Creating and Editing a Tool Assembly

You can create a tool assembly from new or existing tools and tool holders. 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 Assembly Resources
About Feeds and Speeds

Create a Tool Assembly

You can create a tool assembly from a new tool and tool holder that you create at the same time as the tool assembly. This task illustrates the creation of a drill tool assembly. Dialog box names depend on the type of tool assembly you create.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Resource Creation .
  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. In the Resource Creation dialog box that appears, expand the Tool Assemblies area and select Creates Tool Assemblies .
    The Resource Selection dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:
    • Mill Tool Creation
    • Drill Tool Creation
    • Probing Tool Creation
    • Lathe Tool Creation
  4. In the Drill Tool Creation area, click Creates Drill Tool .
    The drill tool appears in the work area with values corresponding to the default tool dimensions. The Drill Tool and Tool Assembly dialog boxes also appear.

  5. In the Tool Assembly dialog box, click Add Holder to add a tool holder.
  6. In the Holders area of the Resource Selection dialog box that appears, select a tool holder.
    The tool holder and the Tool Holder dialog box appear in the work area.

  7. To specify parameters of the tool assembly, do one of the following:
    • To specify a Geometry parameter, double-click a value in the work area, enter a new value in the Edit Parameter dialog box and click OK.
    • To specify other tool assembly parameters:
      1. Click Edit parameters in the Tool Assembly dialog box.

        A dialog box appears with expandable areas such as:

        • Technology
        • Feeds & Speeds
        • Compensation
        • Attachment

      2. Modify the required parameters and click OK.
  8. Select the type of representation: Static, Rotary, or Default.

    Note: This option is only available on the tool assembly level. It is applied to the tool assembly in its entirety (tool and tool holder included). Individual resources displayed in the tool assembly panel do not have this option.

  9. To finish, click OK in the Tool Assembly dialog box.

The tool assembly is created and appears in the tree under the manufacturing cell.

Create a Tool Assembly from an Existing Tool and Tool Holder

You can create a tool assembly from an existing tool and tool holder that you can retrieve from the database. This task illustrates the creation of an end mill tool assembly. Dialog box names depend on the type of tool assembly you create.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Resource Creation .
  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. In the Resource Creation dialog box that appears, expand the Tool Assemblies area and select Creates Tool Assemblies .
  4. In the Resource Selection dialog box that appears,
    • Click Search Database for Tool and enter a keyword in the search bar.
    • Click Search Tool in Catalog and use the Catalog Browser that appears to search for a tool.
    Available tools appear in the search results.
  5. Select a tool among the ones available.
    The selected tool appears in the work area. The End Mill Tool and Tool Assembly dialog boxes appear.
  6. In the Tool Assembly dialog box, click Add Holder to add a tool holder.
  7. Click Search Similar to open the Tool Assembly Selection panel that lists the existing similar tools from the database.

    Note: You can perform this action with or without a tool holder.

  8. Select one of the tool assemblies that are listed in the panel and click OK to remove the newly created tool assembly.
    This creates the new instance of the tool assembly you selected under the manufacturing cell.
    Note: The tools are similar if the number of child components within the tool assembly are the same and the PLM references of child components are the same.

    This option is only available when you are creating a new tool and not while editing an existing tool. The panel also only lists items from the database and not from the session or the catalog.

  9. In the Resource Selection dialog box that appears, click Search Database for Tool Holder or Search Holder in Catalog, and enter a keyword in the search bar.
    Available tool holders appear in the search results.
  10. Select a tool holder among the ones available.
    The selected tool holder and Tool Holder dialog box appear in the work area.
  11. To finish, click OK in the Tool Assembly dialog box.

The tool assembly is created and appears in the tree under the manufacturing cell.

Note: You cannot modify the parameters of existing tools and tool holders in the work area.

Create a Multi-Stylus Tool Assembly with a Prismatic Tool Holder

You can create a multistylus tool assembly with prismatic tool holders only. This task illustrates the creation of a multistylus tool assembly.

  1. From the Setup section of the action bar, click Resource Creation .
  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. In the Resource Creation dialog box that appears, expand the Tool Assemblies area and select Creates MultiStylus Tool Assembly .
  4. In the Resource Selection dialog box that appears, select Prismatic Holder to create a prismatic holder.
  5. In the Prismatic Holder dialog box that appears, select Manage Representation , then Add User Representation.
  6. In the Define User Representation dialog box that appears, click to select a user representation product from a database. Then select at least two base axes and a mount axis in the 3D viewer or preview panel.

    Note: The icon removes all selected axes under Base Axis or Mount Axis.

  7. Click OK in both the Define User Representation and Manage Representation dialog boxes.
  8. In the Prismatic Holder dialog box, select to create or select a probing tool.
  9. Mount the probing tool to the prismatic holder by selecting a prismatic holder base axis in the 3D viewer.
  10. Select to mount another stylus to another prismatic holder base axis as required.

The multistylus tool assembly is created and appears in the tree under the manufacturing cell.

Edit a Tool Assembly

You can edit a tool assembly from the manufacturing cell or the Resource Configuration View.

  1. In the tree, right-click a tool assembly in the manufacturing cell and select NC Resources > Edit NC Resources in 3D.

    Alternatively, in the Resource Configuration View, right-click a tool and select Edit NC Resources in the context menu, or double-click the tool.

  2. Modify the parameters as explained in Creating and Editing a Tool Assembly.

Tip: To move a tool to a new location, drag the tool using the left-click on the mouse and drop it to the new location.