multi-diameter drill tool with more than 3 stages.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Resource Creation .
    The Resource Creation dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:
    • Milling Tools
    • Drilling Tools
    • Probing Tools
  2. Expand the Drilling Tools area and select Create Multi Diameter Drill Tool .
    The tool appears in the work area with values corresponding to the default tool dimensions.
  3. Optional: In the NC Resource dialog box, enter a new name and comment for the tool.
    A dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:
    • Geometry
    • Technology
    • Feeds & Speeds
    • Compensation
    • Attachment
    • Part Body Color
  4. Expand the Geometry area, and specify the required number of stages.
    The following fields appear and are dynamically created for each additional stage: Stage length, Stage diameter, and Stage taper angle. Compensation correctors associated to each stage from the fourth stage onwards appear. For the fourth stage: P10, P11, and P12 correctors appear. For the fifth stage: P13, P14, and P15 correctors appear.

    Point length, Point diameter, and Tool diameter are visible for all stages and display the distance from the point to the mount point or tip point. These values are calculated automatically according to the parameter inputs in the Geometry area.

  5. When a user-representation is added, you can also compute the rotary profile of a tool from the Manage Representation panel.
    1. For an existing rotary representation, click Upgrade Rotary.

      Note: The rotary part remains the same, only features inside the rotary part are modified.

    2. To create a rotary representation with the new profile computation, click Generate Rotary.
  6. To select a holder, click Add Holder then choose a holder selection option.
  7. Modify the required parameters and click OK.
  8. To finish, click OK in the NC Resource dialog box.

Edit a Tool

You can edit a tool from the manufacturing cell.

  1. In the tree, right-click a tool under the manufacturing cell and select NC Resources > Edit NC Resources in 3D.
  2. Modify the parameters as explained in Create Milling, Drilling, and Probing Tools.