Inserting a Copy-Transformation Instruction

You can apply a Copy-Transformation Instruction to a selected list of machining operations in the manufacturing program and order those machining operations. The selected list does not necessarily correspond to a sequence in the manufacturing program but the machining operations must have the same tooling.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin:

The Copy-Transformation Instruction is computed if all the referenced machining operations:

  • have the same tooling,
  • are up-to-date or locked,
  • compute thetool path

See also Working with TRACUT, COPY Operator Instruction, Copy-Transformation and Tool Path Repetition

Insert a Copy-Transformation Instruction from the Program Tab

You can use Copy-Transformation Instruction in the Copy/Tracut Operations sub-tab of the Program tab.

Before you begin: Update the referenced machining operations. Otherwise the tool path of the Copy-Transformation Instruction might disappear from the tree when creating the Copy-Transformation Instruction.
  1. In a product like this one,



    1. Select a machining app then the Programming section.
      An empty Manufacturing Cell is created with an Activities Process Tree.
    2. Create a generic machine or assign a machine from the database.
      As soon as a machine is assigned to the Manufacturing Cell, a Part Operation and a Manufacturing Program are created in the Activities Process Tree.
    3. Alternatively, open an existing Machining Process or PPR Context.

      By default, the Activities Process Tree is available.

  2. Create Pocketing operation:
    1. Select Prismatic Machining section.
    2. Click Pocketing and create a first Pocketing operation on the first square cut-out.
    3. Create a second Pocketing operation using the same tool on the first triangular cut-out.

      When creating these pockets, make sure that the Island Detection context menu menu command is not active before you select the pocket bottom.

  3. Right-click the manufacturing program and select Compute Tool Path.
    1. Select the Compute if necessary option in the pop-up that appears.




  4. Select the second Pocketing operation in the Manufacturing Program.
    1. Click Copy-Transformation Instruction.

    A Copy-Transformation is inserted in the Manufacturing Program after Pocketing.2 and the Copy-Transformation dialog box appears.



  5. In the dialog box, click Add Operations :
    1. Using Ctrl, select the two Pocketing operations in the Activities Process Tree.
    2. Double-click in the work area to end the selection and revert to the dialog box.

    Note: The selected machining operations must have the same tooling.

    The Copy-Transformation Instruction is applied to these two machining operations.



    The dialog box is updated:

    • Move Up and Move Down allow you to move the selected machining operation up or down in the list.
    • Delete allows you to delete the selected Machining Operations.

  6. Define the Copy-Transformation Instruction, for example:
    1. Set the Number of copies (N) to 3,
    2. Set Ordering to Each operation N times.
    3. Set the Transformation type to Translation.
    4. Set the Translation type to Absolute Coordinates.
    5. Set the Distance along X to -100mm.
  7. Click Display or Simulate to visualize the tool path resulting from the defined Copy-Transformation Instruction.

    Note: See Displaying Tool Path

    With the Each operation N times Ordering setting, the transformation is applied to the 3 square cut-outs first then to the 3 triangular cut-outs.



    With the All operations N times Ordering setting, the transformation is applied to the first set of square and triangular cut-outs, then the second set, and finally the third set.



  8. Click OK to create the Copy-Transformation Instruction in the manufacturing program.

Insert a Copy-Transformation Instruction from the Tool Path Editor

You can insert a Copy-Transformation Instruction while editing the tool path.

See Editing an Area in Using the Tool Path Editor.